Surviving And Grateful To Be Alive With Chef Michael Jarzinski

Michael Dugan: 1:18

I'm Michael Dugan, your culinary host, guiding you through the chef's journey. Join me at the chef's table where you'll experience stories, secret sauces, signature dishes and kitchen disasters. Michael Jarzinsky got his first job as an executive chef at 20 years old. But he always knew that cooking was the one thing he was put on this earth for. In 2019. He was chosen as a featured chef for the Top Chef uniform supplier in the world. In 2021, he was featured chef for cooks who care due to his efforts and continuously working to change the kitchen culture and make things better for his employees. His love for food comes from the feelings you get from a good meal. And he believes that food can be an escape from the outside world. Please welcome Michael Dzerzhinsky. Please welcome chef, Michael Jarzinsky.

Michael Jarzinsky: 3:43

You know, Michael I'm very happy to be here to be able to discuss with you, you know, a lot of things not just with kitchen culture, which is yeah, things things going on in life in general, and the general overall of everything that we see on a, you know, day to day basis within kitchens and outside of kitchens, and just basically how it affects life.

Michael Dugan: 4:31

It really does. You know, I I've mentioned this before, to our listeners and to you, but I spent 10 years in the restaurant business. And I studied to be a chef, I never quite made it to be a chef. So I have a tremendous amount of respect for you and chefs all around the world. But it's true that it's not just the kitchen. It's it's a whole it's a whole life. It's a whole lifestyle. It's a whole culture there is so unique in the world. And we're going to learn more about that from from your perspective today. So

Michael Jarzinsky: 5:08

I'm happy to be part of it.

Michael Dugan: 5:11

Yeah, I'm excited. So let's dig in. Tell me what it was like growing up for you. Where did your passion for food come from? Was it was it a dish at an early age or was it later on? What was your childhood like?

Michael Jarzinsky: 5:26

Well, you know, overall, my childhood was something very kind of remote in distance from the world that I look at today. Where like I spend in a restaurant every every day, you know, my family. We didn't do that. We didn't go out. We we spent a lot of time just kind of at home. My parents worked two jobs each usually. And they were always busy. Always busy. There was For Kids in total, so there was always kind of something going on. You know, my one sister she was always in beauty pageants. My other sisters did cheerleading my one sisters photographer, I did a couple sports so there was kind of always some something going on in the family. And I always kind of seen that we didn't spend a whole lot of time together. Like, we would never really around unless it was Saturday's the usually Saturday, if not every other Saturday. We went over to my great grandma's house. And this woman, she holds an incredibly, incredibly high place in my heart.

Michael Dugan: 6:37

Mine too.

Michael Jarzinsky: 6:38

Yeah, over at her house. It was this. It was this kind of like different getaway, you know, like, and I realized over the years, a large part of it came to the food, because she made a lot of things from scratch. And she always just made like homestyle comfort foods and just in tremendous ways. Like she would make her own sauerkraut balls and Oh, bake some breads and like, especially like, she had a really great zucchini bread recipe. Oh, cool. Like she just loved baking. And my family, I can always see in those Saturday moments that everyone was just happy. And it was always a really rare sight to see my family happy, like really, really happy. And I started to realize, also a great part of that goes to my great grandma, because she was an incredibly lovely woman.

Michael Dugan: 7:34

What made her so great. I mean, you know, we you know, put them on a pedestal for a reason. And yeah, I'm very curious.

Michael Jarzinsky: 7:41

So she was, she was great, because she was always she was always old, but young at heart. And you know, she was adventurous and funny and wanted to drink a bottle of wine every day, now sometimes did. So she she was just very young at heart and very just energetic for her age and just fun to be around. Like you could spend all the time around with her. Because she was just fun. She you could tell her story. She would tell you stories. She would laugh, she would make jokes. She was just, she was really like, Have a fun spot in the room. And I know you can hear that about a lot of people. But she was she was really someone that like anybody in the room could talk to her. Anybody.

Michael Dugan: 8:36

So she was a good storyteller as well.

