Feb 12, 2026 · 1 hr 5 min · 11 segments
Wolfgang Puck is a chef, restaurateur, and culinary pioneer whose name is synonymous with innovation in modern cuisine. Born in Austria, he worked in some of Europe’s most renowned kitchens before…
Wolfgang PuckGuestSteve PalmerHost
I think Charleston, where I heard you're from, it's really one of my favorite cities and I have to go back down there because I would love to go in a long time.
Um, And I know you haven't talked much about it, but in a not great household, you've talked a little bit about being depressed as a kid and maybe even suicidal and finding your first kitchen.
But then you really, I want to sort of start with when you got to France, because that's when you found your first mentor.
As you said, I grew in a household with a stepfather who was the worst you could be as a stepfather or father or as a human being.
And I had trouble there because we had a chef who was similar to my stepfather.
And then when I was 17, I went to France to get farther away, but also to learn about French cooking.
Because there was this restaurant in Dijon who came and did a gastronomic week in the hotel where I worked.
I think Charleston, where I heard you're from, it's really one of my favorite cities and I have to go back down there because I would love to go in a long time.
Um, And I know you haven't talked much about it, but in a not great household, you've talked a little bit about being depressed as a kid and maybe even suicidal and finding your first kitchen.
But then you really, I want to sort of start with when you got to France, because that's when you found your first mentor.
As you said, I grew in a household with a stepfather who was the worst you could be as a stepfather or father or as a human being.
And I had trouble there because we had a chef who was similar to my stepfather.
And then when I was 17, I went to France to get farther away, but also to learn about French cooking.
Because there was this restaurant in Dijon who came and did a gastronomic week in the hotel where I worked.
The rest of this transcript — segmented and speaker-labeled, so you land on the exact moment something was said
Search every transcript — by keyword, by phrase, or by meaning, across every show Radar indexes
Trends — what is surging across podcasts, measured against its own baseline
Alerts — when a name you follow appears in a newly indexed episode
No account is needed to search Radar.
