Ep 39: Every day is game day for Ricewood and Pocai restaurant owner Frank Fejeran

Frank Fejeran is the owner of Ricewood and Pocai restaurants in Ann Arbor, MI. Ricewood does barbecue right and is known for their incredible brisket and ribs, while Pocai offers a healthier perspective with refreshing Acai and Poke bowls.

I’m inspired by Frank’s knowledge of the food business, work ethic, and commitment to quality. Frank is a no BS guy, and that shows up as we discuss basketball, how to get ahead in culinary school, the value of working for free, and the craziness of a restaurant kitchen.

About the Guest:

To say that Frank has been around is a bit of an understatement. He was born in California, but moved to Ann Arbor while in the early years of elementary school. He returned to California for high school and then went to culinary school at the Scottsdale Culinary Institute in Scottsdale, Arizona.

Frank began working in restaurants in California and met his mentor chef Riko Bartolome in Southern California. From there he moved back to Southeast Michigan to work at Tribute in Farmington Hills. Then it was to Chicago, where he cooked at Takashi and Hopleaf. Prior to opening Ricewood BBQ, Frank had been the executive chef at Raven’s Club in Ann Arbor.

It was the position at Hopleaf that Frank identified as career changing. He went from having the skillset of a chef to focusing on the food that he was preparing. Frank said that we live in a global economy and freshness is possible from many places, just the carbon footprint is different. Rather than solely focusing on extremely local food sources, the chef’s job is to entertain, to fill bellies and make people happy.

Frank did a good bit of research to determine how to make his BBQ the best it could be. He traveled to Texas to conduct this research. It was there that he determined that smoking the meat over a wood fire provided the best, most authentic flavor. As a result, you can see the offset firebox wood-fired smoker when you go to eat at Ricewood BBQ.

Personal Links:

Restaurants: www.ricewoodbbq.com and http://www.a2pocai.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ricewoodbbq/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ricewoodbbq/

Resource Links:

Chef: https://amzn.to/3aqEPk5

About the Host:

Dan McPherson, International Speaker, Business and Personal Development Coach, and CEO of Leaders Must Lead, is on a mission to help Creatives and Entrepreneurs create and grow profit and understand that Dreams ARE Real. With more than 25 years’ experience in corporate roles leading teams of up to 2000 and responsible for more than $150M in revenue, Dan is a recognized expert in leadership, sales, and business strategy.

Through his Leaders Must Learn Mastermind, Dreams ARE Real Podcast, Foundations of Success Training, and powerful 1-1 coaching, Dan helps hundreds of entrepreneurs around the world from musicians and artists to chiropractors, coaches, retailers, and beyond experience success and accomplish their goals.

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