Michael Jarzinsky: 8:39

She was just she was just like the large light of my life and always could tell like, anytime we got around with her, everyone was just smiling. Yeah. Like, it didn't matter. Like what side of the family we were on. It were what holiday or the fight that happened right before we got to the house. It was just smiles and sunshine. As soon as we saw her.

Michael Dugan: 9:08

I lived my life we used to. I lived on the East Coast for a long time. I live in Seattle, Washington now on the west coast. But growing up, we used to drive from Connecticut to Massachusetts and we would go to Cape Cod, you know on the Atlantic Ocean because my grandmother had a cottage there and it was this magical place. And it would take us what seemed like a day to get there but by the time we got there it was like this fantasy world and she would always sit down with us and tell stories and we read books together and she lived right on the ocean. So you know this magical place I will never forget it so you just brought that memory back to me. We can share that with our listeners around the world and that's fantastic. But the cooking part it sounds like yes I'm really good meal some really good home cooked meals.

Michael Jarzinsky: 10:01

Yeah, you know she she put a lot of effort into the meals that she made and don't get me wrong. There was times we got over to their house there was you know DiGiorno Pizza and a Marie calendars chocolate cream pie. And there are times where it was just quick, easy. Didn't feel like putting the effort in. There was like even having food like that which won't Why is good in the right moments. And it's just it was it was connecting like over food like that that made me realize having an incredibly good meal is one of those things that just it gives you an escape from the outside world. It really gives you this this this perspective that like everything is really okay in life. Yeah, no matter what's going on, you know, if you just take take a minute, you unwind and you relax a little bit, you can kind of clear your mind, you know, really, really find a little bit of comfort. And that's what kind of brought my focus to food was like those moments on Saturday, where even the small meals of the DiGiorno and Marie calendar pies, or the nights where she made those sauerkraut balls, or we there were times she would make lamb and like, having those times were like, seeing the connection of how the food just brought the comfort is really what turned me on into wanting to be a chef and, and bring that comfort to just everybody that walks into the door of wherever I'm at of whatever restaurant or kitchen that I'm cooking in.

Michael Dugan: 11:45

How old were you when you think you wanted to be a chef when the when the light went off, all in bulb went off.

Michael Jarzinsky: 11:51

So honestly, I was probably 15, 16 years old roughly on area, because, you know, I went to northwest high school and cannot afford them. And they gave us the chance to take a tour and a vocational high school. So that would have been my sophomore going into my junior year that I got the chance to take the tour. So I went and I took the tour and I was just curious. I wanted to kind of see and you know, maybe get an idea of where my life was gonna go. And they had a culinary program. Oh, and it was I remember walking in through the kitchen. And it was just high tech equipment. They had everything from a combi oven to a you know, a convection ovens, a double decker, you know, stone pizza oven. Even seeing like the three compartment sink and the dishwashers and just like being able to walk back and forth between the dining room and the kitchen and stuff like that. I was like, Okay, I like this. This looks pretty cool. Looks This looks nice. And then I was like, You know what, let's just kind of sign up for it. And I got in there. And I just started doing it. And next thing I know, I was doing even more cooking at home on to the larger scale of like, attempting to make better foods than I usually do. You know, I found myself. I remember there was one meal my family always brings up it was like this breakfast casserole. And it was just like a lasagna. I'd have like all breakfast foods with like layered croissants and all sorts of things. And like, I think it was making that one day and being in the culinary school like the combination of them because their reactions were so like, heartwarming, how good it was. Whether it was true or not. I don't know. Because I think I'm pretty sure I was 16 They could have been lying to me. But I was just like, taken aback as the point of like, Yep, this is what I want to do.

Michael Dugan: 13:55

That's great that you found your calling at an early age. So tell us a little bit more what what restaurants Did you work at that kind of helped shape your career.

Michael Jarzinsky: 14:06

So one, one restaurant that really kind of brought me to the entire chef that I am. Large portion of the credit is the best way to say it goes to Shady Hollow Country Club.

Michael Dugan: 14:21

Oh, okay.

