This week on Food Network Obsessed, host Jaymee Sire chats with Josh Capon — successful chef, restaurateur and seven-time NYC Wine & Food Festival Burger Bash winner. Find out his burger secret weapon is, and get his advice on how to be a good chef (spoiler: it has nothing to do with food!). Josh also talks about his virtual series Cooking with the Capons, how social media has brought him closer to his family and fans and the challenges of running a restaurant during the COVID-19 pandemic. After a few tears, Josh shares his greatest wish when it comes to food and what his perfect food day would look like.
This week on Food Network Obsessed, host Jaymee Sire chats with Josh Capon — successful chef, restaurateur and seven-time NYC Wine & Food Festival Burger Bash winner. Find out his burger secret weapon, and get his advice on how to be a good chef (spoiler: it has nothing to do with food!). Josh also talks about his virtual series Cooking with the Capons, how social media has brought him closer to his family and fans and the challenges of running a restaurant during the COVID-19 pandemic. After a few tears, Josh shares his greatest wish when it comes to food and what his perfect food day would look like.
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Find episode transcript here: https://food-network-obsessed.simplecast.com/episodes/josh-capon-on-beat-bobby-flay-tiktok-dances
[MUSIC PLAYING] JAYMEE SIRE: Hello, hello, and welcome to another episode of Food Network Obsessed. This is the podcast where we're dishing with all of your favorite Food Network stars.
As always, I'm your host, Jaymee Sire. And my guest this week, I am super excited about. He's a friend of mine. He is a familiar face to any Food Network fan. And he's made appearances on shows like Beat Bobby Flay, Guy's Grocery Games, Best Thing I Ever Ate. The list goes on and on.
He's also a successful restaurateur, a seven-time Burger Bash People's Choice winner. Seven times. And also, by the way, if you haven't had your coffee yet today, no need. This guy's energy and personality is just as effective as caffeine. Here's my chat with the burger boss himself, Mr. Josh Capon.
[MUSIC PLAYING]
JOSH CAPON: And we're live!
[LAUGHTER]
JAYMEE SIRE: We are live. Well, we're recorded. Josh, welcome. Thank you so much for joining the podcast. I'm so excited to have you.
JOSH CAPON: Well, thank you for having me. Congratulations on the podcast, Jaymee.
JAYMEE SIRE: Oh, thank you. It's been a long journey. In fact, you and I first met on the set of Beat Bobby Flay back in December 2016, which, side note, I feel like I've known you longer than four years at this point. But no, that was my first time ever being on Food Network and being a guest co-host.
And I remember Chris King, their show runner, had said, oh, your co-host is Josh Capon, you'll love him. And of course, I did, and we've been friends ever since. But thank you for making me feel so welcome all the way back in 2016.
JOSH CAPON: Always, Jaymee. Jaymee, you have good energy, and you have good positivity. And you have an enthusiasm for life that shines. And it's always a pleasure to have you around wherever you are, whether my restaurant is right on the street.
JAYMEE SIRE: Well, I could say the same thing about you. And I do want to talk to you about so many things. I have so many things on the list that I want to talk to you about, restaurants, 2020, burgers, your family. But the podcast is called Food Network Obsessed, so we're going to start there. And fans of Food Network would definitely know you from your appearances on Beat Bobby Flay, Chopped, Best Thing I Ever Ate, Cooks Versus Cons. The list goes on and on.
You obviously have a big personality that I think is made for television. And I'm curious about how that evolution came about for you. Is that something you were interested in, in addition to your work in restaurants? Or did TV kind of find you?
JOSH CAPON: I think TV kind of found me a little bit. Sometimes I wish it found me a little bit more. I love to cook, but I think what I love most about cooking is connecting with people. So whether it's a podcast or whether it's TV, I think I have a gift. And I could feel pretty confident when I say that, that people don't just come to my restaurant to eat. They want to come and they see me.
Like you, I bring a certain energy and enthusiasm to my staff, to the kitchen, to the dining room, to the outdoor patio these days. But I do. I enjoy people, and I enjoy food. I think those are my two favorite things in life. We'd all celebrate food, good times and bad times.
