Phronesis: Practical Wisdom for Leaders with Scott Allen

Brandon Chrostowski - You Gotta Figure it Out

July 24, 2024 • Scott J. Allen • Season 1 • Episode 237

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Founder, CEO, and president of EDWINS Leadership & Restaurant Institute Brandon Edwin Chrostowski is renowned for changing culinary and hospitality training—in and out of the nation’s prisons—while preserving French cooking traditions. His mission-driven effort to train and staff former prison inmates at his flagship French restaurant and nonprofit has created a national model for re-entry and an educational pipeline for formerly incarcerated to learn the discipline and skill of fine dining.

Under Chrostowski’s leadership, the EDWINS program boasts an extraordinary one percent recidivism rate, a testament to the efficacy of its approach. More than a CEO, Chrostowski is a catalyst for change, providing over one hundred formerly incarcerated adults with free culinary and hospitality arts training each year. Since its inception in 2007, the program has evolved into a multifaceted initiative, including Edwins Too—a culinary incubator and community kitchen; EDWINS Butcher Shop and Bakery and Diner; a Second Chance Life Skills Center with housing and wraparound services; EDWINS Family Center, a nonprofit offering free daycare to Institute students during class hours; on-site programs at Grafton Correctional Institute and Cuyahoga County Juvenile Detention Center; and a groundbreaking virtual curriculum reaching over 400,000 inmates in prisons across the country.

A culinary virtuoso, Chrostowski’s journey began with classical training as a chef and sommelier. He honed his skills at distinguished fine dining establishments in Paris, New York, and Chicago, including Lucas Carton, Chanterelle, Picholine, Le Cirque, and Charlie Trotter’s. His culinary prowess has been celebrated with numerous accolades, including being a 2022 James Beard Award Semifinalist and a 2023 James Beard Finalist. Recognition also extends to the 2023 Jim Brown Changemaker Award, IFMA’s 2020 Silver Plate, CNN’s 2016 Heroes, and the prestigious Crain’s “40 under 40” Awards.

A proud alum of CIA, Chrostowski holds an associate degree in culinary arts and a bachelor’s degree in business and Restaurant Management. He resides in Cleveland with his wife Catana and their children, Leo, Lilly, Lynx, and Lander.

A Quote From This Episode

  • "It's not like you come into a kitchen, and they say, 'Listen, this is how you're going to figure it out,' they just give you a task and you gotta figure it out."


Resources Mentioned in This Episode


About The International Leadership Association (ILA)


About  Scott J. Allen


My Approach to Hosting

  • The views of my guests do not constitute "truth." Nor do they reflect my personal views in some instances. However, they are views to consider, and I hope they help you clarify your perspective. Nothing can replace your reflection, research, and exploration of the topic.

Note: Voice-to-text transcriptions are about 90% accurate, and conversations-to-text do not always translate perfectly. I include it to provide you with the spirit of the conversation.

Scott Allen  0:02  

Okay, everybody, welcome to the Phronesis podcast wherever you are in the world. Thank you so much for checking in today. Very, very much appreciate you doing so. I have Brandon Chrostowski with me today. He is the founder, and president, and CEO of EDWINS Leadership & Restaurant Institute. Brandon Edwin Chrostowski is renowned for changing culinary and hospitality training -- in and out of the nation’s prisons -- while preserving French cooking traditions. His mission-driven effort to train and staff former prison inmates at his flagship French restaurant and nonprofit has created a national model for re-entry and an educational pipeline for the formerly incarcerated to learn the discipline and skill of dining. A culinary virtuoso, Chrostowski’s journey began with classical training as a chef and… I can never say this word correctly. Sommelier? How do I say sommelier? 

 

Brandon Chrostowski  0:58

Sommelier. 

 

Scott Allen  1:00

Okay. Training as a chef and sommelier, he honed his skills that distinguished fine dining establishments in Paris, New York, Chicago. Chrostowski’s commitment to social entrepreneurship has been further acknowledged with the Richard C… Okay, Cornuelle. How do I say that? Cornuelle?

 

Brandon Chrostowski  1:20  

I believe it's Cornuelle. 

 

Scott Allen  1:24  

Okay, I'm going to do this, I'm going to say…

 

Brandon Chrostowski  1:25  

I'm going to refer to a professor at a college on this one. 

