It's officially October, which means it's time to dim the lights, pull up a chair, and explore the two things making this time of year irresistible: the stories that haunt us and the treats we wait all year for.

First, Christina is joined by Jeff Belanger, one of the most fascinating voices in the world of folklore, legends, and the unexplained. An author, adventurer, podcaster, and longtime storyteller of all things strange and supernatural, Jeff has spent years travelling in search of the stories that live inside old places.

What happens when those stories meet hospitality? You have an in-depth conversation on haunted restaurants, historic inns, ghost stories passed down through generations, and why the places we eat, drink, sleep, and gather often have some of the best stories to tell.

Then from tricks to treats, Katie DeCapria of Hershey's returns to Culinary Confidential to discuss the world of Hersheyween and everything that goes into America's love affair with Halloween candy - the trends, traditions, nostalgia, what we're reaching for this year, and how Halloween has grown from one night of trick or treating into an entire season.

Because some of our strongest food memories aren't made around a dinner table, it can be made running from house to house with a pillowcase full of candy.

Ghost stories, haunted hospitality, Halloween nostalgia, and of course, candy. Spooky Season has never been more back.

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Some people make baking look beautiful. John Kanell, creator of Preppy Kitchen, New York Times bestselling author, and one of the biggest personalities in digital food, makes you believe that YOU can actually do it.

He joins the show this week to discuss how he got to this point, and highlight his newest cookbook - Preppy Kitchen: Everyday Baking.

Before the cookbooks, millions of followers, and beautifully styled cakes, John was a middle school math and science teacher. What began as a creative outlet eventually became the Preppy Kitchen platform, where he amassed nearly 10 million followers across his social platforms. His followers turn to him for recipes that are beautiful, reliable, and most importantly, approachable.

John has a way of taking something that may feel intimidating - whether it’s baking a layer cake, making the perfect pastry, or simply getting into the kitchen - and make you think, “I can actually do this!” He brings this same philosophy to Preppy Kitchen: Everyday Baking.

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An industry can deliver a meal, but consistent hospitality is built through daily decisions about service, ingredients, and how a room feels. For Antonio Rappazzo and Michele Trizzino, that work is rooted in years of operating New York restaurants and nightlife venues, now applied to a small coastal Maine bistro - Bistro Leluco.

Antonio and Michele met in Manhattan’s restaurant industry and later worked in operations for the Almond Restaurant Group. Antonio also partnered with friends of the show Eric Lemonides and Jason Weiner on L&W Oyster Co., a Flatiron seafood restaurant that shifted between daytime clam-shack service and evening oyster-bar dining. Michele’s experience includes operational and management roles at high-volume New York nightlife and hospitality venues, including The Box, Gilded Lily, and others.

They relocated to the South Portland area and opened Bistro Leluco in January 2023. The 36-seat restaurant is a Mediterranean-inspired neighborhood bistro focused on seasonal, local ingredients, a full bar program, and neighborhood hospitality. The name combines the first letters of their three children’s names: Leo, Lucca, and Coco. In July 2023, the Maine Sunday Telegram gave the restaurant a four-star review, noting its polished French- and Italian-influenced cooking with New England ingredients and the owners’ hands-on approach to the space.

This week’s episode looks at the practical transition from New York operators to independent restaurant owners in a smaller market, how they staff and run a tight 36-seat room, and the day-to-day work of maintaining high service standards in a coastal Maine setting.

Antonio Rappazzo and Michele Trizzino are living proof that true hospitality doesn't change with the zip code; it just finds a new home.

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What are you putting in your body and what can it actually do for you?

This week on Culinary Confidential, we’re taking that conversation to a whole new level with peptides, creatine, performance and longevity.

First, we’re diving into one of the hottest and most talked-about areas of wellness right now: peptides.

Christina is joined by Koehl Robinson, founder & CEO of Celia, a personalized longevity platform bringing together peptides, telehealth, prescribing and pharmacy infrastructure. We get into why peptides have exploded into the wellness conversation, what they may mean for longevity, recovery and performance, and why medical oversight, quality and transparency matter as this space grows.

Then, Eli Tyo, founder of Denver-based Flux Creatine, joins the show to rethink one of the most researched supplements in the performance world. We’re talking creatine beyond the weight room, from strength and recovery to energy and cognitive performance, and why Eli set out to make taking it consistently a whole lot easier (and tastier).

Peptides. Creatine. Longevity. Performance.