JAYMEE SIRE: I'm curious if there was something, the first time you did TV or started doing TV, maybe specifically at Food Network, was there something that surprised you just about that whole television world?
JOSH CAPON: Did something surprise me? I think how comfortable I was from the beginning. Obviously, you get more comfortable as you go. I remember I was a young line cook working in a restaurant. And this is a long time ago, before Food Network was even Food Network. But a TV crew came in to shoot The Chef. And to me, he was the coolest cat around. He was my chef, and he was super cool.
TV crew came in. They set up in the kitchen. But the minute they hit the Record button, it was almost like somebody took a garden hose and put it over his head because he just started dripping and sweating profusely, to point where they're like, all right, cut. Like, you all right? He's like, yeah, I'm fine. I like, you are sweating. It was just dripping off his face. So obviously, he wasn't that comfortable in front of the camera.
And I think most chefs aren't. You've got to remember a chef is a back-of-the-house position, which means most chefs don't want to come into the dining room. I think Emeril and Bobby were some of the first to break that mold. But even when we opened up Canteen and Lure Fish Bar, and I was running around the dining room, my partners looked at me like, shouldn't you be in the kitchen?
But the chef has become a very polarizing figure. And people want to meet the chef. And when I go to a table in my white jacket and I'm schmoozing them, it's like they feel like a bunch of celebrities. And David Burke, who is one of my mentors, always taught me, if you go to one table and you enlighten their experience, you better make sure you touch every table around them because at the same time, you're going to diminish their experience, because they're going to like, how come the chef didn't come to our table. So I literally just table hopped to people I know and more importantly, I don't know, to make them feel welcome.
And I say it all the time, there's a million restaurants in New York City. You have to give them a reason to come back to yours. And the food better be great, and the service better be great. But other than that, why are they coming back?
And when a couple comes in, that I know, with another couple, and I bring over a couple of deviled eggs or caviar or a couple of crispy rice or spicy tuna. And I'm like, hey you guys, a little gift, thanks for coming. They're wowed. And next thing, that couple makes a reservation with another couple to come back in, and they want to make sure I'm going to be there. Will you bring over the eggs? And anything to make people feel special these days is what it's all about.
JAYMEE SIRE: Absolutely. And I think you can do that through TV as well. And I mentioned earlier, we first met on Beat Bobby Flay. You've been a co-host / judge on that show over, I think over 10 times. Do you have a favorite episode or memory that sticks out? And no, you don't have to say the episode that you co-hosted with me just because I'm doing the interview on this podcast. But is there anything that sticks out about that show or maybe even any other show?
JOSH CAPON: Listen, I think Bobby's great because Bobby's success has been him not being afraid to throw it on the line time and time again. Whether it was Throwdown or whether it's Beat Bobby Flay, he is giving young chefs an opportunity to beat his ass. Come and get it, give me everything you got. What's your best dish? And it's funny how it's so many of them getting their own way.
But Bobby's great in that aspect. But I think there was an episode where Symon and I-- And Symon is one of his best friends. And I think we literally just picked him up and pulled him off the set or something or string cheese out or whatever, anything to distract him is what we would do. So we had some fun with his expense. And he just laughs along.
JAYMEE SIRE: He does. He's a very good sport. I think on our episode, you bust it out something like cheerleading, pom poms or something like that.
JOSH CAPON: This is making you do on that show with the pompoms. I was a full blown cheerleader. I'm like, wow, really.
JAYMEE SIRE: You were. I appreciate it though, that you took that role and didn't just shove it off on the girl that was on set. So I did appreciate that. I don't know if this happens to you. But every time one of my episodes airs, I get a million questions, whether it's over text or DM, just about how the show works and what's real and what's not. What question would you say you get most often?
JOSH CAPON: What's nice about Bobby's show and one of the reasons why I enjoy doing it is because he keeps it very real. It is a real competition. The timing is to a T.
