Chris Valdes: The Chef Storyteller / BAM / Smell—O-Vision

Chris Valdes: The Chef Storyteller / BAM / Smell—O-Vision

From Fell Into Food Podcast by Jeff Fell

June 29, 2026 · 56 min · Episode 76

About this episode

Chris Valdes discusses his journey as a chef and media personality, focusing on brand building and the role of AI in kitchens.

Chris Valdes is a Miami-based chef and TV personality best known for Food Network Star, who's spent the last eleven years building a media career out of catering, storytelling, and refusing to let anyone else write his story for him. This one didn't feel like a normal chef interview. We got into what it actually takes to build a brand before you have a team, how much of yourself you let a producer or a platform write for you versus protecting your own voice, and where AI actually earns a place in a professional kitchen instead of just taking over. Chris talks about grit in a way that doesn't feel like a quote on a slide — it's lived in. We also ended up in Miami's Latin fusion food scene, the right way to cook a pot of black beans, and somehow my own Father's Day cookout. That's how these conversations go. Connect Website Instagram Youtube Listen to the full episode and more! It would mean the world to me if you could leave a 5 star review on your listening platform to help grow and expand the Podcast. Spotify - https://open.spotify.com/show/55qBuFe9dQh5jLLdg0KLoL?si=08455ef88e554b91 Apple Podcast - https://apple.co/41RoTm4 YouTube: https://youtube.com/@FellIntoFood Linkedin…

People in this episode

Host: Jeff Fell

Guest: Chris Valdes

Topics covered

Keywords

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Food Network

Places: Miami, Miami's Latin fusion food scene

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