Grant Achatz (award-winning chef)

Grant Achatz (award-winning chef)

July 15, 2026 · 1h 47m · Episode 1075

About this episode

Grant Achatz discusses his journey as a chef, his battle with cancer, and the emotional significance of food.

Grant Achatz (Alinea, Next, The Aviary) is an award-winning chef, restaurateur, and culinary innovator. Grant joins Armchair Expert to discuss growing up in small-town Michigan working in his family's diner, rebuilding a GTO with his father, and discovering the emotional power of food. Grant and Dax talk about training under Charlie Trotter and Thomas Keller, reinventing fine dining at Alinea, and battling stage IV tongue cancer at the height of his career. Grant explains why great meals are really about storytelling, how he sees AI as a beneficial tool in his work, and why pursuing excellence requires constant evolution. Check Allstate first for a quote that could save you hundreds: https://www.allstate.com/ See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info .

People in this episode

Host: Dax Shepard

Guest: Grant Achatz

Topics covered

Keywords

Sponsors

Allstate

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Alinea, Next, The Aviary

Places: Michigan

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