And most importantly, what I love that he does, and you'll know for being there, is you taste the food when it's cooked. There are a lot of cooking shows that when you judge the food, the food has been sitting out on a table for 45 minutes. Somebody take a thousand pictures of it and then you taste it. Bobby makes sure that you taste that food the same way you would in the kitchen, right when it comes off the pass, so to speak. The Food Network has a way of really keeping things real, which you have to respect.
JAYMEE SIRE: Yeah. No, that's something that really struck me as well. That was very important to Bobby. That was one thing that he wanted to make sure was different with his show at the time.
But it's funny because the chefs have to make extra dishes essentially to make this all happen. And then they shuttle the judges / co-hosts into this little room to eat. And then you do the real eating on camera. But it's usually there's just this little side room that you're just cramped in there trying. But you try it when it's hot. And I think that that's super important.
I love that backstage scoop because I think this podcast is really a place where we can pull back the curtain a little bit on that kind of thing. Is there anything else that you notice besides that, that you can share with our listeners?
JOSH CAPON: It's funny because even when you watch the show, sometimes you're shocked at who gets picked in the first round. Because while somebody else's dish might look better, there's other reasons why you might pick somebody else who has a better chance to beat Bobby.
I see it a lot in shows that I watch with Bobby where I'm like, I can't believe they picked that guy. But then when you really think about it, I think we might have been in that position where there's other-- it's not just a plate that you're eating. It's how they cooked, it's their timing. Do they really have a chance of beating Bobby in the second round? So sometimes there's other factors involved that maybe the viewer doesn't see.
And there are times-- and it might have happened with you. There were times where we pick somebody beforehand, and next thing, we're tasting that food. I'm like, did we pick the right person? I always question whether or not we picked the right person because we really want to do pick the person that has the best chance of beating Bobby.
No matter what, it's always fun, it's always entertaining. The food is always cool to watch being prepared. Food Network, no matter what show it is, they do a very good job of vetting the chefs that are coming on.
They're not just bringing on anybody for the sake of enjoyment. They're making sure that these people know how to cook in a responsible way, in a respectable way, in a timely way. And more often than that, maybe they make a mistake here or there, but they know how to cook. And you're going to get a decent plate of food every time.
JAYMEE SIRE: What advice would you give a contestant on any food competition show? Not necessarily just Beat Bobby Flay, but if they're on one of these shows or competing, what sort of advice would you give to them?
JOSH CAPON: I think stay true to who you are. I think sometimes people try and reach a little bit and go out of their comfort zone too much. But stay true to who you are. Stay cool under pressure. Practice.
My chef at Bowery Meat Company, I know people that go on Chopped, that before they do, they're in their kitchen with people giving them baskets. And they're running the drills.
If you have a chance to go on Chopped to win $10,000 or a chance to compete on Bobby Flay, you better make sure you're in your own kitchen somewhere a couple of times timing yourself. Because I'll tell you one thing, the clock moves fast. When you get 20 minutes and 30 minutes, you ain't stopping that clock.
So it's not like you're in the middle of service, where you're like, I need two more minutes, Chef, two more minutes. No. That clock and your hands up, timer stops, hands up. You better make sure you got everything on that plate. Because the last thing you want to do is lose because you missed an ingredient or something like that. So just stay cool.
And I think also, no matter what-- and I know it's tough to say, but have fun with it. Win or lose, have fun with it. You got a chance to shine in front of a national audience. You have a chance to do what you do best. I think just have fun, and make it a memorable experience for everybody.
JAYMEE SIRE: I think that's great advice. And if you're listening, you should definitely take Josh's advice because he is the actual burger king. You've won Burger Bash at the New York City Wine and Food Festival, also South Beach. So many times that they make you a judge at some point because you won so much.
JOSH CAPON: I just won my seventh title virtually in the crazy world that we live in. They had a virtual burger bash in October. And I won virtual, which was cool. But I won seven. I've judged a few times.
I just think, to me, it's an incredible event. It's an incredible party. I think it's the premiere event of the Food and Wine Festival, both of them. And I just think it's a lot of fun. And why? Because burgers are fun. They're every day.
