Hi there—welcome to the first edition of Scaling Up.

Scaling Up is about growing without losing the intention behind why you started in the first place—doing more, doing it better, and gradually expanding what you’re capable of along the way.

If you’re reading this, you’re probably working on something you really care about.

My hope, both personally and through meez, is to inspire you to document what you create and experience: recipes, ideas, systems, conversations, and stories.

Writing things down forces you to synthesize all the context and information you’re holding—and once you get it all out, your ideas tend to get a lot more crisp and clear.

More importantly, it gives you something you can share—with your team, your peers, friends and family, or the world. This is my contribution to that process, and an invitation for you to do the same.

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Stories in Cross-utilization, Part 1

Cross-utilization has a compounding effect. Yes, it drives consistent execution and cost savings. But more importantly, it’s one of the best ways to build a real, unique flavor identity over time.

As you scale, a few killer base recipes used across multiple dishes can help define the rules of the experiment.

👉 Read the full post here. There are great recipes embedded throughout.

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Recipe:

‍Gochujang - Dijon Marinade

This is one of those recipes that almost annoys you during R&D because it’s so simple—you wish everything were this easy. Three ingredients: gochujang, Dijon, and honey.

When we launched Make Sandwich in Union Square, it showed up in a bunch of items—from marinating pork belly to acting like a funky, spicy ketchup on an all-day breakfast sandwich.

Same sauce. Totally different applications. One recipe doing a lot of work.

👉 Check out the recipe for the Gochujang - Dijon Marinade here.

And in the spirit of cross-utilization, here’s the recipe for gochujang marinated pork belly. plus my take on a Bánh mì using that pork. The sauce as a “funky ketchup” shows up again in this killer breakfast sandwich.

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The meez Podcast 🎙️: Season 4 Opener

Paradigm Shift In Dining Expectations

I’m trying some new formats this season—and I’ve got to be honest, I think these are some of the best conversations yet. More heated debates, recurring multi-guest episodes, and some genuinely polarizing topics.

You’ll likely see a lot more of these two guests alongside me: Michael Jacober (Founder of Blanket, Gladys, and other companies) and Matthew Conway (Sommelier and Founder of The Tippling House in Charleston).

What we cover:

• Social media’s impact on dining
• Matt’s take on why service quality has gone downhill
• Debating Michelin recognition
• Why I can drink wine again after 15 years
• Why it’s harder to cook a great BLT than something “fancy”
• The most influential cookbook published in the last 10 years

👉 Listen now: Paradigm shift in dining expectations

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Chef Quick Fire 🔥:

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‍Geoff Kornberg

This is another addition to the podcast—quick-hitting episodes where I ask chefs running restaurants at scale the same six questions and share the insights along the way.

The questions:

• Greatest dish you’ve ever eaten at a restaurant
• A chef who deserves way more shout-outs
• How you make your grilled cheese
• Wildest or most embarrassing kitchen story
• Top two ingredients most wasted in a kitchen
• What ingredient, tool, or phrase in the kitchen would you ban?

A couple of Geoff’s answers:

• Greatest dish: Spicy rice cakes with sausage and Chinese broccoli from Momofuku Ssäm Bar
• One thing he’d ban: Truffle oil. (I 1000% agree.)

👉 Watch or listen to the entire Quick Fire with Geoff Kornberg

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Hot Take🤔🌶️:

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Taking Pictures at a Restaurant

How much is too much?  Are you in the "I just want to eat my food while it's the perfect temp" camp, or do you need to snap a pic of what you're eating first?

👉 Watch the clip and chime in on LinkedIn or Instagram

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💬 Want to Be a Guest on The meez Podcast?

If you’re building at scale or wrestling with hard problems going from zero to one worth talking about, I’d love to hear from you.

Apply to be a guest or nominate someone we should talk to.

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