What’s science? What’s hype? And what could be the future of how we think about feeling and performing at our very best?

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Honey: it's much more than just something sweet.

This week on Culinary Confidential, Christina Cates dives into the world of honey with Carla Marina Marchese - beekeeper, author, honey sommelier, and one of the leading voices in honey sensory education.

Carla founded the American Honey Tasting Society, bringing the Italian tradition of professional honey sensory analysis to the United States. She's also an accredited instructor with the Italian National Register of Experts in the Sensory Analysis of Honey, founder of Red Bee Honey, and author of four books - including Honeybee: Lessons from an Accidental Beekeeper, The Honey Connoisseur, Honey for Dummies, and her latest, The World Atlas of Honey.

Just like wine, honey has terroir, varietals, aromas, textures, and completely different flavor profiles depending on where it comes from and what the bees are foraging.

We're tasting, pairing, and discovering what makes a truly great honey - and why you may never look at that little jar in your pantry the same way again.

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Two years, 100+ episodes, countless conversations, and so many people that have helped shape Culinary Confidential along the way.

Season 2 wraps up this week, and rejoining Culinary Confidential for a recap of the season are Shaina Nestor and Tony Mangia - two people who championed this show in ways that happen in front of the microphone and far beyond it.

Shaina is constantly thinking about the show - making introductions, connecting with various people in the industry, recommending guests, and opening doors simply because she believes in what this show is building.

Tony has become such a special part of the show. Beyond being an incredible supporter of the show, him and Christina share the same love for hospitality, old-school places, great stories, nostalgia, and the people who make this industry what it is.

Those are the people you want around your table.

This anniversary isn't just about looking back at two years of Culinary Confidential. It was about celebrating the people, relationships, and conversations that have made these two years mean something.

Here's to two years at the table - and everything still to come!

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Season 3 of Culinary Confidential is here! And what better way to kick off the season than with someone who can own and bring a unique kind of energy to the dining room.

Chef Josh Capon has the kind of energy that just can't be manufactured. He's loud, passionate, unapologetic, and underneath it is a guy who understands that the dining room matters. The food matters. The energy matters. And making someone feel like they belong at your table? It matters.

For over 25 years, Capon has built a career across some of the most recognizable names in hospitality from Lure Fishbar, Burger & Barrel, El Toro Blanco, and Bowery Meat Company, to becoming an eight-time People's Choice winner at the New York City Wine & Food Festival Burger Bash.

Today, he's a cofounder of VCR Group alongside David Rodolitz, Gary Vaynerchuk, and Conor Hanlon - the team behind ITO, Little Maven, Flyfish Club, Capon's Burgers, Capon's Chophouse, and a growing hospitality portfolio spanning New York, New Jersey, Las Vegas, and beyond.

This conversation isn't just about restaurants though, it's one on energy, ambition, reinvention, building an empire, the pressure that comes with always being "on", and what really goes into creating a dining room people want to come back to.

Capon brings exactly this, and then some. And he's kicking off season 3 of Culinary Confidential.

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Hospitality is often described as an industry. But for Ryan Wagner, it's always been a discipline. One that's shaped by curiosity, precision, and the ability to make people feel anchored in a moment.

This week, we spotlight Ryan's journey through some of the most influential corners of the hospitality world. His career has taken him from the design‑driven environments of Ralph Lauren and RH to the high‑touch, detail‑obsessed culture of Hogsalt Hospitality. In New York, he played a key role on the opening team of 4 Charles Prime Rib, a dining room that quickly became synonymous with warmth, exclusivity, and impeccable execution.

But Ryan’s story isn’t defined by the logos on his résumé. It’s defined by the through‑line that connects them: an unwavering belief that hospitality begins long before a guest arrives and continues long after they leave. The ability to read a room, anticipate a need, and create a sense of belonging is not a tactic, but a craft.

Said craft is exactly what Ryan has carried into his next chapter, as the founder of Off Map Glamping. What began as a curiosity about outdoor experiences has evolved into a hospitality‑driven venture focused on connection, comfort, and intentional design. Off Map isn’t just a place to stay; it’s an environment built to slow people down and bring them closer to nature, to each other, and to themselves.

This week’s episode explores how Ryan’s philosophy has shaped his leadership, his entrepreneurial approach, and his understanding of what modern guests truly value. As consumers increasingly seek experiences that feel meaningful rather than transactional, Ryan’s perspective offers a blueprint for where hospitality is heading.

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