And you can just always go and have a good time, and burgers are approachable. Nobody takes it too seriously. Rachel is a great host. CREaM, who produces the event, does an incredible job. But to me, it's an annual thing just like the Super Bowl. It's the Super Bowl Burgers, and I think it's an annual event just like the Super Bowl.
JAYMEE SIRE: Yeah, it is an event. And it's a fun event. Like you said, it's the most sought-after ticket, I would say, for both of those festivals because what's not to love? You get to try as many burgers as you possibly can and drink and have fun.
And I think your personality really lends itself well to that event because it's the same thing you talked about with the restaurants. You are out there entertaining people and putting on a show. And I think that's super fun. So I think at this point, we can call you a burger expert. So as an expert, what do you think is the secret to a perfect burger?
JOSH CAPON: I think one of the secrets to my success at Burger Bash is I put out a damn good burger every year.
[LAUGHTER]
But I also think it comes down to execution. It comes down to timing. I've seen people that have a thousand burgers just sitting there waiting for people to grab them. It's not the way to do it. You want people to get a hot burger off the line. When they bite into it, you want to make them feel like, wow, that thing is hot juicy and delicious.
JAYMEE SIRE: And I think another big factor here is something you have not mentioned, which is bacon jam. Could we talk about bacon jam and why it's the perfect condiment?
[LAUGHTER]
JOSH CAPON: I always say, growing up as a kid, my favorite burger was a bacon cheeseburger. But I used to hate the two pieces of bacon that used to form an X going over the top of the burger. Because you've been into that burger wherein one piece of bacon came out, then the other piece of the bacon came out.
So I am a huge fan of sandwiches. And I always say everybody should be the same. So whatever condiment you're using, you better make sure you evenly spread it all over the bread. When you spread it over a sandwich and every bite to say, it's incredible. So that's what my success-- I remember there was one year in South Beach where somehow I shipped everything down or somehow my bacon jam got lost. I might want to chalk it up to foul play.
JAYMEE SIRE: Did you investigate? Who won that year? Did they have the bacon jams sitting in the back? No, I'm just kidding.
JOSH CAPON: I'm just saying, if you want to take out the champ, you take out his knees. And somebody took 20 court to make it on your jam and put it somewhere, because I put it in the fridge. So anyway, but I still play second. I still play second without my bacon jam. So it makes you think maybe I would have had an eighth title. But listen, I always say and I know I could say this, that I won seven times.
It's not about winning. It's going putting on a great show because that's what the people who go there for. That's an expensive ticket. It's a $250 ticket. People are not just going to eat burgers. They're going to see a show. And you better put on a good show and not get upset and work the crowd. And it's not about giving away stuff. It's just about being yourself and giving a great product and showing what you're about.
JAYMEE SIRE: Well, speaking of putting on a great show, you've been doing several of them just from your home on Instagram throughout quarantine and beyond. I loved watching. You cook with your family, your kids, Max and Amanda.
We're all stuck at home. And to your point about all of this, you need to have something to smile about and entertain you while you're stuck at home. So for anybody unfamiliar out there that's listening, I guess let's start there with-- why don't you tell us about Cooking with the Capons?
JOSH CAPON: It's funny because we're on a podcast. But you just made me very emotional. This is a crazy time. And I think for us in the restaurant industry and the hospitality industry, we've been hit really hard.
I think the most important thing is to always find the silver lining, and the glass is half full. And for me, that's been just spending a lot more time at home, and my daughter who is 14, who's amazing, Amanda, my son, Max, 11, and my wife, Lori.
The life of a chef-- I remember my dad told me years ago, if you're going to be a chef, that's great. But you're not going to be home for dinner every night. And you know what? I'm not home for dinner every night, and it's starting to bother me. I'm 47 years old and finally set in. I want to be home for dinner every night.
And I think the pandemic, for me, gave me a excuse to just be home more often. And I started just cooking with my daughter and having some fun with it. And we started posting it and created something called Cooking with the Capons.
And it's incredible to see what she's learned, to make risotto with 13-year-old daughter and explain what it means to make risotto. And I told you, you can't stop stirring this pot for 25 minutes. And at first, you want to give up. But then halfway through, she's like, I'm not giving up.
