1 00:00:13,160 --> 00:00:17,839 Hey, everybody, and welcome to Life is a Gamble. My guest today 2 00:00:18,239 --> 00:00:26,760 is Nicholas forty and Nick is the corporate pastry chef for the West Coast of 3 00:00:27,160 --> 00:00:32,240 TAO Group. And so Nick, thank you very much for being here with 4 00:00:32,280 --> 00:00:36,600 me today. Yeah, thank you for having me my first podcast so very 5 00:00:36,600 --> 00:00:43,719 exciting and I appreciate you having me on. Oh absolutely. So. The 6 00:00:44,280 --> 00:00:56,000 story that first caught my attention was you getting out of pastry school and going 7 00:00:56,119 --> 00:01:03,480 to the only three three Michelin star restaurant in Nevada at that time and somehow 8 00:01:04,040 --> 00:01:11,519 talking your way in. But before we get to that, and the reason 9 00:01:11,519 --> 00:01:15,359 that that interests me is because sort of the theme of this show is that 10 00:01:17,879 --> 00:01:25,120 we take big or we are faced with big gambles in our life and we 11 00:01:25,280 --> 00:01:30,719 either choose to take a risk or not and how that affects us going forward. 12 00:01:33,280 --> 00:01:38,319 But before we get to Joel Robashan, I wanted to go back to 13 00:01:38,400 --> 00:01:45,599 the beginning and find out how did you get involved in basically making cake? 14 00:01:45,879 --> 00:01:49,680 Right? Yeah? I mean so even from an early age I was interested 15 00:01:49,719 --> 00:01:53,519 in baking. I have pictures when I was I think like ten years old, 16 00:01:53,599 --> 00:01:57,719 dressing up as a patio chef for Halloween, and I really grew up 17 00:01:59,040 --> 00:02:04,400 watching cake bob Us, watching him build these crazy cakes, and started making 18 00:02:04,439 --> 00:02:07,719 cakes at home with my mom and we would sell them on the weekends to 19 00:02:07,759 --> 00:02:10,319 our family and friends. But at the time we would sell like a three 20 00:02:10,400 --> 00:02:15,439 tier wedding cake for forty dollars, So we didn't really know what we were 21 00:02:15,479 --> 00:02:20,759 doing, but we were enjoying it, and it just kind of slowly turned 22 00:02:20,759 --> 00:02:24,599 into a really big hobby of mine, and then of course later it became 23 00:02:24,599 --> 00:02:31,879 my profession. But the funny thing is is that throughout high school and then 24 00:02:31,879 --> 00:02:36,680 I went to college, I went to I went for kinesiology, which was 25 00:02:36,759 --> 00:02:39,479 like totally on the opposite ends of baking. You know, it's all about 26 00:02:39,879 --> 00:02:44,360 human body movement, and I wanted to be a personal trainer and all of 27 00:02:44,400 --> 00:02:50,719 this stuff. So kind of talking about that big life gamble was being in 28 00:02:51,719 --> 00:02:55,400 college going for kinesiology, also working as a cake decorator at the time, 29 00:02:57,280 --> 00:03:00,560 and eventually having to pick one of the other because it was a lot for 30 00:03:00,599 --> 00:03:07,759 me to do both. Sure, And I mean that when you say a 31 00:03:07,800 --> 00:03:10,879 trainer, a sports trainer, I mean you're not talking about a guy at 32 00:03:12,960 --> 00:03:17,120 LA Fitness that you're talking about like for a sports team or something. No, 33 00:03:17,120 --> 00:03:22,719 no, no. So I played lacrosse my whole middle school in a 34 00:03:22,800 --> 00:03:25,919 high school, and at the time, I had a personal trainer Byron Ross, 35 00:03:27,120 --> 00:03:30,479 So I grew up with him and I wanted to be like him, 36 00:03:30,560 --> 00:03:31,759 like a personal trainer, which is why I went to school for it. 37 00:03:34,879 --> 00:03:37,919 Because I was always in the gym, I was always playing lacrosse, but 38 00:03:38,000 --> 00:03:39,360 then I was baking at you know, at the same time. So it 39 00:03:39,439 --> 00:03:45,159 was just like a weird combo that I had going on. And yeah, 40 00:03:45,199 --> 00:03:47,680 I mean it came down to a point and I told my parents, like, 41 00:03:47,759 --> 00:03:52,039 I think we're going to drop out of college and be like a gag 42 00:03:52,080 --> 00:03:54,319 decorator. So it's it's really like a kind of a funny story. I'm 43 00:03:54,319 --> 00:03:59,680 sure they weren't so happy at the time, but you know, it seems 44 00:03:59,719 --> 00:04:02,680 to be going all right. So well, hey, you know, I 45 00:04:02,719 --> 00:04:09,759 told my parents I was going to be an actor and a professional gambler. 