Michael Jarzinsky: 14:22

So I started working there. When I was 16 in culinary arts school, started working there just as like needed a job, stuff like that had the chance to go on what they had, as you know, early vocational placement, where as you know, you worked as a job that was in your field, hey, we'll get you out of school early to go to your job. So, basically, I was kind of like, you know, think about it. I was like, Alright, let's get a job. Let's get out of school early, you know, let's have some fun. And then I really got to working and really realized what like real kitchens were like, to the point of I was like I'm having a lot of fun with this. Yeah, the Excuse me. Excuse me. Okay, the hours are long, you know as a high school student. I was having fun. You know, I it's not worth it was just Yeah, it was just kind of like a prep cook line cook position. But man, I like the adrenaline though. I know the fire the the heat, the yelling the occasional plate throwing and like, Oh, yeah. It was just that energy that I got out of it was just something that I've never really felt and it really kind of locked me in and then shady, hollow. I was there all the way up until I left for college. Then left for college, the Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park, New York. work nice left there, did an internship at Fenway Park in Boston, worked there for a while. And then came back home to Ohio and found myself Rebecca shady, hollow. Well, you know it, I joined they're under another executive chef. And he ended up leaving after me being there for a couple months. And he was a great guy him and I got along really, really well. But I saw an opportunity open up and I walked into the general manager's office and I straight up told him I was like, Hey, I know this club. I've got years of experience here personally, like, I know the way you guys want things. I know how things are done. I just got back from college. I want that executive chef job. I think I can do it. And bless this man's heart. He gave me the opportunity and shot.

Michael Dugan: 16:50

Wow, that that's amazing. At a yes. That is

Michael Jarzinsky: 16:54

20 years old. Wow. What took the risk? A lot of it responsibility? And was I ready? Heck, no.

Michael Dugan: 17:04

So tell us about that. Tell us about why you weren't ready.

Michael Jarzinsky: 17:07

So I feel I was eager. I was I was young. And I was so energetic and ready to just get my feet wet. Yeah, I was like, Yes, we're doing this, I'm I'm ready, then, you know, the first month I start realizing the things that I didn't pay attention to, like the fine lines of, you know, costing out items for venues. And then, you know, food waste me and food waste at the beginning of my my career was not a fun thing. Because I was I was looking at every single ingredient and I'm like, Oh my gosh, what the heck am I supposed to do with this? What the heck am I supposed to do with this? You know, I was looking at just end cuts from vegetables. And I'm like, This just goes in the trash. Right? I paid for it. But it just goes in the trash. Right? Am I supposed to throw it out? Like, I found myself questioning so many things. And finally, you know, coming to terms over it over time of like, hey, you know, those end cuts of a lot of those vegetables, save them for, you know, random vegetable stock or, you know, same with herbs that are turning bad. You know, like, all those kinds of little things that I realized the fine lines of paperwork of, you know, seeing inventory that was costed wrong, or they were pricing it by the wrong either case, or weight or item number or anything like that. There's so many things of like, just trying to figure it out. And I'm really happy he gave me the opportunity to do it. Because it was something that I think that if I even if I would have waited a couple of years, but I hate you know, offer me this in about two to three years. I'll be ready. I think it still would have been the same. I think it still would have been just you have to you have to have that first go at it to really kind of see what it is.

Michael Dugan: 19:10

As you went along from the country club, what what happened next.

Michael Jarzinsky: 19:14

So I went from Shady hollow Country Club, I kind of bounced around a little bit helped. There was another country club that I helped kind of rebuild their whole kitchen. I guess I went on a spree of what it was called, like restaurant. Oh goodness, what's the what's the best way to say it? I'm trying to think of like,

Michael Dugan: 19:39

Exploration.