 

Scott Allen  1:32  

(Laughs) Okay. And all of this type of stuff will be edited out.

 

Brandon Chrostowski  1:35  

I know. Cornell, Cornell. I think it’s Cornell. However you think it sounds, I’m sure it’s how it is. 

 

Scott Allen  1:44  

Okay.  His extraordinary journey has been captured in the Academy Award-nominated documentary ‘Knife Skills,’ providing a compelling narrative of his mission and impact. National media outlets, including The New York Times, Washington Post, and TODAY, have featured Chrostowski, bringing attention to his innovative approach to culinary education and social reform. Sir, thank you so much for being with me today. I very, very much appreciate your time. I know it's valuable. Maybe give listeners a quick snapshot of what you're up to, and I know that it's been a journey. We're going to put a lot of links in the show notes, but maybe give a quick snapshot.

 

Brandon Chrostowski  2:20  

You got it. Hey, Scott, look, man, it's fun to be on with you. It's nice to be able to just shoot the shit with somebody, instead of being grilled here and doing things in a certain form. But yeah, man, look, we're still slugging it out. We're getting it done. We help men and women who have been affected by this criminal justice system reach their goals and full potential. And that's it. Pure point blank. We happen to use a vessel of food, and wine, and hospitality to help them reach that goal. But, at the end of the day, for six months, someone comes to us and we train to the top in a butcher shop, in a bakery, in a restaurant, in a dining room, in a kitchen. And throughout that journey, someone really has the skills to make it happen. But we also care. We wrap this very strong hug around you with two case managers here. We have housing. We have now five buildings for housing where someone could live for free. We have a childcare center that's no cost to anyone with children. And, of course, all the other bells and whistles like getting health insurance for someone, an ID, and on, and on, and on. But we're just trying to do what we can with what we have and create a real positive atmosphere.

 

Scott Allen  3:40  

Brandon, I have just such great respect. We've had a relationship for probably about six, seven years now, and it's just been so much fun to watch you build. Watch you create. There wasn't a bakery, there wasn't a butcher shop. A lot of these wraparound services didn't exist when I first met you and you've been building. And I think what I want to talk about today, because, as an entrepreneur, as an individual who is building an organization, I want to talk about problem-solving because you're an expert at problem-solving. And so, I want to take some of the training in culinary skills. I've heard you talk about some stories of working in a lot of different restaurants that were really challenging situations that challenged you to really, really take your skills to the next level when it came to problem-solving. So, a couple of those stories, and then how that applies to being CEO and building an organization.

 

Brandon Chrostowski  4:36  

Yeah. Specifically, I'm not sure if there was a place in time or an example, it just kind of over the years of being challenged, and pushed, and the odds against you, and you having to figure a way out if you want to stay within that organization and restaurant, or around that prestige, or that excellence, you have to figure this out. And, it's funny, it's not like you come into a kitchen, they say, “Listen, this is how you're going to figure it out,” they just give you a task and you gotta figure it out. So, I think there's some things that’s just naturally in people that have a strong desire to succeed, who will overcome whatever obstacles are given to them. And the longer you hang, it's like a pitcher, like you're watching a pitcher pitch. The more you see their pitches, the more you can kind of figure out what's happening on their release and everything else. So the longer you can hang in this kitchen, the more tools you feel are at your disposal to solve the problem, and so on and so forth. So, it's just about hanging. But there's just been some brutal people I've worked for, and they are intentionally that way, not out of anger or ego, maybe a little ego, but they would challenge and make sure they got the most out of the people who are working for them. So, it was intentional, and very thankful for that. But I think the other part of this is just remembering we're all just ambassadors of a farm, that's what we're doing as chefs, or as sommeliers, is putting forth the best product that the land's given us, and doing it in a simple way. So I think the first thing about being a CEO or chief executive officer is not thinking that I'm a CEO or chief executive officer, just simply an ambassador of people who have a need and using the tools that are in our toolbox, or my toolbox to be able to deliver that need. But nothing about chief or anything like that. But it's kind of funny because, in the business world, people respect that title. It's crazy.

