160: Kurt Huffman | All You Have To Do To Do Well In The Business Is Try

Listen in and her about: how  in the restuarnt industry hard work and determinism trumps intellegence and skill; why you need to be on a first name basis with failure; and why you need to keep a logical ear open when iterviewing your cooks. 

At the age of 15, like so many do, Kurt got his start in the restaurant business as a dishwasher. He continued to work in the industry until finishing graduate school in Scotland. It was at this point a close French friend asked if he’d want to go into business together.

In 1997, Kurt and his friend opened a 20,000 square foot brewery and gastro-pub in Lyon, France. Kurt would eventually sell his portion of the business, return home, attend business school at Berkley, and started ChefsTable - a business built on the premise of partnering with Chefs in a way that lets the chef focus on what they’re good at: food.