Michael Jarzinsky: 19:41

Not not exploration it was I don't want to say helping the restaurant but just kind of like boosting the restaurant. Kind of helping like I there was three restaurants that I hoped within a year of like going in and kind of helping them rebrand a couple things to boost the overall restaurant experience and you know, make sure people are returning and having a good time kind of deal. So I went from that. Then got a job working at Hartville hometown meat and seafood Company, which was a butcher shop. Yeah. And this was about two months before COVID Wow. It is the right before the pandemic hit. And as you were probably well aware, when that happened. Everyone flocked to the stores. And on our end, you know we were considered essential employees. And for the butcher shops, things like that. I wish I was kidding about this. We were cutting 1000s of steaks and oh wow. 1000s we went from cutting like one to 200 steaks per day to over 1000 to eight ounce filet is over 1016 ounce ribeye is each per day, oh my God, when and it escalated so quickly, but I can't say. And I already knew how to fabricate meat and trim meat and things like that. But going in there and doing the high volume production. It was that was a really fun experience for me. It's cool. Yeah, yeah, cuz it was just, you know, unloading the meat every morning, bringing it in getting the bandsaw ready to go, getting everything fresh and clean, and then just cutting for hours and hours and hours. It was really, truly a fun thing. went from there, joined Alexander Pierce, in Akron, Ohio, started my own barbecue food company due to catering, right? Yeah, we do a little bit of catering a little bit of off site on site. Kind of a good group of everything. Interesting. And it's just really been a fun experience for like, my overall career so far. Because it's been something to kind of, I look back at, like, every, every little place that I've been, and I feel like I there's something in my career that I can kind of say that I've brought from every single job that I've had, which is a good feeling.

Michael Dugan: 22:06

Yeah. So circling back around the pandemic, you you had something that really happened, where you, you kind of hit rock bottom. And and can you tell us a little bit about that?

Michael Jarzinsky: 22:21

Rock bottom for me, started on July 12 2020 is a very, very hard moment my life because I was in an unfortunate motorcycle accident. And it was an unfortunate hit and run. Where, you know, the paramedics had to kind of just find me on the side of the road type of deal. And this is, you know, there was a police officer that made the call and things like that, luckily got me an ambulance got rushed to the hospital had a severe skull fracture, to the point where it was known as a subdural hematoma and an epidural hematoma. That's basically, you know, means I had damage on the inside and outside of my skull, right, which means inside and outside of my brain. So I got rushed to the hospital to the point where they immediately put me into surgery. And this is peak of the COVID pandemic, but I mean, peak. So my family, they're all getting the phone calls, telling me I'm in the hospital. But all they can do is just be in the waiting room. Nobody's allowed to go to a room, even if, you know, they even told my family even if he passes, you're still not allowed to see him just because we can't we can't have people in the hospital right now. So it was a very thing of like, hey, how do you say goodbye to someone without seeing that person? My I was given basically highest rate, they could give me 7% chance of surviving. Wow, I had that much bleeding out of me. went into surgery. It was about a six hour of brain surgery. 27 staples, through my skull from over by my right ear, it goes around the back of my skull all the way up to right above my right eye. And it was a very, very life awakening experience. Because then from July 12 2020 till May of 2021. I was basically out of work. I couldn't for a long time getting out of the hospital. I couldn't really walk I couldn't. I couldn't be around bright lights because I had very bad very bad migraines constantly. So I had extreme high sensitivity. So I was always wearing sunglasses had very hard time around noises. It was very, very, very hard. And I remember the week that I spent in the hospital after the surgery, all I wanted to do was leave when anybody talked to me. All I wanted to do was leave. I remember asking to leave multiple times. And I unfortunately my my memory is very hazy from around Sure. But things got complicated, you know. And taking that year off, is really what has solidified my position and knowing that this is what I want to do with my life. Because for a long time I didn't do any form of cooking. I didn't even make toast because I couldn't. And I remember from July up until Thanksgiving of that year, no form of cooking, which is before the accident longest I had gone without cooking was maybe like like, five or six hours, like it is a very big thing for me to go months without cooking. So it I remember, we were having Thanksgiving, and I had the opportunity to help with the turkey. So I loved helping with the turkey. And I went over and sat in front of the oven and just watched the turkey cook. Because it was just my first like, being brought back into cooking. Yeah, that was that was the moment where I was just like, This is why I'm here. Like I'm here for food. I am here to literally be around this and work with this and just have the overall experience of creating memories in those good times and happy moments with food. And it was really, really, the whole motorcycle accident was a life life awakening moment to where it was like, hey, maybe there's some things you got to kind of refocus on in life that yeah, you're here for this food, but you're here for other people as well. You know, you can bring that food to other people and and really show him maybe maybe show them what life is for them, you know, help help them that like, give them the moment of comfort and peace and show them that life life. Life is good. Yeah,

Michael Dugan: 27:30

That's a good. It's a good lesson. Yes. It's a really good lesson. I did want to ask you, I want to give a shout out to Heartefill Hometown Meats and Seafood because they did a GoFundMe for you. And they definitely that is amazing. What happened. I'd love to know a little bit more about that. Or maybe you could share with our listeners. What what happened there.