 

Scott Allen  6:42  

Well, talk to me about, okay, so figure it out. I love that phrasing. We'll probably call the episode that - figure it out. And you have individuals who are kind of built to figure it out, and have been in situations where they've been told to figure it out and you have to hang. You literally have to stick with it, push through. What are some elements underneath ‘figure it out’ when you are working with someone, and what are some indicators that this is the individual that has that mindset? What are some of the indicators for you where you look at them and you go, “Yep, okay, that's it”?

 

Brandon Chrostowski  7:17 

Yeah. I would think just the spirit, their unwillingness to stop right. They won't stop. They'll keep it going. They will use the tools they have at hand to make it happen. And when you find someone who's resourceful in that way, shape, or form, you know you're building with the right block. Somebody throws their arms up, “Well, I'm not an octopus, I don't have 8 arms.” Well, you know what? Yeah, but you have to be. It just feels like those… How would you say it? Like the cop-out answers. When you can find someone who doesn't even have that in their repertoire, I think you found the right person. I'll be honest, we have very little of that. We get very little of people throwing their hands up and saying, “I can't.” Just people have been used to and in situations of incarceration or survival, is just to endure and to figure it out and to keep going. There is no complaining. Maybe afterwards, you shoot the shit, you say, “Blah, blah, blah,” but who doesn't. But, in the moment, it's just like a natural part of living where, I think, in some other maybe atmospheres, cultures, or economic stratospheres, that's not normal. For us, it's normal. In the kitchen, that's normal, and so on. So, that's what we look for. We look for that ability to just grasp onto the fact that it has to get done, there's no excuse. And figure it out without quitting or throwing your hands up. Now, on the other hand, there are some people who… The part where you take that exit of saying, “Oh, I'm not doing this shit. I can't,” sometimes it's because of how someone feels about themselves, or the level of confidence they have. And that's a totally different exit ramp of saying, I'm not going to.” Sometimes you find there's a real mental block that says, “I can't because I really can't.” So. then we can help you get over that pro-block, but the attitude part is not what we're looking for. 

 

Scott Allen  9:26 

Yeah. So, there's a difference between having a mindset and then a skill set, and you are so focused on really, really developing that skill set part of the puzzle as well.

 

Brandon Chrostowski  9:40  

Exactly. So, there's a lot of different angles here. Never a straight answer, but yeah.

 

Scott Allen  9:48  

What else? They're resourceful, they don't give up, they figure it out. There's a mindset there. It could be an issue where they're going to really struggle because they don't have the skill set yet, but what else makes you look at someone and say, “Wow, that's it. Yes, this is the type of individual we need. They've got it.”

 

Brandon Chrostowski  10:07 

A long time ago, someone said you gotta be a very good soldier to be a good general. You have to be able to fall into a system, and adhere to what they're asking, and do it within how they're supposed to do it. You don't want someone just dumb, and like, say, “Yeah. Yes, chef, I'll do anything. I'll run through a wall.” It's like, “No.” You need someone who's, like, they understand that what we're asking to do is for a reason, and it's part of a bigger picture. And good soldiers are, that mentality is perfect. And you want that because, if they can stay the course and trust the system, that discipline will get them to a point of leadership. And then, in which case, we're still asking to be good soldiers. And trusting now a leadership system, but you're overseeing people. So, I think that's another part of it, man. There's got to be a discipline there and a buy-in to a system. They have to buy-in to what we're doing. And I think that goes for any culture, but here, especially, there's so many moving parts and so many different layers. 

 

Scott Allen  11:22 

You touched a little bit on leadership, how have you seen the concept of leadership shift in the kitchen over the years? Or has it not, in your opinion? How do you think about that when it comes to leading in the kitchen?