It's been a magical gift during a very tough time to have the quality time at home, to have gotten the feedback. Honestly, Jaymee, social media is a wonderful thing. It's a tricky thing. It's something we're all navigating as we go, when you do an incredible job with Justin, and you can see the chemistry that you guys share and why you guys are partners.
But the feedback, to hear people, friends and strangers text me and DM me and say to me, Cooking with the Capons got me through quarantine, to my neighbors saying their son won't go to bed until they get to see Cooking With the Capons every night. That's what he goes to bed watching instead of reading a book or hopefully reading a book.
But so many people I know, strangers included, like, Cooking with the Capons got me into quarantine. It was the best thing during quarantine. To hear things like that, it really makes you-- I told Amanda about halfway through it. I said, we have a responsibility now. This is not just you and I having fun anymore.
I have people who literally told me they were on-- one of my best friends was on his deathbed. He was, Capon, I was on my deathbed. He was, I really did not think I was going to pull through COVID, and watching you and your daughter made me laugh and pulled me through and reminded me what's important. And it's incredible feedback to hear. And it's something that I'll never forget during this time that we were able to create.
And who knows where we go with it. Some people saying, you should do a cookbook. Obviously people saying, you should make it a TV show. I don't know if there's anybody out there in Food Network land listening right now. But hey, we're coming for you. And honestly, the best thing about Amanda is in the middle of us cooking, show break out into a TikTok dance.
[LAUGHTER]
And I post a TikTok dance. I get more views and likes on our TikTok dances than I do on my cooking. So I'm like, what do the people want to see? Do they want to see us dancing or they want to see us cooking? I don't know anymore.
It just keep me real. And we make mistakes. We're not perfect. Bobby Flay just posted something that was one of the nicest thing anybody's ever said and also made me cry. Jaymee, this is supposed to be a fun and lifting interview.
[LAUGHTER]
I'm a mess over here.
JAYMEE SIRE: Well, you're making me cry, too. No, Bobby, I have that question next on my list. Bobby Flay, you wake up to this post from Bobby who's a friend of both of ours. But he put you in the same company as D-Nice and the Boss family, a.k.a. tWitch and Allison Holker. So what was it like to wake up to that? That's amazing.
JOSH CAPON: First of all, my wife, Lori, early woke me up and said-- it was pretty early for me. And she goes, you have to wake up. You have to see what Bobby just said about you. And I was like, what? I didn't know where she was coming from.
And I read the post, and I was like, oh my god, wow, because Bobby is a dear friend. He's also a mentor. He's also a beast. He was the first American chef to go on Iron Chef and let it all hang out. And tons of respect for him.
So I was fine. I read the post. And then it was the last line that said, to a great father, to a great husband, and then to a great son. And obviously, my dad passed away. When he said son, I lost my shit.
[LAUGHING LIKE CRYING]
During this whole time, he's been DMing me and texting me. There was one time where Amanda turned over a bundt cake. And the thing came out perfectly, and he questioned it. I said, Bobby, do me a favor. Don't ever question anything on Cooking with the Capons again because we keep this shit real. And if that thing came out broken in half, we would have shown it. She's 14, dude. I got nothing to hide. I think the more real you keep it, the more respect people have for you.
JAYMEE SIRE: Speaking of keeping it real, you touched on this briefly, the TikTok dances. I think Dancing with the Capons is definitely the sleeper sequel hit of Cooking with the Capons. Do you feel like you've become a better dancer by participating in these challenges with Amanda?
JOSH CAPON: Just this past Sunday, she looked at me. I was watching football on the couch, and she's like, let's go, let's do a TikTok. And I was, like, oh boy, here we go.
But she gets it, and she's a great teacher. And it's a bunch of small moves all put together to make a good dance. But it takes a little while, we practice a little bit. It's not the first run that you see. But we know and I have a great time doing it. And the feedback [INAUDIBLE] it's just fun. Listen, when I'm down, I turn on one of my TikToks with her, and I just watch it and just makes me smile.
JAYMEE SIRE: Oh. Well, I mean, I'm smiling like listening to you talk about it because it is so clear how much your family means to you and how grateful you are for all this time with them during this weird time.