Michael Jarzinsky: 27:53

Yes, so the owner, you know, Mark, he was a very good guy, very, very good guy. And he really enjoyed working with me, you know, it was one of those moments that he got one of the phone calls as well. It was like, hey, just so you know, this is what's going on and what's happening. And he is a very family oriented person and took it upon himself to help the family help my family. And he saw me as part of his family. And he really, really put himself out there to see what he could do to help. Because they not only did the GoFundMe, he also, they did meet pack in the butcher shop where if they bought the meat pack. I believe he did 100% of those proceeds for that meat pack went to my hospital. Oh my gosh. So it was it was really an incredible, incredible thing to get that love and support from not just mark but just overall the community that people have reached out from that. And that project of like, there was a lot of people that I had lost connections with or couldn't get a hold of me or things like that hadn't talked to in years that reached out. People that I leave No, they were reaching out. And it was really it was a moment that kind of brought a community together to help me, which was a really heartwarming thing.

Michael Dugan: 29:21

And that was Mark Albert, right.

Michael Jarzinsky: 29:24

Yes, that was Mark Albert for Hartville Hometown Meat and Seafood.

Michael Dugan: 29:27

Amazing, generous person that really took me aback when I read about it really, really took me aback. So moving forward, you bounced back. And what would you say has been your proudest moment as a chef?

Michael Jarzinsky: 29:50

That's a tough question. Because I look at a lot of moments as moments to be proud of. But there's one thing that I have been really proud of, and it's actually not food. And it's it's overall my connection with my staff in the kitchen. Okay. I'm, I'm very big on the fact that I will never get anywhere in my life without a little team behind me. Like, for example, I own a little spice company. Okay. And that Spice Company has been doing very, very well, to the point where I'm contemplating hiring somebody. So even even Yes, there are my spices, but I'm not going to be able to continue to bottle those and sell those all by myself. I can't do it. I can't do it. So like no matter what, I'm still going to have to find somebody and make a connection with that person to a point where I know that Like I can rely on them, and they can rely on me. So I want it to be a thing with my all of my staff that I'm I'm here for them just as much as they can be there for me, as you know, they come in to do prep and things like that. I want to help them with that prep, I will help them with the prep to make their station easier. And not only do that, but I ask all of my staff members, little things of what I can do with them to basically just make their life easier for the future. I want to help all of my staff to like, continue their growth. Because I even if they're my sous chef, I want them to look for their next best opportunity, right? I want them to really push forward and what can I do to help you? Are there things you want to learn? Are there things you want to grow with? And you want me to show you? Are there things you can show me on the other end? Maybe there's things that I don't know. And so I that's one thing that I can say that I've been really proud of in my career is working with my staff hard not not just because of their, they're there to work, but because I want them to have a good time and go to work. Not having that mentality of like, I gotta go to work. I want them I want them to go in and be like, Hey, I'm, you know, going into learn a little today and, you know, walk out with a smile on my face. You know,

Michael Dugan: 32:28

I remember when when I was in the industry, it was a few years ago, but really tough industry. You know, I worked online chefs are screaming, it's hot kitchen. There's sexual harassment, there's long hours, there's just all these things and low benefits, we actually had to pay for our meals. And hopefully people don't have to do that anymore. Because I personally think if you work in a restaurant, you should get a free meal period. There should just be no reason that you shouldn't Yeah,

Michael Jarzinsky: 33:00

It seems like a general 25% discount that everyone gets but they're still like, Hey, pay for it.

