In this episode of Live Fire, host LC sits down with Seth to explore the philosophy behind “story-driven food,” the realities of building restaurants from nothing, and why the best kitchens are built on people—not ego. Seth shares insights from his time in fine dining across New York, Chicago, London, and Houston, and breaks down how mentorship, discipline, and curiosity shape both great chefs and lasting businesses.

This conversation dives into:

• How Seth built restaurants through pop-ups and unconventional spaces
• The role of storytelling in food and hospitality
• Why collaboration matters more than authorship in modern kitchens
• The hidden chaos behind every great dining experience
• Leadership, mentorship, and building strong restaurant teams
• Why “the path of least resistance doesn’t make us great”

Live Fire is a podcast about building community through curiosity—featuring conversations with chefs, pitmasters, and creators who make things that last.

Season one leads to Lockhart Rising — May 9th, 2026 in Lockhart, Texas, where many of these voices come together to celebrate live fire cooking and culture.

Long before Burnt Bean Co. was named #1 on the Texas Monthly Top 50 BBQ list, Ernest was preparing for the moment most people only dream about. From competition circuits to backyard pop-ups during COVID, his path wasn’t fast—it was intentional.

In this episode of Live Fire, Ernest sits down with LC to talk about discipline, sacrifice, and what it really takes to build something that lasts. He breaks down why he waited until later in life to go all in, how he built a culture-driven team with zero experience, and why hospitality—not food—is the true foundation of his success.

This conversation goes beyond barbecue.

It’s about leadership.

It’s about identity.

It’s about choosing who you want to be remembered as.

And what happens after you reach the top.

Because for Ernest, becoming number one wasn’t the finish line—

It was the beginning.

Live Fire is building toward Lockhart Rising — a gathering of people who don’t just make great food, but create things that last.

What does it mean to dedicate your life to the craft of cooking?

In this episode of Live Fire, host LC sits down with chef, pitmaster, and teacher Shane McBride—a lifelong student of the kitchen shaped by discipline, mentorship, and curiosity. From his early days in restaurant culture to the philosophy that guides his work today, Shane reflects on the moments that define a career in live-fire cooking—including the idea of “joining the right pirate ship” and committing to something bigger than yourself.

This conversation explores the realities of coming up in professional kitchens, the importance of passing knowledge forward, and the connection between storytelling and food. It’s a look at what separates good cooks from great ones—and why curiosity remains the most important tool in the kitchen.

This episode is part of Live Fire Season One, a series built around one idea: community through curiosity. The season leads toward Lockhart Rising on April 9th, 2026, where pitmasters and chefs gather in Lockhart, Texas to cook, connect, and push the craft forward.

Jesse has built his career around a radical idea: if you want to understand food, you have to understand where it comes from. From whole-animal butchery to hunting and wild game cookery, his work reconnects modern cooking to something older, deeper, and more essential.

This conversation explores the responsibility of cooking, the ethics of sourcing, and the disappearing knowledge of how we feed ourselves. It’s about craft, curiosity, and the relationship between people, land, and fire.

Season One of Live Fire is leading to Lockhart Rising — May 9, 2026 in Lockhart.

Get tickets: https://lockhartrising.com/

https://lockhartrising.com/

What does it mean to shape an entire food culture?

In this episode of Live Fire, LC sits down with Daniel Vaughn—barbecue editor at Texas Monthly and the voice behind the Top 50 BBQ List. With nearly 200 barbecue joints visited, Daniel’s work has real influence over where people eat BBQ in Texas—whether he likes it or not.

But this conversation goes beyond rankings. It’s about storytelling, humility, and the people behind the fire. From his journey from Ohio to Texas to the evolving search for great barbecue, this is a deep look at the culture of Texas BBQ.

Live Fire is about building community through curiosity.

🎟️ Lockhart Rising — May 9, 2026

https://lockhartrising.com/

Barbecue Hall of Fame pitmaster Tuffy Stone—known across the BBQ world as “The Professor”—joins LC for a conversation about competition barbecue, live-fire cooking, mentorship, and the craft behind championship BBQ.

Tuffy shares lessons from decades on the competition circuit, the evolution of kitchen culture, and why the best pitmasters remain lifelong students.

Live Fire Season One is building toward Lockhart Rising on May 9th, 2026, exploring the people who dedicate their lives to cooking with fire and building community through curiosity.

Hosted by American actor Lucas "LC" Calhoun, the show features long-form conversations with chefs, pitmasters, writers, makers, and cultural figures whose work is built on craft, discipline, and curiosity. Through their stories, the series explores the deeper ideas behind creation—how traditions are formed, how skills are passed down, and why certain work endures.

The first season begins in the world of live-fire cooking, speaking with some of the most influential voices in barbecue and culinary culture. But the conversation goes far beyond food. At its core, Live Fire is about community through curiosity—the belief that asking questions, sharing knowledge, and learning from one another is how meaningful work is made.

Season One builds toward Lockhart Rising (May 9, 2026) in Lockhart, Texas, where many of these voices gather around the fire.

Because whether it’s food, ideas, or culture, the most important work is the kind that leaves something behind. 🔥