I know you mentioned your dad, and I know it's been a tough year. And I can definitely relate to that. What was your household like growing up? Were you guys cooking? Were you dancing? Were you doing something else that was more in line with those times?
JOSH CAPON: We were definitely always having a good time, a lot of time in the kitchen, a lot of cooking. My dad and my mom were both great cooks. They got divorced at a young age. But wherever I was, whatever house I was at, they were always cooking, always putting out a good meal.
I grew up having to be home on Friday night for Shabbat's dinner. And I always remember fighting that as a kid. I remember fighting that as a kid, Friday night, why do I have to be home? And now I look back on that time when I'm incredibly grateful for that because I wasn't missing anything. You always think you're missing something. I wasn't missing anything.
If you're Jewish, what is Shabbat? Shabbat is Friday night till Saturday night. Shut it down. End of the workweek, shut it down. Supposedly no electronics, no TV, no phone, no driving. So what does that mean? Stay your ass at home, with your family, with the ones that you love most and reconnect.
And regardless of whether you're Jewish or not, that's a really nice way to end the week as far as I'm concerned. And being home now and doing just that, it feels nice. So before you go run around all weekend, save Friday night for your family, and go out Saturday night after sunset. That's really what it means.
So I'm grateful for that. I'm grateful for the family I grew up with. I have two incredible sisters that with our dad passing, we've been there for each other. And I've laughed the whole way. We've cried a lot too.
But my dad always said, make sure you celebrate. You can mourn, but you better celebrate my life. And I'm just glad that he didn't go, it wasn't COVID-related. So I'm thankful for that because I think I would have been really angry with that. But aside from that, it's been a celebration.
JAYMEE SIRE: I think that's very well said and very important. I think we're talking about, obviously, the pandemic and how it's affected our lives personally. But obviously, it's affected you professionally as well.
Restaurants have been hit so hard not just in New York, not just in the United States, around the globe. You have four restaurants in New York City. Bowery Meat Company, Lure Fishbar, Bistrot Leo, Burger and Barrel, did I get them all?
[LAUGHTER]
So I'm curious. Your evolution to where we see you today, what sparked you initially in your interest in the culinary world? Because this is obviously not a profession for the faint of heart.
JOSH CAPON: Yeah. For me, food was a way to travel the world. I was working in a bakery. I was working as a busboy. I was working as a dishwasher. I went to University of Maryland. I was there for a couple of years. I was not performing at an acceptable level. And my parents were smart enough to take me on a tour of Johnson Wales University at a young age, and something just clicked. I said, yep, this is it. This is my future.
I couldn't imagine doing anything else because I absolutely love it. I love the people I work with. I love the people that come into the restaurant, and those are my families as well.
But there is no question. I don't know an industry that has been hit harder by COVID than ours. Billions and billions and billions of jobs are on the line here. And we got decimated. We got absolutely crushed. And it is terrifying. It is really terrifying. It is challenging. It's concerning.
I don't know when this thing comes back. And I'm running with very minimal staffs at all of our restaurants right now. You've got to be scrappy. And it is tough. And it is tough now with no indoor dining and only outdoor dining. And it's freezing cold out. And we built these structures, and I have to have heaters.
And everybody is just finding their own way. And it's a moment in time where there's just so much uncertainty. It's sad though, because it's no secret that restaurants operate and very minimal profit margins anyway. Restaurants are not very, very profitable.
So people need to understand that everybody's fighting the fight. I'm running deliveries in my town. Or I got people hitting me up on Instagram, will you deliver to Long Island? I'm doing the Lure Fishbar express. I'll take 10 deliveries to any city near you just to create some business and get some extra tips for my staffs. Anything we can do. But it's challenging, it is terrifying.
It's also really rewarding. I shouldn't leave that out. It's really rewarding when you do create something new and how appreciative people are, the people that come and also the people that are working and are thankful for their jobs.
This whole pandemic has taught me cooking is a gift. And what separates me from the pack is the way I interact with people. The way I communicate with people through food, it's a gift. And that's one thing-- I'm a pretty company, pretty heavy.