46 00:04:09,919 --> 00:04:15,399 So you can imagine how that went over with them. But obviously I'm sure 47 00:04:15,399 --> 00:04:21,279 they supported you in your decision. And so you went to school in Chicago, 48 00:04:21,439 --> 00:04:26,759 is that right? Yep? So I was working a couple of little 49 00:04:26,759 --> 00:04:30,079 pastry jobs in Vegas, and I decided that I really wanted to go to 50 00:04:30,120 --> 00:04:33,160 pastry school, not only to have it under my resume, but to really 51 00:04:33,240 --> 00:04:42,000 get a good basic French pastry knowledge. So I went to the French Pastry 52 00:04:42,000 --> 00:04:46,079 School in Chicago. I had a ton of famous French chefs teaching there, 53 00:04:46,199 --> 00:04:49,040 made a lot of connections. It was the only school where we only did 54 00:04:49,079 --> 00:04:53,319 pastry, so I had no interest in savory. I didn't want to touch 55 00:04:53,600 --> 00:04:57,600 a frying pan or make anything like that. I only wanted to do pastry. 56 00:04:58,160 --> 00:05:01,040 And this was the best school in the country. My parents helped me 57 00:05:01,120 --> 00:05:06,680 go out there. I lived there for about seven months. But the funny, 58 00:05:06,759 --> 00:05:12,519 the funny story about Joe Robashon is that when I got accepted to go 59 00:05:12,600 --> 00:05:15,279 to the school, my parents said, all right, well, we'll take 60 00:05:15,279 --> 00:05:17,959 you out to dinner anywhere you want to go, like as a celebration. 61 00:05:18,600 --> 00:05:24,120 And I said, all right, let's go to Joe Robashon. And which 62 00:05:24,160 --> 00:05:28,240 is funny because it's extremely expensive. You know, it was about one thousand 63 00:05:28,319 --> 00:05:31,439 dollars per person when you go there for dinner. And I remember taking a 64 00:05:31,519 --> 00:05:35,920 tour through the back during dinner and the guy that was giving us a tour. 65 00:05:38,040 --> 00:05:40,519 He I turned to him and I said, I'm going to work here 66 00:05:40,680 --> 00:05:43,920 when I come back from Patry School. And I'm sure he was like, 67 00:05:44,040 --> 00:05:48,600 okay, kid, like you know whatever you say. And it's funny because 68 00:05:48,600 --> 00:05:51,160 when I came back from Patry School and I went there, he was still 69 00:05:51,199 --> 00:05:55,720 there and he remembered me. So it was kind of a cool moment of 70 00:05:55,839 --> 00:06:00,000 like, you know that that was my dream before I went to Patry School, 71 00:06:00,000 --> 00:06:03,000 always to work in a Michelin restaurant and get that fine dining experience. 72 00:06:03,040 --> 00:06:08,839 So that's exactly what I was able to get. So, which is pretty 73 00:06:08,839 --> 00:06:12,800 cool. And how did you do that? I mean, did you just 74 00:06:14,160 --> 00:06:15,839 suit up, show up and say, hey, I want a job? 75 00:06:17,120 --> 00:06:20,800 At first I did. I put on a nice tie and I walked up 76 00:06:20,839 --> 00:06:25,399 with a portfolio of cakes, like birthday cakes. And at the time that's 77 00:06:25,439 --> 00:06:29,680 really what I had. But what I what I had on was on the 78 00:06:29,720 --> 00:06:33,160 resume, I had the French Patry School and luckily the executive patri chef of 79 00:06:33,240 --> 00:06:38,240 Robashon was actually one of the people, one of the first people that went 80 00:06:38,279 --> 00:06:43,120 to the school, so