Eli Sussman On Memes, Mistakes, and Making Fun of Restaurant Life!!

Eli Sussman On Memes, Mistakes, and Making Fun of Restaurant Life!!

From The Chef's Cut by Level Media

February 23, 2026 · 53 min

About this episode

Eli Sussman discusses his journey in the restaurant industry and his relatable kitchen humor with hosts Adrienne and Joe.

Viral Chef Eli Sussman joins Adrienne and Joe to talk about how he became a hero to line cooks everywhere. They discuss his relatable kitchen humor, how he gained such a large and devoted social media following, and why certain things are true no matter what restaurant you work in. In this episode, we discuss: Eli’s biggest lessons from opening (and closing) restaurants, including gertrude's in Brooklyn Eli’s upcoming satire book – and the shortcomings of the self-help industry Learning the ropes as a chef (and how to manage a team) The mistakes all restaurant owners make when they’re new Hosting a show at the James Beard awards Turn and Burn: Sandwich bread, too many knives, and fine dining snobbery Walk In Confession: Eli’s biggest regret and the story of his Samesa chain of restaurants Follow Eli: @thesussmans Follow the show: @chefscutpod Follow Adrienne: @chefadriennecheatham Follow Joe: @insta.flamm

People in this episode

Hosts: Adrienne, Joe

Guest: Eli Sussman

Topics covered

  • kitchen humor
  • restaurant life
  • social media
  • cooking mistakes
  • restaurant management
  • satire

Keywords

  • Eli Sussman
  • restaurant mistakes
  • kitchen humor
  • social media following
  • satire book
  • James Beard awards

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: gertrude's, James Beard, Samesa

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