Luis Vargas
CEO of Modern Adventure
“Fill your life with adventures, not things. Have stories to tell, not stuff to show.” - Unknown
This quote really embodies how Luis Vargas lives his life and runs his business. Luis is one of the worlds premier experiential travel executives and thought leaders. He is Founder and CEO of Modern Adventure, a certified b-corp, climate neutral and award winning travel company based in Portland, Oregon.
Luis and the Modern Adventure team, as they say, are purveyors of joy, and believe that travel can be a force for good in the world, but also how we travel matters. Luis and his team go through a great deal of effort to not just ensure travel clients are satisfied, but also the impact they leave on the local destinations are positive and majority of the money stays within the country.
In 2017 Luis delivered his TEdx talk entitled “Travel more, buy less” where essentially he is encouraging us all to invest in experiences not more stuff, a talk which has since garnered over 1.7M views and growing.
He discusses how travel has shaped his journey and development as a man, a father, a husband and CEO. We explore how his company, Modern Adventure focuses on culinary and chef talent as an integral component of many of the travel experiences they develop. And now as a company, they are moving even deeper into this space, with the recently launched new division, Paragon by Modern Adventure, a collection of the worlds premier culinary, creative and cultural travel experiences.
Clients can experience the best in travel coupled with top tier iconic talent being their guides. A recent, Paragon partnership is with Kyle Cannaughton. Kyle is the Owner/Chef of SingleThread, a 3-Michelin star and World’s 50 Best Restaurant in Healdsburg Ca. For example, this program gives clients the opportunity to book an exclusive travel experience to Japan or explore California Wine Country intimately with Kyle.
We also touch on some travel trends and what to expect in 2023. Happy Holidays and enjoy!
Eddy Cola
CEO of GRoundwork Coffee
Did you know, coffee consumption in the United States rose by 14% from January 2021 through January 2022, according to the National Coffee Association? And demand for top-quality coffee like organic and fair-trade is on a roll in every region of the world.
Coffee was an important part of my early life for many years, but not for the reasons you may think. I wasn’t a consumer, or even the passionate consumer I am today until 2011. From 2002 - 2009 I was a barista at Starbucks, but never drank coffee. At that time, I was just deeply passionate about coffee culture, and how this ritual was impacting people lives. I was so happy to be apart of this 2nd wave, bringing joy into peoples mornings and creating community. It wasn’t until I moved to Venice that I became a consumer and in large part I have to thank Groundwork Coffee for that. I’m just happy my entry point into the category as a consumer was with such a premium, organic and great brand.
I recently met Eddy Cola, CEO of Groundwork Coffee Co at a restaurant in Venice. Being as Groundwork was a catalyst for my early entry point into coffee, I was excited to chat with him. Eddy, is a fascinating person and entrepreneur originally from Montreal Canada. His career started in music, both as a musician and talent mamanger and then developed into a management role at his family business, a beef processing company. He joined Groundwork in 2011, and has been on a mission to build this organically gown, fair-traded coffee brand into the 10 retail cafes, two roasters, a brewery (for cold brew/nitro) and the national network of distribution, it is at today.
In this epiosde, Eddy highlights how Groundwork recently celebrated 3 decades in business and went through a recent rebranding. He discusses his guiding principles of conscious capitalizism and how he leads Groundwork into the future as the category and competition continues to grow.
For On The Pass listeners, Eddy and the team are offering 20% off orders made through their website with the code ONTHEPASS20. Get your coffee supply up for the holidays and take advantage of this generous offer.
Pyet DeSpain
Chef
On this episode of the Hot Spot series, Gabriel Ornelas sits down with Chef Pyet DeSpain, a rising culinary talent who hit national notoriety as the recent winner of Gordon Ramsey’s "Next Level Chef" Season 1 on Fox Network.
Having grown up on a reservation and a member of the Prairie Band Potawatomi Nation, Pyet collides the cuisine of both her Native American and Mexican heritage.
Having won "Next Level Chef" on national TV, she talks about finding a new sense of identity as a spokesperson to share her knowledge, shine light on the Indigenous community, and to be proud of the resilience that is engrained in the culture.
Listen to this episode as we dive into who Pyet really is and explore the cultures that inspire her mission driven work.
Gero Fasano
Owner of Fasano Group
It all started in 1902 when Vittorio Fasano, an Italian from Milan arrived in São Paulo, Brazil with a dream to open a restaurant. Since then, the Fasano family — the biggest name in Brazilian hospitality for over a century — has built a legendary portfolio that expands over 26 restaurants and 9 hotels across South America and more recently North America.
This episode's conversation takes place in person at Fasano Restaurant in New York, the newest addition to the group's roster, with Gero Fasano, the great grandson of Vittorio and the present-day face behind Fasano Group.
Having created culturally relevant scenes that epitomize classic, cool, and timeless since buying the family business back at 19 years old, Gero recalls the impact Fasano had in permeating elevated hospitality throughout South America. He also shares what’s next for the brand as it plans to bring its distinct personal approach of luxury to major cities around the world.
