There used to be a charge for bread and butter in a restaurant. If you wanted to have

bread and butter, you paid for it. And then at that point it became, you know, just

part of the process, right? So it wasn't satisfying anymore. And when you eat a beautiful piece of bread with beautiful butter,

it's like it touches us in so many emotional ways.

The aromas, the sound, the textures,

you know, all these different things that go on with just a piece of bread and butter. Oh, Hey everybody I'm your host Stephen Polverin and this is Hodincky Radio. Despite the fact that he's known

as a watch lover among other collectors and the fact that he's been one of the most

famous chefs in the world for the better part of three decades, Chef Thomas Keller isn't out there flaunting his watch

collection every day. In fact, I've known that he's a watch collector for probably eight or nine years now,

but before last week, I don't think I could have named more than one or two of his watches.

When I saw that he just dropped a new cookbook, his first in 10 years, I figured it was time we'd fix that.

So last week, Chef was kind enough to chat with me from his iconic Yontville, California restaurant, the French laundry.

And while we started out talking about why a Rolex is always a good choice in the kitchen

and the pieces that he wears to remember certain milestones from a simple bowman

Mercier to a Vassaron-Constantan overseas, our conversation pretty quickly got more

philosophical. Chef's new book, The French Laundry per se, is full of recipes, but it's also full of Keller's

Ruminations on what it means to be in a hospitality-focused business.

It's about the relationships between luxury and precision, and how the smallest changes can sometimes make the biggest impact.

We also get into the relationships he has with his suppliers and what you're really supporting

when you have dinner at restaurants like his. From our hour together I can

tell that Chef Keller is that rare combination of someone deeply committed to

generosity and elevating others while also having a noS results-driven approach to what he does.

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