Chefs at Cafes Getting Coffee with Mark Clayton

I catch up with my chef friend Mark Clayton, the talented chef of Squable. Please note: this is not a cooking video. It's more of a podcast. Thanks to my wife, Diane, for coming up with the idea and the questions - this ended up being really fun! Hopefully, we'll get to make a few more. For those in Houston, we shot this at Throughgood Coffee, located in the Heights. They put out great coffee and the food truck there (Soul Taco) is really freaking good!

Here's a list of the questions that come up, as well as when:

0:00:00 When and where did y'all first meet?

0:01:04 What was your first job?

0:02:59 How do you take your coffee?

0:04:10 Imagine yourself in 3 years. What do you hope will be different then compared to now?

0:07:13 What's one work related thing you want to accomplish in the next year?

0:10:03 Have you ever disliked something and then changed your mind?

0:15:33 Do chefs watch cooking shows?

0:16:42 Do you have any aspirations to be on any sort of show?

0:19:10 Do you ever get recognized?

0:23:17 Aside from necessities, what one thing can you not go without?

0:31:27 If you had to choose only 3 adjectives to describe yourself, which would you choose?

0:34:23 If the other person weren't here, what would be the 3 adjectives you'd use to describe them?

0:37:45 If you have the power to change one thing about the restaurant industry, what would that be?

0:45:06 Who should we interview next?