But I had some moments with my dad before he left. And that was one thing I thanked him for, it was my gift of gab. He was always [? Charlie ?] charming. And just through food, it's been very rewarding. And it's been financially rewarding to be able to come across. We're on a podcast right now but I'm still looking at you and you're looking at me. To connect with people virtually is something that not everybody can do, and it works.
JAYMEE SIRE: Aha, I'm crying again.
[LAUGHTER]
As you look back on this last year, what makes you the most proud about how you've been able to kind of pivot and really handle what has been an impossible situation?
JOSH CAPON: There was four or five, six months ago, if I heard that word "pivot" one more time, it's the word of COVID. If I hear somebody told me "pivot" one more time, I'm going to punch you in the face, pivot.
[LAUGHTER]
But for me, it's just been trying to stay alive. And my pivot, I've been doing some virtual stuff. I've been doing some exclusive catering where people want a chef, a celebrity chef, coming into their house. And as long as you do it responsibly and professionally and put on a show, which is what I do, for me, that's been my pivot.
JAYMEE SIRE: Yeah. No, there's definitely been some high moments in this past year. But I did want it to end things with a question we're going to be asking all of our guests here on Food Network Obsessed to close out each episode. So what would be on the menu for your perfect food day? So we're talking breakfast, lunch, dinner, and dessert. It can be something you cook, somebody else cooking for you. You can time travel.
JOSH CAPON: How much time do I have?
JAYMEE SIRE: As much time as you want. This is this is your episode.
JOSH CAPON: Bacon, egg, and cheese sandwich. Blueberry pancakes with a side of sausage to maple syrup. Chicken parm hero, linguine vongole, some killer dimsum, a tomahawk steak, definitely some Royce's on their shellfish plateau kind of thing, definitely some donuts.
JAYMEE SIRE: This all breakfast or are these multiple meals?
JOSH CAPON: Listen. This is like when you ask this chef his last meal, I'll tell you my last meal is going to be about three days long. Because if I'm going down, I'm going down in flames, Jaymee. And you're coming home with me, buddy.
Oh dude, saying, ribs, dimsum. pizza. Let's go get a pizza, some really, really good pizza. My one wish in life is to be able to eat with impunity, Jaymee. Hey, if the Food Network called me tomorrow and said, hey, we have a TV show for you. We need you to be 500 pounds by Thursday.
[LAUGHTER]
But not my wife and say, I'll see you Thursday at 10:00 AM. I'll be like, this is my dream job. But at the same time, we need to be responsible. And I used to have a couple of buddies growing up. They would just eat nonstop and they were sticks. I used to hate them for that. I'm like, what [INAUDIBLE] your metabolism. I eat a donut, and I feel like I'm going to die. Life's about enjoying it, especially now. So just go for it.
JAYMEE SIRE: All right. Well, go for it. We'll end on that note. Josh, thank you so much. It's a pleasure, as always, to laugh and hear your stories. And in this case, shed a couple of tears as well.
JOSH CAPON: Jaymee, I adore you. A huge congratulations to you and the podcast. And keep on doing what you doing. Keep on smiling. You're a ray of sunshine to all of us. And we'll get through this. And we'll be on the other side pretty soon. And until then, we'll see you at Lure Fishbar or Bowery Meat Company.
[LAUGHTER]
Like that plug at the end?
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JAYMEE SIRE: Wow, I love Josh. Did not expect that interview to get so emotional. But I do feel like it was important and powerful. And I think a lot of people out there can relate to what he's going through and all going through right now during this difficult time.
But you have to check out Josh and his daughter on Cooking with the Capons on his Instagram. It's @ChefCapon, if you don't follow him already. It definitely will put a smile on your face. And if you like that, you can also take a class with him on the Food Network kitchen app. He's got a variety of classes on there. And if you live in New York, Miami, and as we heard, soon Chicago, make sure to check out one of his restaurants.
And as always, if you enjoyed today's episode, please don't forget to rate and review, and if you haven't already subscribed, so you don't miss a single episode. All right. That's it. See you foodies next week. Bye.
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