Hey, it's Audie Cornish here. It's Sunday, which means we have a bonus episode for you.

It's a conversation with Chef Rider and YouTube star, Solah El-Waley. You may know her from

the Wildly Popular web series from Bonepetite called Test Kitchen. What you may not know

is the story behind her exit from Bonepetite, following that company's reckoning with racism,

fair pay, and the meaning of diversity. And pure Sam Sanders heard the inside story

from Solah El-Waley in this episode of his show, It's Been a Minute.

Um, so I have so many questions to ask you about so many things, but I'm going to start

out by asking if we can talk about the cheesecake factory. I love the cheesecake factory. You

my happiest moments in life have occurred at that place. The last birthday I was able

to celebrate in person with people. I was at the cheesecake factory. I understand that

you used to work there when you were a college student. Briefly, I was a hostess. Oh my goodness.

This is Chef and Food Star, an internet personality, Solah El-Waley. And being a hostess, there

is tough. It is a difficult, difficult job. Explain. Oh, it's just, it's so busy. The dining

room is so big. Um, I don't know if I've worked at a busier restaurant honestly, the cheesecake

factory. And, uh, so you may not know Solah from her brief career at the cheesecake factory,

but a lot of you probably do recognize Solah from a different kind of kitchen. And even

like the design aesthetic, it is not at all pretty, but it's soothing. It's like this

bloated decaying Italian Renaissance vibe. I don't know. All of it, I just think is this cultural

study in excessive Americana. And it suits me every time. It's like our Colosseum when you

walk into the cheesecake factory. You know, it's a cold, the thick marble. I feel like there

was always like different shades of taupe. You're listening to It's Been A Minute from NPR.

I'm Sam Sanders. And my guest today is Solah El-Waley. And that kitchen that I was alluding

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