Michael Dugan: 33:08

I wish that would change. I understand food costs and everything but it's kind of one of those things that I feel like people deserve a free meal if they work in hospitals. I can agree with that. And hopefully that'll change but I just remember all of these factors and you know, I listen to other podcasts like best serve to for example, Chef Jensen Cummings is amazing. He is a rebel in the restaurant business and he is really trying to revolutionize and change what's going on and and get people that are true rights you know, and their true benefits that they deserve. So so how do you do that in your in your circle? Like what what is it that you strive for?

Michael Jarzinsky: 34:02

When you say my circle my restaurant staff like so I just look for people who are energetic to learn. I I have a very very curious mind myself. So I'm always trying to learn not just things with food, but anything really have I'm always trying to be able to learn something. And I kind of want my staff to be the same way. I want it to be the same like just I want them to come in with the experience of I don't know everything just the same as I do like that. I I do not have the the knowledge and mentality of everything. So what can you teach me? What can I teach you? What's going to be better? Where where Let's grow together to the point where like, this is a good time for everybody.

Michael Dugan: 35:01

So moving, moving forward. Can let's see, where are we at? Oh, yeah, this is this is where I want to be. Do you have any, any shoutouts you want to give to chefs or people who have supported or mentored you in your career?

Michael Jarzinsky: 35:52

One one big person, I'd like to give it like, a big shout out to for like mentorship was pet, excuse me, Chef Pat, from Shady Hollow Country Club. He unfortunately passed away. Oh, my first year as an executive chef. He was there my time at high school. And they're very, very briefly when I got out. And he was just an overall tremendous guy really taught me a lot really taught me to have fun in the kitchen. And just to have like, some down to earth moments, even with like, the heat of everything going on, just really taught me, hey, like, the kitchen is still a fun place, regardless of what's going on. Regardless if your ticket real is full. Regardless of the fact that you guys are eight orders behind you just got sent back three steaks, because they were undercooked and one was overcooked, like, let's get to that we're gonna have some fun, we're gonna get serious, and, and have some fun. So it was a massive shout out to him and his family because he was a tremendous guy. Another another wonderful shout out for chefs, be chef cooks who care cookbook, because the project that she invited me to be part of was truly, truly an amazing thing to have the opportunity for. And the outreach that she has, just to connect people with that book has been amazing. She's been 100% supportive of the things that I've been doing, even sharing, like some of my posts and things like that. And constantly, constantly just looking to better everyone around her. So that one gets a tremendous, like outreach.

Michael Dugan: 37:44

Chef Maria is who brought us together, and she's really inspired me to keep podcasting, and the work that she does with mental health and just non stop, like a firestorm. You know, she never gives up. And she's always fundraising and always doing things for people. Yeah, I feel the same. I'm actually going to dedicate this episode to Chef Maria.

Michael Jarzinsky: 38:07

She's, she's truly, truly a bright star in the community. And she won't take, you know, the credit, she won't, she won't take the the little bit of pat on the back that she really deserves, because she wants to give the credit to everyone that's helping with the project and the things but she she also really does get a lot of that credit and really, really has a special place in my heart after everything that she invited me to be a

Michael Dugan: 38:32

And if you get a chance and for our listeners, but also for you Chef Michael, give a listen to that episode, we did a really great interview together, and you will really find out a lot about her. And it's amazing. It's really an amazing story. Absolutely, I will definitely give it a checkout. But so tell us about some of the things you're working on. I know you have something called a kitchen journal. Can you tell us a little bit about that?

Michael Jarzinsky: 39:01

Yes. So my kitchen journal was a little cookbook that I published beginning of 2021. No, sorry. 2020 to 2022. Yeah, very beginning of last year. It's just that one is kind of a dedication to my great grandma. She unfortunately passed away at the end of 2021. And it was just kind of, I wanted to have something that recollected a lot of our memories. And it was something that I was like, hey, what's the best way to reflect kind of on my own career and my favorite memories with her, then to basically put it all into a book. So my kitchen journal, it's an entire book and things like that. of my my time as a chef, there's a couple of recipes, even there from things, little things, I came up with a line cook. And there's things like that there's some of her recipes in there. Some of the like the sauerkraut balls that I mentioned, that recipe is actually in the book.

Michael Dugan: 40:14

That sounds so interesting.