we had that in common. And then back then 81 00:06:43,199 --> 00:06:46,079 we did stages, so you had to go and do like a tryout so 82 00:06:46,120 --> 00:06:48,920 they could see how you worked. We don't do that as much nowadays with 83 00:06:49,000 --> 00:06:55,600 stages, but really I was able to go spend three four hours making some 84 00:06:55,639 --> 00:07:00,319 stuff so they see how you work. And I walked back to my car 85 00:07:00,360 --> 00:07:03,879 in the parking lot and I had gotten a call like right then that that 86 00:07:03,959 --> 00:07:08,759 I was able to get the job. So it's pretty cool. Yeah, 87 00:07:08,800 --> 00:07:14,240 that's kind of amazing. So so staging is not a thing anymore. It's 88 00:07:14,279 --> 00:07:16,399 not a thing. There's a lot of a lot of laws on it because 89 00:07:16,439 --> 00:07:20,480 it's unpaid, so you're pretty much just there as a slave. Yeah, 90 00:07:20,639 --> 00:07:25,680 as a slave doing just random stuff for them. But I think it's super 91 00:07:25,720 --> 00:07:29,040 important. I wish we did it more often because then you really see before 92 00:07:29,040 --> 00:07:34,040 you hire someone how they work. And so, yes, that's kind of 93 00:07:34,040 --> 00:07:38,839 a thing in the past, but that's how I started. Yeah. Yeah, 94 00:07:39,199 --> 00:07:43,360 and Chicago must have been quite a change if you were there at all 95 00:07:43,439 --> 00:07:47,279 in the winter growing up in Vegas. Yeah, definitely, it's it was 96 00:07:47,319 --> 00:07:50,879 something I wasn't used to and I lived out there by myself too. My 97 00:07:51,319 --> 00:07:58,040 wife was coming out there to visit. But yeah, riding the subway every 98 00:07:58,120 --> 00:08:01,519 day, and something I I'm really not used to is riding the public transportation 99 00:08:01,560 --> 00:08:05,319 because we don't have that as much in Vegas. But the funny thing is 100 00:08:05,360 --> 00:08:09,839 making these big show pieces and crooking bouches and all this stuff and then having 101 00:08:09,879 --> 00:08:13,040 to take them back on the train back to my apartment. And people are 102 00:08:13,040 --> 00:08:16,240 looking at you like You're like, you're crazy. You know, they've never 103 00:08:16,279 --> 00:08:20,360 seen anything like that. Why are you taking them home? You know, 104 00:08:20,399 --> 00:08:24,319 because you spend all day working on them, and they tell them like, 105 00:08:24,600 --> 00:08:28,560 they tell you take them home and enjoy them with your family, And so 106 00:08:28,680 --> 00:08:31,399 I would have to take them back to my apartment, but I would ride 107 00:08:31,399 --> 00:08:33,399 the train, so you know, I'm just there with like three foot tall 108 00:08:33,519 --> 00:08:41,200 crook and bouche and sugar roses and people are and then sitting alone in an 109 00:08:41,200 --> 00:08:48,240 apartment Chago pretty much just eating yourself. Exactly did you gain fifty pounds or 110 00:08:48,879 --> 00:08:52,919 no? I'm I mean I had a good routine. It was just like 111 00:08:52,320 --> 00:08:56,480 school gym and then you know, back to it, so you know, 112 00:08:56,519 --> 00:09:00,799 when you're just leaving there by yourself, you get into a good routine. 113 00:09:01,080 --> 00:09:05,919 But it was a lot of fun. It was a great experience and and 114 00:09:05,960 --> 00:09:09,279 I made a lot of great connections that that have helped me throughout my career 115 00:09:09,320 --> 00:09:13,200 there. So what was it like then at jil Robaschon? How How long 116 00:09:13,240 --> 00:09:18,519 did you stay there? I was there for two years. I started as 117 00:09:18,519 --> 00:09:24,840 a pastry cook and then I got promoted to a sous chef. And I 118 00:09:24,840 --> 00:09:28,360 mean it's very good. It's very structured. You you come in and you 119 00:09:28,360 --> 00:09:33,360 you do the same thing every day, but you do it perfectly, and 