Hey, everybody, and welcome to Life is a Gamble. My guest today
is Nicholas forty and Nick is the corporate pastry chef for the West Coast of
TAO Group. And so Nick, thank you very much for being here with
me today. Yeah, thank you for having me my first podcast so very
exciting and I appreciate you having me on. Oh absolutely. So. The
story that first caught my attention was you getting out of pastry school and going
to the only three three Michelin star restaurant in Nevada at that time and somehow
talking your way in. But before we get to that, and the reason
that that interests me is because sort of the theme of this show is that
we take big or we are faced with big gambles in our life and we
either choose to take a risk or not and how that affects us going forward.
But before we get to Joel Robashan, I wanted to go back to
the beginning and find out how did you get involved in basically making cake?
Right? Yeah? I mean so even from an early age I was interested
in baking. I have pictures when I was I think like ten years old,
dressing up as a patio chef for Halloween, and I really grew up
watching cake bob Us, watching him build these crazy cakes, and started making
cakes at home with my mom and we would sell them on the weekends to
our family and friends. But at the time we would sell like a three
tier wedding cake for forty dollars, So we didn't really know what we were
doing, but we were enjoying it, and it just kind of slowly turned
into a really big hobby of mine, and then of course later it became
my profession. But the funny thing is is that throughout high school and then
I went to college, I went to I went for kinesiology, which was
like totally on the opposite ends of baking. You know, it's all about
human body movement, and I wanted to be a personal trainer and all of
this stuff. So kind of talking about that big life gamble was being in
college going for kinesiology, also working as a cake decorator at the time,
and eventually having to pick one of the other because it was a lot for
me to do both. Sure, And I mean that when you say a
trainer, a sports trainer, I mean you're not talking about a guy at
LA Fitness that you're talking about like for a sports team or something. No,
no, no. So I played lacrosse my whole middle school in a
high school, and at the time, I had a personal trainer Byron Ross,
So I grew up with him and I wanted to be like him,
like a personal trainer, which is why I went to school for it.
Because I was always in the gym, I was always playing lacrosse, but
then I was baking at you know, at the same time. So it
was just like a weird combo that I had going on. And yeah,
I mean it came down to a point and I told my parents, like,
I think we're going to drop out of college and be like a gag
decorator. So it's it's really like a kind of a funny story. I'm
sure they weren't so happy at the time, but you know, it seems
to be going all right. So well, hey, you know, I
told my parents I was going to be an actor and a professional gambler.
So you can imagine how that went over with them. But obviously I'm sure
they supported you in your decision. And so you went to school in Chicago,
is that right? Yep? So I was working a couple of little
pastry jobs in Vegas, and I decided that I really wanted to go to
pastry school, not only to have it under my resume, but to really
get a good basic French pastry knowledge. So I went to the French Pastry
School in Chicago. I had a ton of famous French chefs teaching there,
made a lot of connections. It was the only school where we only did
pastry, so I had no interest in savory. I didn't want to touch
a frying pan or make anything like that. I only wanted to do pastry.
And this was the best school in the country. My parents helped me
go out there. I lived there for about seven months. But the funny,
the funny story about Joe Robashon is that when I got accepted to go
to the school, my parents said, all right, well, we'll take
you out to dinner anywhere you want to go, like as a celebration.
And I said, all right, let's go to Joe Robashon. And which
is funny because it's extremely expensive. You know, it was about one thousand
dollars per person when you go there for dinner. And I remember taking a
tour through the back during dinner and the guy that was giving us a tour.
He I turned to him and I said, I'm going to work here
when I come back from Patry School. And I'm sure he was like,
okay, kid, like you know whatever you say. And it's funny because
when I came back from Patry School and I went there, he was still
there and he remembered me. So it was kind of a cool moment of
like, you know that that was my dream before I went to Patry School,
always to work in a Michelin restaurant and get that fine dining experience.
So that's exactly what I was able to get. So, which is pretty
cool. And how did you do that? I mean, did you just
suit up, show up and say, hey, I want a job?
