Podcasts Culture Mountain & Prairie with Ed Roberson Jesse Griffiths - Humility, Curiosity, and Creative Cuisine

Jesse Griffiths - Humility, Curiosity, and Creative Cuisine

Published: May 12, 2023, 12:34 a.m.

Jesse Griffiths is an Austin-based chef, author, hunter, and fisherman, and he\u2019s also the co-owner of Dai Due Butcher Shop & Supper Club and the New School of Traditional Cookery. Jesse\u2019s work has been featured everywhere from The New York Times to the Joe Rogan Experience, and he\u2019s a regular contributor to Steven Rinella\u2019s MeatEater. As an author, Jesse has received great praise for his two books, the James Beard Award-finalist cookbook, "Afield: A Chef\u2019s Guide to Preparing and Cooking Wild Game and Fish," as well as his most recent title, "The Hog Book: A Chef\u2019s Guide to Hunting, Preparing, and Cooking Wild Pigs."

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Born and raised in Denton, Texas, Jesse grew up obsessed with fishing\u2013 he loved catching the fish, but he also loved cooking and eating them. As a teenager, he started working in restaurants and became more and more interested in cooking\u2013 an interest that he pursued full-time after graduating from high school. Propelled by a deep curiosity and a desire to broaden his perspective, he would save up his money and then travel, studying food and cooking in a wide variety of cultures around the world. Eventually, Jesse combined all of his unique personal and professional experiences and opened his own restaurant, Dia Due, which features food that is \u201cproduced in a fair and equitable way, represent(s) local culinary traditions, and support(s) farmers and ranchers who are striving to improve the quality of our food.\u201d

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I\u2019ve been a fan of Jesse\u2019s work for many years, so I was thrilled when we were introduced by a mutual friend. Over the course of our hour together, we covered a lot, include: Jesse\u2019s upbringing in Texas and his early days in cooking, the importance of international travel, the challenges of getting Dai Due off the ground, the importance of humility and curiosity, a deep dive into wild hogs in Texas, his approach to writing, Jesse\u2019s recent obsession with wild turkeys, and, of course, Jesse offers a ton of great book recommendations.

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I loved this conversation and was blown away by Jesse\u2019s kindness and humility. I really appreciate his taking the time to chat with me, and I know you\u2019ll learn a lot from Jesse\u2019s fascinating life story.\xa0 Enjoy!

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TOPICS DISCUSSED:

  • 3:15 - Jesse\u2019s upbringing
  • 7:30 - How Jesse got involved in cooking
  • 12:15 - When Jesse first left the USA
  • 13:30 - The importance of international travel
  • 16:45 - Jesse\u2019s mentors
  • 24:15 - Getting Dai Due started
  • 27:15 - How Jesse learned to be a manager
  • 31:15 - The source of Jesse\u2019s humility
  • 36:15 - Jesse\u2019s work with Texas wild hogs
  • 50:15 - Jesse\u2019s ethos in writing
  • 51:30 - Jesse\u2019s recent work with turkeys
  • 1:01:15 - Jesse\u2019s book recommendations

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