 

Brandon Chrostowski  11:38  

Are you kidding me? It's changed a ton. I came up in a system where physical, I don't know, harm was part of the game. It wouldn't be unusual to get burnt on a forearm by a pan if you were doing something incorrectly. And verbal assaults and abuse, that's like par. If you're not doing that, you're not in the kitchen. And I just think that was the way. And there was professionalism that started to develop, especially from the culinary schools. My alma mater, the CIA, starts producing more professionally driven chef. It didn't mean that there weren't wackos, they’d still throw a plate here and there. But there started to become this idea of decency and professionalism. Nowadays, I see leadership overall has evolved. Being thoughtful about someone's day or their situation. It's definitely more situational individual, but, in the kitchen, I think it's still the case. I think one part in my career that helped out was you could choose someone out, man. You could really MF them up and down, but, at the end of the day, you'd always repair that situation. Like, “Hey, I know it was hot tonight, it was really frustrating that you couldn't get the chicken done properly. We're still good. I still got respect for you,” and so on. That was like the first step for me getting to a point of working with somebody that was not deconstructive or destructive. That's the word. It was more constructive. And then, now it's really coming to the fact that you're watching someone do something, and you're letting them know, like, “Hey, at this point, you need to approach this task under pressure from a different way.” It's like, “Lower your heat, maybe, in the pan if you're busy because, your high heat, you're not getting to the pan fast enough for it and now it's burning the thing that you put in the pan.” So, it's making little adjustments and teach those little adjustments in the trenches. Now, there are times where you still gotta put the boot in the ass and say, “Hey, we gotta get it done. We're not focused, what's going on? It's Saturday after a long Friday.” And then there's usually a response to that, but that's definitely deliberate, and it's measured. In the past, there was nothing, just let loose and…

 

Scott Allen  14:24  

[Inaudible 14:25] the people back. 

 

Brandon Chrostowski  14:26  

Never circle back. If they don't survive the barrage, f**k it like, we'll find another person to replace them, next man up. That kind of mentality was always the way it was, now I think that shifted in the industry across the board. If you want that, you'd have to go to Europe, more so than you'd have the States. And even there, it’s starting to subside, which is kind of crazy.

 

Scott Allen  14:50 

Really? 

 

Brandon Chrostowski  14:51

Yeah. 

 

Scott Allen  14:52

Well, what's interesting is in the leadership literature, there's these leadership styles. And so you have an authoritative, or let's say a coercive style, which is that yell, tell, hard sell kind of directive. “Move now because I said so.” You have kind of a pace-setting style, which is like, “Go, go, go, go, go.” You kind of turn up the heat a little bit. You have a democratic style where you say, What do you think? Where should we go next? What's on your mind?” And you kind of open it up to folks. You have a style that is more affiliative, which is hugely like relationship-based. So, I'm going to get work done through relationships. And you have other styles that I haven't even mentioned right now, more of an authoritative style where it's kind of, “I have a vision, here's where we need to go.” These things can be combined, and I want you to kind of like, think of a metaphor of golf clubs. So, of course, you don't tee off with your putter and you don't putt with your driver. Each of these are appropriate some of the time, but it's more about being intentional as to when I should use this style and when it's appropriate to use the style. So, at least, what I hear is that kind of the evolution you've seen in a lot of places, maybe not so much in other areas of the world, but the coaching style was another one. Like, “Hey, I'm going to coach you through this right now. I'm going to pause, slow down, and coach you so that you understand that you're prepared to do this again next time, and I don't have to continue to have this conversation with you.” So, these different clubs are appropriate for different places in the game, and sometimes people are using the wrong club for the situation. They're overreacting in a situation, being a little too forcing. But it sounds like you've gotten pretty good at using the different clubs based on the situation, right?

 

Brandon Chrostowski  16:39 

Yeah, for sure. And the thing is in situations where humanity is being rebuilt and restabilized, your golf course is like a treadmill. So, if you can imagine the ball, you hit the ball in the rough, the ball doesn't move, but your golf course is like this tread. Now it's rough, now it's smooth. Now it's sand trap, bow, it's water, because that's the human nature of somebody, depending on the day, depending on the psychology. So, the situation, within where you hit your ball. And there's sometimes just the train is ever fluid. It's like a wave, it's like water. And you have to now, not just situationally, but personally, emotionally, situationally deal with certain ways you're doing things, and that's usually out of the kitchen. When the kitchen's on, it's great because it levels the playing field. Everyone now is on a surface that is relatively equal and sound, and the business of the night is kind of what changes your terrain. It's fluid, but you create a system or a vacuum where you can almost block out all the other emotional, personal things that are going on because it's so laser-focused. And some can find that terribly addictive, which I do. I think it's great. If I'm pissed off, dude, I can work the line on one night and I'm fine. I'm fine after one night. I got it out of me, it's in the food. And then, at other times, it could be troublesome depending how you look at it. It could irritate you more. But I think it's a great environment to be able to let go, everything around the world has stopped. You're in a very focused environment that's food. It's food.