At first I did. I put on a nice tie and I walked up
with a portfolio of cakes, like birthday cakes. And at the time that's
really what I had. But what I what I had on was on the
resume, I had the French Patry School and luckily the executive patri chef of
Robashon was actually one of the people, one of the first people that went
to the school, so we had that in common. And then back then
we did stages, so you had to go and do like a tryout so
they could see how you worked. We don't do that as much nowadays with
stages, but really I was able to go spend three four hours making some
stuff so they see how you work. And I walked back to my car
in the parking lot and I had gotten a call like right then that that
I was able to get the job. So it's pretty cool. Yeah,
that's kind of amazing. So so staging is not a thing anymore. It's
not a thing. There's a lot of a lot of laws on it because
it's unpaid, so you're pretty much just there as a slave. Yeah,
as a slave doing just random stuff for them. But I think it's super
important. I wish we did it more often because then you really see before
you hire someone how they work. And so, yes, that's kind of
a thing in the past, but that's how I started. Yeah. Yeah,
and Chicago must have been quite a change if you were there at all
in the winter growing up in Vegas. Yeah, definitely, it's it was
something I wasn't used to and I lived out there by myself too. My
wife was coming out there to visit. But yeah, riding the subway every
day, and something I I'm really not used to is riding the public transportation
because we don't have that as much in Vegas. But the funny thing is
making these big show pieces and crooking bouches and all this stuff and then having
to take them back on the train back to my apartment. And people are
looking at you like You're like, you're crazy. You know, they've never
seen anything like that. Why are you taking them home? You know,
because you spend all day working on them, and they tell them like,
they tell you take them home and enjoy them with your family, And so
I would have to take them back to my apartment, but I would ride
the train, so you know, I'm just there with like three foot tall
crook and bouche and sugar roses and people are and then sitting alone in an
apartment Chago pretty much just eating yourself. Exactly did you gain fifty pounds or
no? I'm I mean I had a good routine. It was just like
school gym and then you know, back to it, so you know,
when you're just leaving there by yourself, you get into a good routine.
But it was a lot of fun. It was a great experience and and
I made a lot of great connections that that have helped me throughout my career
there. So what was it like then at jil Robaschon? How How long
did you stay there? I was there for two years. I started as
a pastry cook and then I got promoted to a sous chef. And I
mean it's very good. It's very structured. You you come in and you
you do the same thing every day, but you do it perfectly, and
and it's I think it's a really great place to learn the techniques and to
learn the professionalism that you need in a kitchen, because they don't they don't
put up with a lot there. You know, you have to be very
professionally, you have to be very robotic, and you're in what you do.
But after two years, I felt like I had I had gained what
I needed and I was ready. You know, I have I have a
a creative bug and me and I and I left to to practice and do
other things. So it's you know, after you do the same thing for
two years, it's it's time to to move on a little bit. Sure
was was Robuchon still alive when you were working there? He he was I
had never I never met him. We had a thing called robuchon week and
all the corporate chefs would come down and and check if everything was fine.
But he never came down while I was there. But I do remember when
he passed. It was it was an eerie, eerie setting in the kitchen,
so I'm sure, So where did you go from there? So I
left. It's funny because one of my teachers in the French pastry school,
he ended up moving to Boston and he's he opened up the Encore Boston Harbor
Hotel. So I saw that he was opening it and and I started talking
to him, and he pretty much offered me a job in Boston, and
obviously that's a big move, but I ended up doing it. So I
moved from Vegas all the way to Boston to open this hotel with him.
So I was the chocolate tier. I did all of the chocolate work,
show pieces, candies, chocolates, anything like that, which you know,
my dad's from Boston, so it was I have a lot of family there
and and it was kind of cool to go back and see, you know,
where he grew up and all of that stuff. But that was I
was there for less than a year before I decided to come back to Vegas.
You just didn't like Boston or it was there was some some some stuff
happening in life. And fortunately it was right before COVID hit. So I
got back to Vegas kind of in the perfect time because COVID hit and there
was a lot of layoffs, and you know, yeah, I feel like
it wouldn't have been a great situation if I would have stayed much longer.
So you know, everything happens for a reason. So I'm glad that I
came back in time. And are you Are you still here in Vegas or
are you in California? Now I'm in Vegas. Yeah, So how did
you get to Tau Group? And also, I mean when I first heard
Tau Group, my initial reaction was I thought, that's a nightclub and I
wouldn't think you'd be eating pastry in a nightclub. But yeah, so I
mean, how we have nightclubs? We have about eighty locations globally. Oh
wow, So that's restaurants, nightclubs, bars, speakeasies, you know,
you name it. Tao has something in there, a ton of different brands.