Sebastien Silvestri
Opening a successful restaurant in New York City is no easy feat, yet famed chef Daniel Boulud has managed to successfully open multiple restaurants in the city and around the world in places like Singapore, London, and Toronto.
So how does one man do it all? The answer is The Dinex Group, chef Daniel Boulud's restaurant group — the machine that powers his concepts such as Daniel, Bar Boulud, Le Pavillon, and the newly announced Le Gratin.
Our next guest is Sebastien Silvestri, CEO of The Dinex Group, who along with chef Daniel Boulud has quickly grown the group into an empire of restaurants. As a veteran in the business of hospitality, Sebastien honestly shares what it was like facing the pandemic as the new CEO, his joy of working with his mentor and friend, the harsh realities of a restaurateur in the ever competitive landscape, and how he’s helping shape the next era in fine dining for The Dinex Group.
Elisa Fernandes
Whether you're exploring the spirited streets of Rio de Janeiro, laid-back beaches of Bahia, or the ultra stylish neighborhoods of São Paulo, you will get to experience a beautiful range of food, culture, and people across its different regions.
São Paulo, the home of today's guest, is an international blend of influences from places such as Japan, Italy, Africa, France, Germany, and Lebanon. You would be remiss if you didn't try the foods from these cultures or explore the different restaurants while in the city.
Elisa Fernandes is the Chef-Owner of Clos Wine Bar and Bistro, a personal project in collaboration with her husband, a natural wine importer. The restaurant fuses their love for natural wines and french bistronomy — serving up dishes that could compete with any Michelin starred restaurant, but done in an approachable and fun everyday atmosphere to be paired with any of the 100 labels of wines they offer. With a large and continuously growing list, Clos Wine Bar and Bistro has the largest offering of natural wines in the country, while the food takes on flavors and nuances from the city's international inhabitants.
In this episode, we get a look into Elisa's time in France working for chef Alain Ducasse after winning MasterChef Brazil, her passion for supporting women, and creating a more equitable future for women in all sectors. She also drops some local knowledge of her favorite spots and hidden gems to discover in São Paulo.
Rafael Shin
Founder and CEO of Agua Mágica
The addition of Mezcal to menus has been on a high rise the last few years, yet it still feels like it’s just the beginning for this complex and storied spirit.
Rafael Shin, Founder of Agua Mágica Mezcal, is looking to change how people interact with the sprit by honoring the Oaxacan culture and its people, where almost 90% of all Mezcals' are made.
Having grown up in Mexico, Rafael shares personal stories about his introduction to Oaxaca, the first time he ever tried Mezcal, and the spark that brought Agua Mágica to life.
We talk about how he chose Mezcalero Don Rogelio to partner and co-own the brand with, and dive into the important brand mission to empower local entrepreneurship.
Listen now to Rafael Shin of Agua Mágica Mezcal!
Chris Jackson & Hélène Seillan
Proprietor and Assistant Vigneron at Vérité Wines
The story of our next guests starts with the late Jess Jackson, a monumental visionary and entrepreneur who built a wine empire around Kendall-Jackson Vintner’s Reserve Chardonnay — catapulting him into the category as one of northern California's most recognizable self-made billionaires.
In the late 1990’s, Mr. Jackson asked Pierre Seillan, a Bordeaux winemaker from France to come to Sonoma, CA to help him realize his dream of creating one of the best wines in the world. Together, they created Vérité wines and subsequently has become one of Sonoma's elite wineries. Today, Vérité is lead by Mr. Jackson's son Chris Jackson, and Pierre's daughter Hélène Seillan, as Assistant Vigneron. Together the two are slated with the responsibility to take Vérité to new heights, having true liberty to blend and curate an exceptional product that reflects Sonoma County.
Listen now as they discuss the beauty of Sonoma County, their respect and admiration for their fathers and the future of this great brand.
Fatmata Binta
Chef
What is West African food? You probably didn’t think of traditional Fulani cooking or Fonio, millet, and dawadawa which are a few of the grains, seeds, and locust beans that make up the traditional Fulani diet.
Our next guest, helping us kick off Season 3 of On The Pass is chef Fatmata Binta, the mastermind behind the international nomadic restaurant Dine on a Mat, a 5-course Nomadic Dining Experience and Founder of the Fulani Kitchen Foundation.
Fatmata, who comes from the African nomadic Fulani tribe, has dedicated her career to educate the world on the Fulani way of life and its culture.
In this episode we explore the diaspora of West African cuisine and how chef Binta incorporates ancient recipes that have been passed down through generations.
We also hear stories about Dine on a Mat’s guests. Her food she says is “for the adventurous diner,” while explaining delicacies such as cows tongue or goats testicles never go to waste with the Fulani people.
This episode sheds light on the beautiful Fulani culture and the ways we can learn from their sustainable lifestyle.