120 00:09:33,360 --> 00:09:39,120 and it's I think it's a really great place to learn the techniques and to 121 00:09:39,279 --> 00:09:43,720 learn the professionalism that you need in a kitchen, because they don't they don't 122 00:09:43,720 --> 00:09:46,159 put up with a lot there. You know, you have to be very 123 00:09:46,200 --> 00:09:50,960 professionally, you have to be very robotic, and you're in what you do. 124 00:09:52,000 --> 00:09:56,720 But after two years, I felt like I had I had gained what 125 00:09:56,759 --> 00:10:00,559 I needed and I was ready. You know, I have I have a 126 00:10:00,000 --> 00:10:03,759 a creative bug and me and I and I left to to practice and do 127 00:10:05,080 --> 00:10:07,200 other things. So it's you know, after you do the same thing for 128 00:10:07,240 --> 00:10:11,879 two years, it's it's time to to move on a little bit. Sure 129 00:10:13,200 --> 00:10:18,279 was was Robuchon still alive when you were working there? He he was I 130 00:10:18,320 --> 00:10:24,039 had never I never met him. We had a thing called robuchon week and 131 00:10:24,159 --> 00:10:28,960 all the corporate chefs would come down and and check if everything was fine. 132 00:10:28,000 --> 00:10:31,799 But he never came down while I was there. But I do remember when 133 00:10:31,840 --> 00:10:37,559 he passed. It was it was an eerie, eerie setting in the kitchen, 134 00:10:37,120 --> 00:10:43,399 so I'm sure, So where did you go from there? So I 135 00:10:43,519 --> 00:10:48,919 left. It's funny because one of my teachers in the French pastry school, 136 00:10:50,279 --> 00:10:54,320 he ended up moving to Boston and he's he opened up the Encore Boston Harbor 137 00:10:54,440 --> 00:11:01,320 Hotel. So I saw that he was opening it and and I started talking 138 00:11:01,320 --> 00:11:05,399 to him, and he pretty much offered me a job in Boston, and 139 00:11:05,240 --> 00:11:07,919 obviously that's a big move, but I ended up doing it. So I 140 00:11:07,960 --> 00:11:15,159 moved from Vegas all the way to Boston to open this hotel with him. 141 00:11:15,200 --> 00:11:16,919 So I was the chocolate tier. I did all of the chocolate work, 142 00:11:18,000 --> 00:11:24,360 show pieces, candies, chocolates, anything like that, which you know, 143 00:11:24,440 --> 00:11:28,399 my dad's from Boston, so it was I have a lot of family there 144 00:11:28,480 --> 00:11:31,440 and and it was kind of cool to go back and see, you know, 145 00:11:31,600 --> 00:11:35,600 where he grew up and all of that stuff. But that was I 146 00:11:35,679 --> 00:11:39,559 was there for less than a year before I decided to come back to Vegas. 147 00:11:41,519 --> 00:11:46,519 You just didn't like Boston or it was there was some some some stuff 148 00:11:46,559 --> 00:11:52,679 happening in life. And fortunately it was right before COVID hit. So I 149 00:11:52,720 --> 00:11:58,000 got back to Vegas kind of in the perfect time because COVID hit and there 150 00:11:58,039 --> 00:12:01,039 was a lot of layoffs, and you know, yeah, I feel like 151 00:12:01,080 --> 00:12:03,679 it wouldn't have been a great situation if I would have stayed much longer. 152 00:12:03,720 --> 00:12:05,399 So you know, everything happens for a reason. So I'm glad that I 153 00:12:05,440 --> 00:12:09,519 came back in time. And are you Are you still here in Vegas or 154 00:12:11,240 --> 00:12:16,480 are you in California? Now I'm in Vegas. Yeah, So how did 155 00:12:16,559 --> 00:12:20,440 you get to Tau Group? And also, I mean when I first heard 156 00:12:20,559 --> 00:12:26,200 Tau Group, my initial reaction was I thought, that's a nightclub and I 157 00:12:26,240 --> 00:12:31,000 wouldn't think you'd be eating pastry in a nightclub. But yeah, so I 158 00:12:31,000 --> 00:12:37,200 mean, how we have nightclubs? We have about eighty locations globally. Oh 159 00:12:37,240 --> 00:12:41,799 wow, So that's restaurants, nightclubs, bars, speakeasies, you know, 160 00:12:43,080 --> 00:12:46,919 you name it. Tao has something in there, a ton of different brands. 