Communal Table Podcast: Isaac Toups

Chefs and restaurant workers take great care of everyone else, but often they need a little help themselves. Each week, Food & Wine senior editor Kat Kinsman talks with hospitality pros about they manage their business, brain, and body for the long haul. Is there a topic you'd like to know more about or a guest you'd love to hear from? Tell us at fwpro@foodandwine.com or tweet to Kat @kittenwithawhip, and subscribe to the weekly Food & Wine Pro newsletter.

Episode 18: Isaac Toups

Top Chef watchers voted Isaac Toups their "fan favorite" when his season finished in 2016, but the New Orleans chef hadn't always been met with such kindness. The outspoken Cajun opened up about his journey from bullied teen to beloved restaurateur, cookbook author, and TV personality, and how it's shaped the way he leads in the kitchen, and cares for himself and his family's future.

Learn more about Isaac and visit his restaurants: toupsmeatery.com

Buy Isaac's book: Chasing the Gator: Isaac Toups and the New Cajun Cooking

Watch Isaac and Kat make blood sausage: No Pressure

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Previous episode: Bourdain Day Stories