We were lucky to catch up with Chris Busone recently and have shared our conversation below.
Hi Chris, thanks for joining us today. Do you think folks should manage their own social media or hire a professional? What do you do?
I manage my own account. I know there is definitely an advantage to having a company manage your accounts. For me, I think I’ve had some success in growing connections and working with people specifically because of how my social media is. There’s an authenticity and insight into who I really am. Which comes at a cost, considering I’ve been flagged and shadow banned and so on a few times.
But I refuse to dilute my personality, it is part of my brand and it’s what has helped set me apart from just a straight food page.
Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.
I am a chef based in NY, I originally got into food from the age of 9 or 10. My parents and grandma would let me cook, eventually teaching me how to cook even better. And I never stopped. Food was always a central part of growing up in my early years. And I think my eventual honing of cooking skills stemmed from my father being the first one to show me that there was joy in the actual process of cooking.
Once I learned that it wasn’t just about the end result, but that the process itself had its own individual satisfaction, that changed it all.
That eventually led to me launching a basic cooking page which initially combined my love of pirates and food (hence the name) and that eventually branched into my launching a podcast called Spicy Memories, a hot sauce and spice rub, Now, I am catering and cooking for private events, working with mass amounts of brands on collabs and making content for brands. And I will be re-launching Spicy Memories in August of 2023!
We often hear about learning lessons – but just as important is unlearning lessons. Have you ever had to unlearn a lesson?
Well I think the biggest thing we all have to unlearn (that’s a word, right?) is that we can all be the best. We can’t all be the best. Hate to break it to you. It’s actually funny, this exact point was just portrayed on The Bear on FX, and I had actually talked about this in a previous interview last year:
Finally accepting that there will always be someone better than you is key. It will allow you to stop getting defensive, stop trying to compete, and stop being intimidated. Don’t be intimidated, be enamored. Don’t be spiteful, be envious and hungry. Attach yourself to people who are WAY better at doing what you do. Because the only thing that can happen is that YOU will get even better, and learn more than you ever thought possible.
Have any books or other resources had a big impact on you?
I think a few, but one definitely stands out. Kitchen Confidential by Anthony Bourdain. I think this is on the list for most cooks, honestly. Bourdain was one of the first people to genuinely expose the real back of house personalities that you would find in kitchens. Furthermore, a lot of the book is about accepting who you are, your flaws, playing to your strengths, and always keep going. It has made me love cooking and food (and him) even more.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: https://instagram.com/captaincooksfood?igshid=OGQ5ZDc2ODk2ZA==
- Facebook: Facebook.com/captaincooksfood
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/captain-cooks-food/
- Other: SPICY MEMORIES PODCAST: https://anchor.fm/captaincooksfood