Michael Jarzinsky: 40:17

Yes, she she does it in a really fun way, in a way that you really even wouldn't think about doing it at home. So that entire book was just a fun thing to really sit down and reflect on and have some fun with of reflecting on my career in all my favorite moments with her and my family and everything like that growing up. It was truly a really nice thing to do that. So that's what that's where my kitchen journal came from. That's one of the many things that I currently have working because is that there's feel good barbecue, there's chef MJ Spices. And then there's even cooking classes that we're getting to launch here. And

Michael Dugan: 41:02

oh, that's fantastic. Oh my gosh, yes. I'll put, I'll put those out on our website so that our listeners can find about your kitchen journal and your spices and those kind of things. So we'll make sure to get some links out there for them. So can you share a recipe that you're particularly proud of? And what makes it special to you?

Michael Jarzinsky: 41:25

So that's, that's another tricky question. Because I compare that question to like, Hey, what's your favorite meal? What's your favorite thing to cook like? Things like that. And I always struggle answering that because I look at it. And I'm like, I don't know, because my favorite thing to cook today might be something peanut butter related. Tomorrow, it might be something with salmon next day, it might be something else. It's just one of those things.

Michael Dugan: 41:55

Nothing you would consider a signature dish.

Michael Jarzinsky: 42:00

As a signature dish, I know one thing one, one recipe that's kind of started following me around is definitely this jerk chicken recipe. It's the recipe that I got the featured chef for for happy chef uniforms. And it's also part of it is my recipe in the cooks who care. So it's this jerk chicken recipe, where I base the marinade off of Coca Cola and chipotle peppers and a bunch of other spices and seasonings and some herbs and onions. And just this really like good blend, to really just like marinate some chicken in and you know, a lot of my cooking. I tried to do this fun play on like old world cuisine mixed with new world cuisine. So at Shady Hollow, the one that got me the featured chef who notice. It was a Poussin Chicken bird that we took, which is just a very classical French bird. We took that made the jerk chicken marinade, did a classic Suvide on it, where we just took it and it was a half bird. So we were taken Suvide, it for about six hours, and then finish it over an open fire. And then so you've got this kind of mix of like French, French cuisine, bird mix with Suvide and finishing it on open fire, and then we finished it with like some coconut rice and a mango puree. And just overall just tried to have this really nice blend of old school, new school. And that's one recipe that's I shouldn't say follow me around, but really, really kind of just just been with me. And it's a good one that I always kind of hold near to my heart.

Michael Dugan: 43:50

That dish sounds amazing. I mean that's I would call that a signature dish for sure.

Michael Jarzinsky: 43:58

Thank you. Thank you.

Michael Dugan: 43:59

Okay, I want to ask you a special question. So you live in Ohio. Do any of these names? Do you recognize any of these names? Michael Simon Rocco Whelan, Jonathan Sawyer, Diane Dixon, Matt Metro, Karen Small, or Zach Burwell.

Michael Jarzinsky: 44:19

Yes. Good amount of all of them. Except for the last one. I don't know. Right? Who are the last one. There are a tremendous amount of chefs. Especially like, obviously, we can all relate with Michael Simon and things like that I've recently just ate at his barbecue place. I always forget the name of it is up in Cleveland. It's a very, very nice barbecue place. I ate at his signature restaurant Lola, back before they closed and COVID. And that was really, really something to speak of. But they're all just all great chefs, especially from the Ohio area.

Michael Dugan: 44:57

Yeah, I was I was doing some research I was pretty amazed to find that out. So

Michael Jarzinsky: 45:06

You know, the fun thing is is like I feel like Ohio. Create some blooms really, really green chefs. But the food here is very interesting. I feel like honestly, the food in Ohio is about 10 years behind.

Michael Dugan: 45:21

Oh, really? Okay. I feel like we understand that. Oh, man. Oh my god, you'll die. I would love that. Seattle is amazing that Yeah, well, I'll take you around. Really?