 

Scott Allen  18:32  

Yeah. And everyone has a clear role, and knows their job, and we're going to knock it out. Very, very clear mission, objective, go.

 

Brandon Chrostowski  18:40  

Yep. And that's where sometimes digging in someone's ass, you're not thinking about the personal issue, this issue, you're just like, “We gotta go.” There's a sweetness in that, but then there's the other 90% of life, where you have to really be situational, emotional, and so on.

 

Scott Allen  18:58  

Okay. As you think about yourself in this journey of leadership, what have you learned about yourself? What stands out for you, and what are you still working on?

 

Brandon Chrostowski  19:09  

I learned I'm who I am. I've been given gifts, and I utilize those gifts. I know that by working hard, I can buy time for some people to get it. I think that's part of a leadership style, working leader. There's always something that I'm working on, but I've really identified... I've been coming for my own skin for a while. I think what's changed is the idea, when you try something over the years, like an ingredient in the dish, you say, “Oh, that's nice.” Okay, then maybe some time passes and the situation comes up again, use that same ingredient plus another ingredient and say, “Wow, this is even better.” So, the leadership style is just like that, man. It's just like putting another spice into things and you say, “Yeah, it worked. Okay, let me try that again.” And like anything else, I think it's called wisdom, experience, and so on. But I still got to be hard, fast, and decisive. That hasn't changed. But I think what has changed is letting the field go a little bit longer in terms of growing. So, if I'm taking a leadership position that I'm trying to groom, then I make sure he or she sets her scope six months from now and says, “Look this is where I need to be.” Can't be six minutes from now or six days from now, and then at a four-week checkpoint, in my mind, I go up to him and say, “Hey, listen, we're progressing all right, but I don't think you understand this part of the job, or this part of the leadership that we're asking you to be a part of.” I think that's changed, man. I think that has changed a little bit just throwing a farther net for sure. 

 

Scott Allen  20:53 

Yeah. So, being a little more patient with the person's development and growth and all of that. Go ahead.

 

Brandon Chrostowski  20:57 

Sometimes just breaking it down. I remember the first time I was teaching. I was probably 22, I was teaching in New York, in this school that was like for trades, but they were kids. They were troubled. They had some attitude problems, and someone tells me to write on the board how to boil an egg, and I wrote it up there. Like, “Well, how hot does the water go?” Like to think that you had to do the most basic thing and tell someone. Just three weeks ago, my kid started baseball, which is kid pitch, and I watched him in his first two games, and there's just some discomfort. So, I work with him on how to be comfortable, and confident, how to walk up to the plate, understanding the situation you're in, “It's a battle, he's trying to beat you. He's trying to overtake you, and you're trying to beat him. It's not just see ball, hit ball, have fun. This is competition.” And then I noticed his delay on his swing, I had to tell him, “When I'm throwing you the ball, watch my hand. And you have to pick the ball from the point it releases the hand. In fact, you can pick it up before on how the ball is being gripped.” And immediately, you start to see a different swing, a different confidence. And then he goes on like, whatever, he becomes one of the strongest hitters on his team, and just development from the most basic standpoint. If you hit a baseball, you'd hit a baseball, you wouldn't even think that you're looking at their hand because it's so natural and so basic. And then, you hold on a second, how to boil an egg? It still sticks with me. Well, how much water do you feel? Like, “Oh, of course, you put water to boil an egg.” But some people don't know that. And then, how much water? 

 

Scott Allen  22:49  

I'm one of them. I would ask you how much water.

 

(Laughter)

 

Brandon Chrostowski  22:54  

It covers the f**king egg, what are you supposed to do? This is easy. But sometimes when you're dealing with someone who's got zero, no experience, and then confidence, and so on to be questionable at times. And, yeah. I think that's changed a lot.

 

Scott Allen  23:13 

Well, and just kind of developing that individual. And again, to your point, you have so many thousands, and thousands, and thousands of data points in your head of how all of this works that, yes, I think it probably can be pretty easy to step back and say, “Oh, man, yeah, you put water in there and about this much.”

