Chef Ric Orlando joins Hudson Valley Unleashed for a loud, hilarious, and surprisingly heartfelt hang—because of course it is when you put a chef, a DJ, and a longtime Hudson Valley icon at the same kitchen table.

Josh and Dave go way back with Ric: from the early, chaotic glory days of New World Home Cooking (including those legendary Halloween parties) to the reality of building restaurants that feel like community—not just a place to eat. Ric talks about learning the craft in Boston at the legendary Harvest, cooking for Julia Child, and why the simplest food often hits the hardest.

Then we get into what he’s doing now: consulting gigs where he walks into kitchens and politely (or not) drags standards back to Earth, high-energy cooking classes that are basically performance art, pop-up dinners, sauces and spice rubs, and most notably his chef-driven Sicily and Italy tours that trade “see a church, eat pasta, goodbye” for real people, real stories, and the kind of meals you remember forever.

Also yes: he beat Bobby Flay. We had to say it.

New episode drops Tuesdays. Stay unleashed.