Willet Feng

What Chef Willet | @willetcooks ate today: two 5-ounce patties smashed together, cooked medium rare, on @breadmanco brioche, with cheddar, charred jalapenos, scallion aioli, pickled habaneros, lettuce and tomatoes. Only at burger-chan.
What Chef Willet | @willetcooks ate today: two 5-ounce patties smashed together, cooked medium rare, on @breadmanco brioche, with cheddar, charred jalapenos, scallion aioli, pickled habaneros, lettuce and tomatoes. Only at burger-chan.
New @katsola1 coloring page!
We will be CLOSED on Saturday, 8/10/24, and Sunday 8/11/24 to attend an out-of-state wedding.
We will be CLOSED on Saturday, 8/10/24, and Sunday 8/11/24 to attend an out-of-state wedding.
In our version of "Breaking Bad," high school chemistry teacher Rani Francis (@ranifrancis @oddballeats ) cooks up Egyptian-style falafel outside of class in our kitchen every week for our vegan and vegetarian-friendly option. Rani mixes f
In our version of "Breaking Bad," high school chemistry teacher Rani Francis (@ranifrancis @oddballeats ) cooks up Egyptian-style falafel outside of class in our kitchen every week for our vegan and vegetarian-friendly option. Rani mixes fava beans, chickpeas, cilantro, parsley, onion and spices to make the best falafel we've ever tasted.
Four 2-ounce patties (yes, you can get more than 3!), @breadmanco brioche, cheddar + swiss, sauteed onions, kimchi relish, scallion aioli, soy serrano peppers.
Four 2-ounce patties (yes, you can get more than 3!), @breadmanco brioche, cheddar + swiss, sauteed onions, kimchi relish, scallion aioli, soy serrano peppers.
Wednesday, 7/10/2024, we plan to re-open with a limited menu. Thankful to have power again, and hopeful that those still without power get restored asap. We had to throw out some perishables, so certain items like the chicken and fish sandos will b
Wednesday, 7/10/2024, we plan to re-open with a limited menu. Thankful to have power again, and hopeful that those still without power get restored asap. We had to throw out some perishables, so certain items like the chicken and fish sandos will be unavailable until they're prepped. Recovery is always a pain in the butt, but you gotta do what you gotta do.
We will not be able to open on Tuesday, 7/9/2024. After Hurricane Beryl swept through today, we're thankful our windows are all intact, but unfortunately we've been out of power since this morning. With no estimate as to when electricity will be re
We will not be able to open on Tuesday, 7/9/2024. After Hurricane Beryl swept through today, we're thankful our windows are all intact, but unfortunately we've been out of power since this morning. With no estimate as to when electricity will be restored, we don't know when we can re-open. Will post updates once we have any news.
On Thursday, July 4, 2024, American cheese will be available! Some people look forward to the fireworks, others look forward to melty cheese products. To each their own--that's the American way.
On Thursday, July 4, 2024, American cheese will be available! Some people look forward to the fireworks, others look forward to melty cheese products. To each their own--that's the American way.
Bad reviews are part of the business. We’ve been lucky to get mostly great reviews, but recently a string of 1 and 3 star reviews have been coming in, and we’d like to address some of the complaints. Complaint #1: The wait is too long.
Bad reviews are part of the business. We’ve been lucky to get mostly great reviews, but recently a string of 1 and 3 star reviews have been coming in, and we’d like to address some of the complaints. Complaint #1: The wait is too long. This is true – the wait is much longer than we’d like on certain days. One “helpful” reviewer suggested we don’t simultaneously do online orders when it’s busy; he is mistaken, because we turn it off whenever we get busy. The fact is, we’ve seen our business grow to a point where capacity has been reached (and sometimes exceeded). Our busy days have more than doubled, and we haven’t quite figured out how best to mitigate the wait time. Do we just close the line off the moment we reach a 30-minute wait and tell everyone in line to sit tight or go home? Or should we pre-cook a bunch of patties and just assemble a bunch of preset burgers to sit under a heat lamp like McDonald’s? Offering options and cooking to order takes time, but chef @willetcooks will continue to try and shorten the wait time without compromising too much. Complaint #2: It’s too hot / the owners are greedy and don’t tell people when the A/C is out. We know it gets hot around this time of year, but the accusations are wrong. We literally just dropped $25k to upgrade our A/C system. While there has been a definite improvement, it still can’t overcome the heat coming in from our return air system and the heat generated from an open kitchen. We apologize if it feels warm, but we are doing our best. Complaint #3: They are skimping on ingredients / the ingredients are inferior. We’d like to think both are false, but if you ever feel that way when you’re dining in, please let us know and we can address the issue. In fact, if there is a quality issue, we’d want to know! In one review, they seemed unhappy about our lettuce. We usually use iceberg, but occasionally switch to green leaf depending on quality and prices. Lately, lettuce in general have suffered a bit in quality, but we do our best to pick through it and discard anything that doesn’t look great. Apologies if you received subpar lettuce. Complaint #4: Prices are high.(Continued in comments.)
Nothing says "Happy Father's Day" like a satisfying burger-chan burger! We've been sustaining dad bods since 2016.
What Chef Willet | @willetcooks ate today: two 5-ounce patties smashed together, cooked medium rare, on @breadmanco brioche, with cheddar, charred jalapenos, scallion aioli, pickled habaneros, lettuce and tomatoes. Only at burger-chan.
New @katsola1 coloring page!
We will be CLOSED on Saturday, 8/10/24, and Sunday 8/11/24 to attend an out-of-state wedding. In our version of "Breaking Bad," high school chemistry teacher Rani Francis (@ranifrancis @oddballeats ) cooks up Egyptian-style falafel outside of class in our kitchen every week for our vegan and vegetarian-friendly option. Rani mixes f Four 2-ounce patties (yes, you can get more than 3!), @breadmanco brioche, cheddar + swiss, sauteed onions, kimchi relish, scallion aioli, soy serrano peppers. Wednesday, 7/10/2024, we plan to re-open with a limited menu. Thankful to have power again, and hopeful that those still without power get restored asap. We had to throw out some perishables, so certain items like the chicken and fish sandos will b We will not be able to open on Tuesday, 7/9/2024. After Hurricane Beryl swept through today, we're thankful our windows are all intact, but unfortunately we've been out of power since this morning. With no estimate as to when electricity will be re On Thursday, July 4, 2024, American cheese will be available! Some people look forward to the fireworks, others look forward to melty cheese products. To each their own--that's the American way. Bad reviews are part of the business. We’ve been lucky to get mostly great reviews, but recently a string of 1 and 3 star reviews have been coming in, and we’d like to address some of the complaints. Complaint #1: The wait is too long.
Nothing says "Happy Father's Day" like a satisfying burger-chan burger! We've been sustaining dad bods since 2016.