 

Brandon Chrostowski  23:36  

And then always working on something, man. Always working on something. That's like the goal. Always trying to be better, man, whatever it is; a skill. Yeah.

 

Scott Allen  23:47 

Well, I know one thing that you prioritize, because we've talked about this, is that you take care of yourself. You're working long, long hours. And I also know that you referee hockey. And I know that you have some things that you really enjoy doing that are releases for you as well. Will you talk a little bit about how you think… I know that it's not work-life balance, so to speak, but how do you take care of yourself? Because you're working hard and you've been working hard for many, many, many years.

 

Brandon Chrostowski  24:18  

Yeah. One, again, it's all the approach and mindset. I stay in shape so I'm able to do all this. There's a reason why I'm staying in shape, there's a reason why I have to do this. There's no way I'll be able to do what I'm doing without being in the shape that I am right; making the decisions, making this, making that. Then plus with kids, you don't want them to beat you up too, you got to still maintain order.

 

Scott Allen  24:45 

And with four, that's getting a little hectic. (Laughs)

 

Brandon Chrostowski  24:48  

Listen, I just gotta get stronger. That's funny. But the first and foremost is no television. There's no television at home, and there's no streaming, there's no shortcut to this. I've been that way since, I don't know, the last 23 years. TV's not part of my diet, nor is social media. I carry a LinkedIn page simply for professionals who want to connect, but that's it. We have a firm that does the social media for the business. And so, very clear mind. I think that clarity is huge. You can't blow your instincts. That keeps you tight and being able to make decisions intuitively quickly. So, that's part A. Part B is physically. Seeing a trainer, if not a trainer, hit the gym. You gotta stay in that shape, full body. And then, a lot of supplements from fish oils, and seaweed extracts, to multivitamin, to BPC 157, which keeps your continuum of energy going and recharges cells. And then, there's, like, these treatments you can do like cryo freeze, or PMF, where the earth waves get concentrated, pushed through you. It's all keeps you going, man. I get a new pair of shoes every three months regardless, and I've been doing that for like 15 years. No shit, a new pair of shoes every three months. And you can feel it, as soon as you get it, the pain in any part of your body just kind of goes away. So, keeping a soft cushion under your feet. And I figured, I'll do the math one day maybe, and say, okay, divide this by spinal surgery, and I think I won. I still think I'm ahead financially, and I'm still getting a lot of my body. I can still referee the college kids and keep up. So, yes, Scott, that's very, very important, man. You got to stay strong. You got to keep an edge. And in an environment with food and cooking, you also have to be fit. You have to be fit. The days of these fat chefs is kind of over. They're still big chefs, but you look at chefs now being groomed. They're not fat, man, they're in shape. They want a long career, they don't want back and knee issues. And they're taking care of their bodies earlier. 

 

Scott Allen  27:26 

Well, in some rights, they're athletes. If you think of the athletes of the 70s, having a smoke and a beer before the baseball game, that's not a thing. These people are performance-ready. They are in. And, to your point, yeah, if you're going to have longevity, if you're going to be sustainable, you got to take care of yourself that way, I imagine.

 

Brandon Chrostowski  27:48 

Yeah. And we preach that here, man. We get you health insurance. We require full physical. We don't want to see the result, but we need you to. We have a nutritionist come in. I've got a trainer that comes in with their staff. We have a full time snack bar here, so fruits, nuts, power bars, whatever. Health and wellness is preached inside of this building, and what you're seeing is less Monster drinks, and Doritos, and the foods, and you're seeing a lot more focus on, “I want to be a healthier person,” when they're writing about life plans that's unprovoked. Again, you're coming into an environment that's a lot of decisions being made, and a lot of weights being lifted, and a lot of just impact, you need to fend it off.

 

Scott Allen  28:35  

Well, as we begin to wind down our time, Brandon, and I very, very much appreciate your time, anything else you want listeners to know about the work, or your work, or EDWIN's? How people can support.