Michael Jarzinsky: 45:32

That will be beautiful. And especially because I feel like in Seattle, you guys probably have a lot more when it comes to just fresh food and things like that. Like I compare that a lot to like when I was in Boston, so I'm assuming it's probably

Michael Dugan: 45:47

Probably very similar. i My brother lives in Boston. And so you know, I've been They're with the seafood scene and absolutely love it. But here oh my gosh, Dungeness crab and salmon halibut from Alaska have a lot of really good seafood from Alaska. And I mean, I bet I just love it last night Ironically though, I made sea bass which is my favorite fish in the entire world. And

Michael Jarzinsky: 46:14

Yes, are we talking classic like white sea bass? Is it the black

Michael Dugan: 46:19

sea bass from South America? Chilean sea bass, which I think is absolutely the top fish in the world. And yes, I can it's unbelievable and marinated in do it is it style with ginger, garlic, shallots, and a little bit of orange juice and fresh squeezed lemon juice that I was juicing, and I just added that with some, some really good Chinese spices and oh my god, it was just

Michael Jarzinsky: 46:49

it sounds wonderful. I would love some good seats. Yeah,

Michael Dugan: 46:53

That's not Seattle. That's you know, but it's vacuum sealed and, and amazing. And yeah, but some of their first seafood that we have here is just to die for the clams the mussels, scallops.

Michael Jarzinsky: 47:06

Oh, I love scallops. I love them, too.

Michael Dugan: 47:10

So the last thing I want to ask you is how can we connect with you?

Michael Jarzinsky: 47:16

So best way to connect with me across all social medias from Facebook, Instagram, Tik Tok. My username is Chef Mike Dzerzhinsky. Best way I would say is usually Instagram and things like that. Because Facebook, I honestly, I try to leave that more to the actual people, not not not not the people that I know. But like the people that I'm very, very close with. I will still add people and things like that. But I will say Instagram, if there's anything anybody ever needs from me or has questions about me, that's the best way to get a hold of me is on there. And yeah, I, I think honestly, I gotta give a little credit as just to you for having me on this podcast, like, because it's an honor to sit and like about things, not just not just the motorcycle acts. And I like talking about just the food industry, all unto itself. And it's really a nice thing. And even if anybody wants to continue a conversation just about food and things like that, I am more than willing to talk about food, I can talk about food, and probably an unhealthy way, because I won't shut up about it.

Michael Dugan: 48:39

You're in the right industry.

Michael Jarzinsky: 48:42

Yes. So it's,

Michael Dugan: 48:43

it's truly an honor to talk with you. And before we wrap up, though, do you have any special message for us? How can we support you and, and the community at large,

Michael Jarzinsky: 48:56

Special message would be and I'm going to say this because it's something that I still battle with, to this day. Anybody in this world is as low as we may get to, you know, feel that we are at the absolute rock bottom in our life. There's, there's somebody out there that I promise you is willing to talk with you or have some time with you or just a small conversation. You know, that sometimes that we think all that we need is to be alone in a room. But I promise you, any anybody that feels they're at that low point, just reach out, all you got to do is just maybe send one message to somebody just asking for a conversation. Because mental health in this world that we live in is not a joke is not a easy thing to put down. So I will fully stand behind that and continue to push that message of you just just just to have a little reach out and anybody that even if I don't know you, you reach out. I'll talk I will talk to anybody into this world about anything you talk to me about woodworking or talking about woodworking. You want to talk about space. I'd love to talk about space, you want to talk about the bad day that you're having. We'll talk about that. And I just think that that's a message we all could hold on to a little bit and maybe we'll we'll get a couple more people to open up.

Michael Dugan: 50:40

It's a great message. Well Chef Michael, I just want to thank you for your time and your stories and, and the commitment that you have to to really make a difference in the hospitality industry.

Michael Jarzinsky: 50:57

Well, Michael, I greatly appreciate the conversation and really the opportunity just to talk to you and you know, you hear your side of things and hear the questions that other chefs want to ask. Because I find that intriguing. So I greatly appreciate you.

Michael Dugan: 55:35

Thanks for joining us today. Follow us on Facebook. Find our bsite in the show notes, subscribe on Spotify, I Heart Radio or wherever you listen. Leave a comment with five stars. And stay tuned for the next episode of voice for chefs.