Top Chef Winner Richard Blais Didn't Need Another Obsession…Pickleball Found Him Anyway
About this episode
Chef Richard Blais discusses his unexpected journey into pickleball and its impact on his life and mindset.
It turns out the distance between a Michelin-starred restaurant and a pickleball court is shorter than anyone expected, especially when the person crossing it is already wired for pressure, creativity, competition, and just a little bit of chaos. This week, Casie and Lauren sit down with Chef Richard Blais, a chef, entrepreneur, author, television personality, and newly declared aspiring pickleball influencer. What starts as a conversation about how he found the game quickly becomes something bigger: why pickleball has a way of sneaking into your schedule, your friendships, your competitive wiring, and, if you are Richard, possibly your next business pitch. Richard brings the same curiosity to the court that made him such a recognizable force in food. He talks about learning the game from his wife, Jazmin, and discovering that pickleball, beyond the cardio, gave him a new social life, a new outlet, and apparently, a new reason to talk to himself in the car about dinking patterns. We talk about: Why Jazmin is the real origin story behind Richard’s pickleball obsession What tournament nerves have in common with cooking under pressure, and how that shapes his pickleball mindset How…
More episodes of Dinks On Tap: The Happy Hour Pickleball Podcast
- Cleo King on The Dink Movie: How She Booked Gail on a Pickleball Court, Learned the Game from Brad Gilbert, and Never Put the Paddle Down
- How Major League Pickleball Really Works: What Fans Don’t See Behind the Trades, Contracts, and Team Decisions with Alex Geesbreght
- He Bought A Pickleball Team: Inside Team Ownership And Family Connection With Los Angeles Mad Drops Owner Alex Geesbreght
- Grief Is Part of the Game: Why Losing a Pickleball Partner Hurts and How Healthy Competition Can Help You Keep Growing with Dr. Amanda Sovik Johnston
- The Dink Movie Premiere: Mary Steenburgen Got Snubbed at Open Play, Ted Danson Fell Head Over Heels for Pickleball, and Ben Johns' Celebrity Foursome
- Why Pickleball Might Be Rearranging Your Whole Life Before You Notice
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