 

Brandon Chrostowski  28:50  

Yeah. Listen, you can get involved. Easiest way to do it is come in and eat. How hard is that? Eat and drink. You really have to be a piece of work if you can't do that. Financially is one thing, I get it, but if your ambition to not eat and drink is not there, I don't know. But that's the easiest way, just come in. We have four entities here. You can visit us anytime of the day, any day of the week. So, no excuses. That's the best part because it helps us sustain with the income. It helps us train because we have someone to work with, and work on, and so on. That's one. Two, you can always donate, write a check. Go online, you can do all these sort of things. We have our big fundraiser coming up. I hope you're coming too, Scott, July 13th. We do our best deal celebration, which is actually the 14th, but we always celebrate on the Saturday closest to. Dude, big party, man. 5, 600 people. I've got stilt walkers, jugglers, I got comedians, magicians, dancers. And it's all food, wine, cigars, whiskey, oysters, all on our campus. It turns into this big ass party. And supporting that is cool because you get to see what we do at the campus. You get to taste the food, and you get to, obviously, support. And then, people donate time. Groups from John Carroll have come in countless times to do a project. There's also people who donate time and help us consult with our students. Maybe it's like a skill that you have that you could train people with, you share your talents like a nutritionist that comes in. So, there's so many ways to support what we do, man, but just getting out and doing something. Doing nothing is bad.

 

Scott Allen  30:38 

Yes, in most areas of life.

 

Brandon Chrostowski  30:42 

And it's so easy, there's so many levels you can get on with us. But yeah.

 

Scott Allen  30:48  

My last question is always the same one, and that question goes like this, what has caught your attention lately? What have you been reading, listening to, or streaming? And that, again, could be a podcast, or something of that nature. But what has caught your attention lately? Now, we could shift it up a little bit. What's caught your attention in the kitchen lately? Is there something that surprised you from a culinary perspective that has caught your attention lately? So, we'll leave it open-ended. What's caught your attention lately? 

 

Brandon Chrostowski  31:22  

In the kitchen, I don't think there's anything that's shifted monumentally nor that's caught my eye. I daily, daily, read three or four different papers worldwide, local, etc., just to get a beat, man. And what's caught my attention is the continued civil unrest in certain places. And I've been out to Ukraine, I worked there during the war. I was in Israel 10 days after the massacre. I went there right away. I did the refugee camp in Djibouti, Africa, which was life-changing. Poland. There's always a world issue. And I think what's really got me right now is, after Djibouti, to see the lack of support, interest, awareness about these gut-awful places that are suffering. Djibouti is in good shape. Djibouti is a very solid country, but there's still a refugee camp there. There's still poverty like you see in the third world there. But the lack of the things I mentioned in the black and brown community worldwide. You have the whole thing here in the United States that kind of came up, all the inequality. We understand this. But worldwide, I was just shocked to see the growing issues in the world and the lack of focus on them, support, etc. So, Syria has really got me interested. If you look at all these wars that are going on, it's got the most casualties and probably the most distress, and it's probably one of the least you hear about. So, getting over to Lebanon, worked the border, or turkey, or, if so happens, getting into Syria, that's got my attention. And just how these things just fundamentally break down, man. The leadership styles of some of these people that are allowing this to happen. I look at Haiti, how that all fell apart. And I look at Djibouti, they have good leadership, but I see how the refugee situation is terrible worldwide. You just look at all these different things, but that's what's got my attention. That's got my eye. I'll probably make a trip over there at some point, I don't know how soon. That's what's got me, man. That's what's got me right now.

 

Scott Allen  33:55  

And what I love about following you is that you go there. It's not just a general passive interest, you get on an airplane and you go and lend a hand. And that just says everything about you, whether it's lending a hand, literally, in your community, a mile from your home, or lending a hand worldwide in some of the most challenged places in the world, you're there. And so, Brandon, can't thank you enough. Your full bio is in the show notes for listeners. Lots of links in the show notes for listeners. So, you can learn more about Brandon, you can learn more about EDWINs. And, of course, there's an opportunity to donate and get involved. And get involved. So, sir, thank you for the good work that you do in the world.

 

Brandon Chrostowski  34:42  

You're welcome, Scott. Thanks for having me on. We'll keep the conversation going. 

 

Scott Allen  34:46

Okay. Bye-bye. 

 

Brandon Chrostowski   34:48

Thanks, man.

 

 

[End Of recording]