161 00:12:48,320 --> 00:12:56,000 So when I first started Hakkasan and tow were different companies, so they 162 00:12:56,039 --> 00:13:01,039 actually merged, which is why they brought me on to help manage the West 163 00:13:01,080 --> 00:13:09,519 Coast. Yeah, and does that mean when you're so West coast covers what 164 00:13:09,759 --> 00:13:16,919 how many properties? So I have about eleven restaurants that I kind of oversee 165 00:13:16,440 --> 00:13:22,399 pastry and menu changes and training staff. But I've been lucky enough to work 166 00:13:22,399 --> 00:13:28,240 on a lot of projects globally, so menu development for new restaurants in Dubai 167 00:13:28,320 --> 00:13:31,919 and Mexico and Turkey and you know, we have restaurants all over the world. 168 00:13:31,960 --> 00:13:39,440 So my chef he lets me kind of be on those projects and work 169 00:13:39,480 --> 00:13:43,000 on new desserts. So it's been it's been a really fulfilling, really a 170 00:13:43,279 --> 00:13:48,399 creative space for me. So it's been great. Oh that's that's excellent. 171 00:13:48,639 --> 00:13:52,960 So you still get to cook. Yeah, No, I'm in the kitchen 172 00:13:52,000 --> 00:13:56,559 every day. I mean it's like, you know, when you think corporate 173 00:13:56,840 --> 00:14:00,399 chef, it's you know, more computer work and stuff like that. But 174 00:14:00,759 --> 00:14:03,799 yeah, management of other chefs. Yeah, so there's definitely that. But 175 00:14:05,120 --> 00:14:07,519 no, I'm in the kitchen every day. I'm helping in, you know, 176 00:14:07,559 --> 00:14:13,039 with big parties and going in and teaching new desserts. So I think 177 00:14:13,039 --> 00:14:16,200 I would be very bored if I was at a computer all day. I 178 00:14:16,240 --> 00:14:20,039 don't know if that's for me, So yeah, yeah, sure. So 179 00:14:20,159 --> 00:14:22,960 what's the what's the ultimate goal? Where where do you want to end up 180 00:14:24,000 --> 00:14:28,519 eventually? You know, I always had a dream to open up my own 181 00:14:28,559 --> 00:14:31,759 bakery, and and now being in the profession, I have friends who have 182 00:14:31,840 --> 00:14:37,480 opened them up and heard so so things about it. It's it's a brutal 183 00:14:37,559 --> 00:14:41,960 business. You know, it's like you're there all day long, your your 184 00:14:41,000 --> 00:14:46,919 family's there all day long. So you know, I think I think being 185 00:14:46,919 --> 00:14:50,639 able to travel the world and and sharing you know what I like to do, 186 00:14:52,279 --> 00:14:56,440 teaching classes, I think that's the ultimate goal because the people, the 187 00:14:56,519 --> 00:15:00,000 chefs that I look up to, that's that's kind of what they're doing. 188 00:15:00,039 --> 00:15:03,320 And they're traveling around and they're teaching their desserts in different countries and getting to 189 00:15:03,799 --> 00:15:07,960 experience that, and I think that's the ultimate goal. So I have a 190 00:15:09,039 --> 00:15:13,159 lot of work to get there, but I think that would be pretty cool. 191 00:15:13,200 --> 00:15:18,559 Yeah, yeah, it sounds like it. Well, okay, yeah, 192 00:15:18,559 --> 00:15:22,519 this has been great. I appreciate your doing it, and I just 193 00:15:22,600 --> 00:15:28,639 want to say to the listeners that they should look at your Instagram page, 194 00:15:28,799 --> 00:15:35,240 because your your desserts are really works of art there. They are amazing to 195 00:15:35,320 --> 00:15:43,240 look at. I'm assuming that they're that they taste great, but it's it's 196 00:15:43,240 --> 00:15:46,320 something just kind of through Instagram that you know, I took a lot of 197 00:15:46,360 --> 00:15:52,320 time in the pictures. I got like a nice camera and and you would 198 00:15:52,320 --> 00:15:54,440 