In this episode of Repertoire, I’m in Durham, North Carolina, where the scent of hot oil, vinegar, and fresh herbs drifts down the block from Saltbox Seafood Joint—a place that’s redefined what it means to serve North Carolina seafood with soul.

My guest, Chef Ricky Moore, is a James Beard Award–winning chef, cookbook author, Army veteran, and proud North Carolina native. His journey spans fine dining kitchens around the world, yet it’s here—on the side of the road in Durham—where he distilled decades of training into something profoundly simple: fish cooked with heart, skill, and truth.

We talk about:

• The meaning behind the word “joint”—and why he traded white tablecloths for a walk-up window.
• His “gospel of croaker and spot”—a sermon on honoring local fish and the overlooked beauty of whole fry.
• Growing up fishing the Neuse River with his grandmother and learning that vinegar, not lemon, was all you needed.
• How a trip to Singapore inspired the model for Saltbox, and why doing one thing deliciously is enough.
• The art of patience, purpose, and building something authentic one plate at a time.
• What it means to lead with passion, intention, and integrity in an industry that tests all three.

This is Part 1 of a two-part conversation that captures the rhythm and reverence of a chef who’s turned a humble roadside shack into a Southern institution. Ricky Moore doesn’t just fry fish—he tells stories through it.

Watch Part 1 of Repertoire with Chef Sammy Monsour featuring Ricky Moore on YouTube, or listen wherever you get your podcasts.

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In this episode of Repertoire, I’m in Seattle’s Ballard neighborhood, where oyster shells clink and the tide meets the bar, sitting down with Renée Erickson—James Beard Award–winning chef, restaurateur, author, and the creative force behind The Walrus and the Carpenter and her celebrated restaurant group, Sea Creatures.

Renée’s food has always carried a quiet confidence—briny, romantic, and rooted in grace. Her restaurants feel like art installations you can eat inside of, shaped by her painter’s background and eye for beauty in texture, color, and imperfection. We talk about how that foundation in art informs her approach to cooking, design, and storytelling through space and plate alike.

We dive into:

• The creative intersection between visual art and cuisine, and how her degree in painting still guides every concept she builds.
• Learning to see food differently after studying abroad in Rome, and how Italy’s reverence for seasonality reshaped her worldview.
• Building a restaurant empire from a 25-year-old’s leap of faith, without investors, blueprints, or a roadmap.
• The evolution of Seattle’s restaurant culture—its challenges, costs, and resilience amid change.
• Her process for creating dishes that start with vegetables, texture, and mood rather than recipes.
• The delicate balance between entrepreneurship and artistry, and why she still cooks for herself at home after long days in the kitchen.
• What it means to lead with intention, mentor young cooks, and protect creativity in a business that rarely lets you come up for air.

Renée and I explore what it takes to sustain beauty, community, and craft in one of America’s most thoughtful food cities—and why the work of chefs like her must endure.

Watch the full episode on YouTube or listen wherever you get your podcasts.

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In this episode of Repertoire with Chef Sammy Monsour, I travel to Saint Louis Park, Minnesota—just outside Minneapolis—to sit down with Andrew Zimmern, the Emmy and four-time James Beard Award–winning chef, writer, television host, and global advocate whose work has redefined how we talk about food.

Andrew’s career spans continents and decades: creator and host of Bizarre Foods, What’s Eating America, and Family Dinner; founding member of the Independent Restaurant Coalition and the Coalition for Sustainable Aquaculture (which I’m proud to have co-founded alongside him); and one of the most influential voices using food to foster cultural understanding and social change.

We dive into:

• His new cookbook, The Blue Food Cookbook, coauthored with Barton Seaver, and how aquaculture can help feed a growing planet.
• The complexities of U.S. seafood policy—from the MARA Act to the future of the blue economy.
• Why chefs are uniquely positioned to lead conversations about climate, labor, and equity.
• Lessons from decades of global travel, from artisanal fishing villages in Africa to Indigenous food systems in Alaska.
• The evolution of food media—from PBS and the early days of Bizarre Foods to the digital storytelling era.
• His personal Mount Rushmore of culinary icons—Bourdain, Emeril, and Martin Yan among them.
• And a few unforgettable adventures from the road: maggot cheese in Sardinia, giant scallops in Samoa, and the rare foods that tell stories of place and time.

Andrew and I explore food as both joy and justice—a bridge between people, cultures, and the planet itself.

Watch the full episode on YouTube or listen wherever you get your podcasts.

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.