So when I first started Hakkasan and tow were different companies, so they
actually merged, which is why they brought me on to help manage the West
Coast. Yeah, and does that mean when you're so West coast covers what
how many properties? So I have about eleven restaurants that I kind of oversee
pastry and menu changes and training staff. But I've been lucky enough to work
on a lot of projects globally, so menu development for new restaurants in Dubai
and Mexico and Turkey and you know, we have restaurants all over the world.
So my chef he lets me kind of be on those projects and work
on new desserts. So it's been it's been a really fulfilling, really a
creative space for me. So it's been great. Oh that's that's excellent.
So you still get to cook. Yeah, No, I'm in the kitchen
every day. I mean it's like, you know, when you think corporate
chef, it's you know, more computer work and stuff like that. But
yeah, management of other chefs. Yeah, so there's definitely that. But
no, I'm in the kitchen every day. I'm helping in, you know,
with big parties and going in and teaching new desserts. So I think
I would be very bored if I was at a computer all day. I
don't know if that's for me, So yeah, yeah, sure. So
what's the what's the ultimate goal? Where where do you want to end up
eventually? You know, I always had a dream to open up my own
bakery, and and now being in the profession, I have friends who have
opened them up and heard so so things about it. It's it's a brutal
business. You know, it's like you're there all day long, your your
family's there all day long. So you know, I think I think being
able to travel the world and and sharing you know what I like to do,
teaching classes, I think that's the ultimate goal because the people, the
chefs that I look up to, that's that's kind of what they're doing.
And they're traveling around and they're teaching their desserts in different countries and getting to
experience that, and I think that's the ultimate goal. So I have a
lot of work to get there, but I think that would be pretty cool.
Yeah, yeah, it sounds like it. Well, okay, yeah,
this has been great. I appreciate your doing it, and I just
want to say to the listeners that they should look at your Instagram page,
because your your desserts are really works of art there. They are amazing to
look at. I'm assuming that they're that they taste great, but it's it's
something just kind of through Instagram that you know, I took a lot of
time in the pictures. I got like a nice camera and and you would
come in on like all my day off. My wife would find me just
on the floor like taking hundreds of pictures of a random dessert, you know,
with different lighting, and it's it's kind of what social media is.
But having that portfolio has has really helped me. And it's like you know,
when you're when you're going for a job and you can send someone there
and give them kind of an idea of what what you like to do.
It's it's helped me a lot. So yeah, sure, And what is
your Instagram It's going to be fo r t E n J. So it's
my last name in my initials. Okay, f r T T n J.
And I will put a link to that in the show notes for the
episode. So, okay, perfect one? Last two last things? One?
What's the best restaurant in Las Vegas currently? So not only because I
work out of this kitchen every morning. But I would definitely recommend Hakkasan in
Las Vegas. It's in the MGM Grand really high end Chinese food, but
we have a great street program, So if you wanted to experience some of
the more intricate, fun desserts that that you kind of see, I would
definitely recommend Hawkissan. But it's funny that just reminds me that I saw David
Chang for people who don't know, is a big chef, but he he
said currently the best Chinese food in the United States is Las Vegas, which
you know, I'm sure New York and San Francisco are you know, up
in arms about him saying that. But there is tremendous Chinese food here in
Las Vegas right now. So yeah, I mean, especially with Hakissan.
We have I think we have twelve Hawkissans globally, and when you when you
look at London, we have Michelin stars for our Hakissan. It's a really
high end restaurant and there we take it very serious over there. So even
with you know, Chinese food, or if you're going specifically for the desserts,
I would recommend that restaurant for sure. Cool and The other thing that
just came to mind was, I'm sure you watched the show The Bear.
Mm hmm, I've seen I've seen it some snips. Yeah, oh,
you haven't watched the whole thing. Oh there's a guy the pastry the pastry
chef in the restaurant is well trying to become the pastry chef. Anyway,
and it's in Chicago, and I don't know most restaurant people, I think
like that show, So I just know that there's a that there's a lot
of yelling, is what I've seen, which is slightly true but not so
much in But also remember this is like a family restaurant where you know it's
a family that doesn't get along while that great, but clearly loves each other.
So anyway, again, thank you for doing this, Nick, and
I will put up that leg to your Instagram in the show notes and that'll
be it awesome. Thank you so much for having me. Should absolutely