come in on like all my day off. My wife would find me just 199 00:15:54,480 --> 00:15:58,919 on the floor like taking hundreds of pictures of a random dessert, you know, 200 00:15:58,960 --> 00:16:03,039 with different lighting, and it's it's kind of what social media is. 201 00:16:03,120 --> 00:16:07,320 But having that portfolio has has really helped me. And it's like you know, 202 00:16:07,360 --> 00:16:11,039 when you're when you're going for a job and you can send someone there 203 00:16:11,080 --> 00:16:14,720 and give them kind of an idea of what what you like to do. 204 00:16:14,799 --> 00:16:19,039 It's it's helped me a lot. So yeah, sure, And what is 205 00:16:19,080 --> 00:16:25,759 your Instagram It's going to be fo r t E n J. So it's 206 00:16:25,759 --> 00:16:30,720 my last name in my initials. Okay, f r T T n J. 207 00:16:32,080 --> 00:16:36,000 And I will put a link to that in the show notes for the 208 00:16:36,039 --> 00:16:40,279 episode. So, okay, perfect one? Last two last things? One? 209 00:16:41,000 --> 00:16:47,879 What's the best restaurant in Las Vegas currently? So not only because I 210 00:16:47,919 --> 00:16:52,600 work out of this kitchen every morning. But I would definitely recommend Hakkasan in 211 00:16:52,679 --> 00:16:57,360 Las Vegas. It's in the MGM Grand really high end Chinese food, but 212 00:16:57,679 --> 00:17:03,240 we have a great street program, So if you wanted to experience some of 213 00:17:03,279 --> 00:17:08,359 the more intricate, fun desserts that that you kind of see, I would 214 00:17:08,400 --> 00:17:17,400 definitely recommend Hawkissan. But it's funny that just reminds me that I saw David 215 00:17:17,559 --> 00:17:22,039 Chang for people who don't know, is a big chef, but he he 216 00:17:22,119 --> 00:17:27,440 said currently the best Chinese food in the United States is Las Vegas, which 217 00:17:27,759 --> 00:17:32,599 you know, I'm sure New York and San Francisco are you know, up 218 00:17:32,599 --> 00:17:37,839 in arms about him saying that. But there is tremendous Chinese food here in 219 00:17:37,920 --> 00:17:40,799 Las Vegas right now. So yeah, I mean, especially with Hakissan. 220 00:17:40,880 --> 00:17:45,519 We have I think we have twelve Hawkissans globally, and when you when you 221 00:17:45,519 --> 00:17:48,599 look at London, we have Michelin stars for our Hakissan. It's a really 222 00:17:48,680 --> 00:17:53,880 high end restaurant and there we take it very serious over there. So even 223 00:17:53,920 --> 00:17:57,640 with you know, Chinese food, or if you're going specifically for the desserts, 224 00:17:57,680 --> 00:18:03,039 I would recommend that restaurant for sure. Cool and The other thing that 225 00:18:03,160 --> 00:18:06,519 just came to mind was, I'm sure you watched the show The Bear. 226 00:18:07,240 --> 00:18:10,559 Mm hmm, I've seen I've seen it some snips. Yeah, oh, 227 00:18:10,599 --> 00:18:15,799 you haven't watched the whole thing. Oh there's a guy the pastry the pastry 228 00:18:17,079 --> 00:18:22,359 chef in the restaurant is well trying to become the pastry chef. Anyway, 229 00:18:22,240 --> 00:18:26,599 and it's in Chicago, and I don't know most restaurant people, I think 230 00:18:26,759 --> 00:18:30,920 like that show, So I just know that there's a that there's a lot 231 00:18:30,920 --> 00:18:36,519 of yelling, is what I've seen, which is slightly true but not so 232 00:18:36,599 --> 00:18:42,079 much in But also remember this is like a family restaurant where you know it's 233 00:18:42,119 --> 00:18:47,200 a family that doesn't get along while that great, but clearly loves each other. 234 00:18:47,319 --> 00:18:51,920 So anyway, again, thank you for doing this, Nick, and 235 00:18:52,000 --> 00:18:56,480 I will put up that leg to your Instagram in the show notes and that'll 236 00:18:56,480 --> 00:19:06,599 be it awesome. Thank you so much for having me. Should absolutely