EPISODE 51

Will Eleven Madison Park Be The Best Again

Listen: ON SPOTIFY

Watch: ON YOUTUBE

When you walk into a dining room like Eleven Madison Park, you’re not just paying for food—you’re stepping into a story. For years, Daniel Humm and Will Guidara built that story into the number one restaurant in the world. Their philosophy of unreasonable hospitality changed the way people think about dining.

They didn’t just serve food—they created moments people would carry for the rest of their lives. Then came the gamble: EMP went fully vegan. For some, it was bold and visionary. For others, it felt like an impossible uphill climb. And now, after years of pushing forward, they’ve pulled back, reintroducing meat and returning to a broader table.

In this episode, we dig into what that means—not just for Eleven Madison Park, but for restaurants everywhere. We talk about the razor-thin line between chasing awards and chasing sustainability, the courage it takes to pivot when the world is watching, and why humility often matters more than ego.

We share our own stories—dining at EMP as broke young chefs treated like royalty, sneaking into the kitchen for courses at the pass, and feeling firsthand what Will Guidara meant when he said hospitality should be unreasonable. And we balance that against the other side of the coin: the $2 scallop lollipop torched in a Japanese street market that rivals any three-star meal on Earth.

This episode isn’t just about food—it’s about risk, reputation, and the people who make restaurants matter. From Michelin stars to San Pellegrino rankings, from tall poppy critics to die-hard food geeks, it’s a conversation about why recognition isn’t everything—and why the best restaurants in the world are built on stories, not just stars.