Flavors Unknown

How imposter syndrome creeps up by Leia Gaccione

Chef Leia Gaccione

In today’s episode, I talk to chef Leia Gaccione of South and Pine, a restaurant located in Morristown, New Jersey. She has appeared on several popular cooking shows, including Iron Chef America, Beat Bobby Flay, and Top Chef.
You’ll hear about her cooking competition experiences, her food concepts at South and Pine, and how she goes about her creative process. She also shares some recipe guidelines for cooking the perfect pork chop.

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What you'll learn with chef Leia Gaccione

The smell that reminds chef Leia Gacione of her childhood (2:45)
Why food became so central to her life (4:06)
Chef Leia Gaccione's first on-camera accident (5:17)
Why she loves cooking on television (6:56)
The obscure Scandinavian ingredient that gave Leia Gaccione PTSD (8:38)
Two major career influences she’s worked with (10:16)
Her spontaneous first sous chef role (10:46)
The business skills she learned from Bobby Flay and his team (12:41)
Her seasonal food supplier (13:49)
The food concept at South and Pine (16:27)
How she’s using seasonal ingredients right now (17:33)
Her top priority when she travels (19:07)
How the pandemic is still affecting the restaurant business (21:09)
Staff mistreatment since the pandemic (22:56)
New menu inspiration to watch out for on her menu (26:00)
Exciting collaborations with other local restaurants (26:52)
Her goal for the upcoming year (28:32)
A classic pork chop and apple dish you can make at home (29:20)
One of her best career experiences so far (31:09)
How imposter syndrome creeps up (32:30)
Where to eat and drink in Morristown (33:59)
Guilty pleasure foods she loves (35:49)
Cookbook recommendations (36:49)
Kitchen pet peeves (38:10)
Series of rapid-fire questions.
Link to the podcast episode on Apple Podcast

Links to other episodes in New Jersey

Conversation with Chef Sam Freund from White Birch

Conversation with chef Ehren Ryan from Common Lot

Links to most downloaded episodes (click on any picture to listen to the episode)

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Watching cooking shows is really what started my love affair with food and I was always very enamored with watching people cook on television. 

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I love doing cooking competitions. They are a lot of fun and a big adrenaline rush, and very nerve-wracking. I feel this industry today prepares you for that. Every day is like Iron Chef.

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Through the pandemic, we have seen such a divide in this country. And to see the way some people have treated my staff is sickening. Just such a level of entitlement. Some people are so rude, I can never imagine walking into a business and speaking the way that some of these people do.

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Imposter syndrome is a real thing. When you sit down with six other chefs who feel the same way that you feel and who have experienced the same things that you have, and are struggling with the same things that you do, it feels really warm, like you're a part of something bigger than what you're doing by yourself.

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