Claudette Zepeda Is Trying to Be the Leader She Always Wanted to Have

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. Subscribe to the bi-weekly Food & Wine Pro newsletter so you never miss an episode. Catch up on previous episodes here.

When Claudette Zepeda was at her most stressed-out, as she puts it, "my neck went away." Her shoulders were in a permanent state of hunch and she'd been advised at a new job to bring her "knives and anti-anxiety medication." But she learned along the way to advocate for herself, for people who'd always been marginalized in the world of food, and for the Mexican dishes that generations of her family held dear. The Top Chef alum and executive chef of the Alila Marea Beach Resort joined Communal Table for a conversation about breaking bad patterns, communing with her ancestors, being completely humbled by her teenagers, and mentoring the next generation of chefs.

Links and Resources

LEARN: chefclaudettezepeda.com

READ: Mother, Militant, Empath, Hard-Ass

MAKE: Birria Tacos

FOLLOW: @claudettezepeda

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Previous episode: Norma Listman and Saqib Keval chefs talk mole, valuing Mexican food, and what restaurant family really means.