Ever wonder what it’s really like to be on a reality TV show? How do you get on, what’s daily life like, and what actually happens when you get kicked off (this will surprise you)? Chef Adam Pawlak shares his story about how after a very brief stint in college he got his start working in Milwaukee restaurants and worked his way up and his big break on Gordon Ramsey’s Hell’s Kitchen. He also dives into what came from it, starting his own restaurant Egg & Flower, and why he stays in Milwaukee.
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Media partner – OnMilwaukee: https://onmilwaukee.com/
Richie Burke:
Hey everyone. Welcome back to Milwaukee Uncut, brought to you by Central Standard Distillery. Today’s episode is with Chef Adam Pavlock, who has some great stories on what it’s actually like to be on reality tv. What happens when you get kicked off the show? His answer really surprised me and we talk about his inspirational and hilarious story to becoming the owner of Egg and Flour and one of the most, if not the most in demand chefs in our city. Before we dive in, I just wanna say thank you for listening and thank you to everyone who’s supported the show. Since we relaunched just a few weeks ago, we were able to crack the top 100 on the US Apple charts in our category, which is a big deal for a local show like ours. And we love all the social media engagement.
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They help us get more ears on this podcast, and as we’re trying to grow it, those mean a lot. So if you do subscribe and leave a review, just drop your Instagram handle or your email at the end of that review. We do monitor those and we’ll actually reach out directly to you either on Instagram or on your email, wherever, whatever you leave at the end of the review and we’ll send you something to say thank you. So make sure to do that. And thanks again for all your support. Let’s dive into today’s episode with Chef Adam Pawlak.
Adam Pawlak:
So I went to college. This is kind of a, a underground story that a lot of people don’t know. As I was in college for about 24 minutes at M A T C South, took two buses to get there, a lot of encouragement from my mom. Woke up, was all stoked. Ready was like, I’m gonna give this a shot. Get in there. He starts the what, what is it called? You might know, sir. Lecture? Nope.
First day like or orientation? Orienta. probably after the name. The name, the name game. You gotta introduce yourself. Yeah. Ok. The syllabus. Yeah, just running through what we’re gonna be doing and we’re about halfway through and I just grabbed my bag and got up and he kinda looked at me like we’re not done here. And I was like, well, I, I’m, I’m good . And I just continued my journey and now we’re sitting here talking about it. I don’t know. Let’s see 14 years later.
Richie Burke:
Was was your mom there when you took two buses home? What’d she, what’d she think about all this? No,
Adam Pawlak:
She had no idea. I don’t think she knew for a couple days cuz I was just like, I’m going. I actually moved into an apartment by the airport right outta high school and I was on my own then, you know, that was my first, my first goal and that’s why I was working so much in those restaurants cuz I was like, I gotta, I gotta move out and do my own thing and now I’m here. Like I said. But that was a fun 24 minutes of college. Were
Richie Burke:
They, were your parents pretty disproving about that decision or were they
Adam Pawlak:
Just like, no, it’s not like one of those movie scenes where they’re like, you need to go be a doctor and go make us proud of they, she was pretty much like, well if, if you don’t wanna do that, I hope you do something. And now it’s like, I told you I was gonna do something I didn’t really know. But just, I do a lot of stuff for her regardless when I do special things or, or just keep my motivation or growing and, and building the business. And I just wanna make sure that she knows that I didn’t, well I didn’t fuck up. Yeah. You know? Yeah.
Richie Burke:
And your, your path, you touched on this a little bit last time, but for people who didn’t listen to that episode, I think it’s a cool story about how you got on Hell’s Kitchen and how hard you tried to get on like a show in a big break before that happened. I think it’s a good lesson for people. Can you dive into that?
Adam Pawlak:
Yeah, so I mean, the coolest part about my journey is that I save all my, I take a lot of pictures so people know that, that I’m always on like Instagram or taking pictures, whatever. And I used to do this cook at my dad’s house, we just cook for a few friends, hang out. And now that I look back at that, they look so shitty, the food.
But I’m so happy that I’ve seen those pictures and videos because you need that buildup for them. They ask for pictures, videos different bios and they really want to dig into who you are as a chef, but as a person and all that. So having all that information and, and, and pictures and stuff to reference moving up and, and really building like a portfolio of what I’ve done and, and everywhere that I’ve done in the different food, submitting that and showing them like, Hey, this is my stuff, this is what I’ve been doing.
It’s tough, you know, because there’s tens of thousands of people that are in the same mindset like, Hey, I wanna be on tv, I want to do this. I’m better than anyone that can get on that show and once I’m on it, I’m gonna win. You know, that’s kinda the mindset. But for me, I’ve watched it my whole life. I always knew that I could get on there at some point. Like I was just hoping like I can handle that. I wasn’t like, oh no, that would suck, or, that’s too much for me. And just applying and applying and showing them that I, I I’m worthy of being on there. And I think you know, this is kind of skipping ahead, but I think I kicked ass on there and kinda got out on a technicality.
Richie Burke:
Yeah. How, how many times did, how many applications did you submit and how many times did you get rejected before you got that one
Adam Pawlak:
Man for Hell’s Kitchen? I mean I’ve used to do it like every few months I would just sit down and do a bunch of shows. But for Hell’s Kitchen probably three or four times, it’s a big application, a lot of questions, a lot of inspiring things like why and when and how and all that stuff. So being able to get that, I mean I almost got to the final like subject of getting on and then still didn’t hear back, you know?
So like they hype you up, they do Zoom interviews, videos, bios, and then you don’t hear from ’em, you know, it’s kinda like, oh sorry, they don’t tell you that you’re not on, they only contact you if you get on. You know, it’s kinda like, yeah, you might hear from us but you might not. So you, that call was was life changing in it in its own, you know, because your whole mindset just kind of shifts from what if, what if to, oh shit, I need to like start thinking about going to Las Vegas and, and getting the meat Gordon Ramsey and actually cooking, you know,
Richie Burke:
How many with those other shows or Hells, how did you ever get really far in that process? And I’m guessing you probably applied, you know, 20, 20 plus times and a lot and what was, what was that like? A
Adam Pawlak:
Lot. I mean, in my world since I, you know, I’ve been working six days so much, that was during kind of the thick of it where it’s like you do it, you get super stoked when super psyched. Then when you get turned down you kinda go back to life and you’re like, Hey, well I gotta do this regardless and I’ll give it another try, you know? But I never let it like piss me off or get me to a point where I didn’t wanna keep applying.
Cuz I’m just like, well if they’re gonna take me this far and they’re really actually interested this much, there’s gotta be something there that they want or whatever. And they might just have been looking for something different at the time. But now when I went in the last time, I think I went in with a little bit more energy and personality and just like, kind of opened up more, which I recommend for any anyone out there in anything is just be yourself, I think.
And just kinda like let loose because there’s millions of people in the world and you gotta stand out and you gotta just like show off who you are. I think that was a big part of it, obviously the cooking skills. Yeah. But they can look through and they can know that I’m a chef, but they can’t go online and tell what kind of person I am. Yeah. You know?
Richie Burke:
Yeah. And you’ve, you are very much yourself. How long have you had the, the beard and the tattoos and that look? Is that something that’s, that’s came about over the years? Were, were you hesitant to get those at one point in time?
Adam Pawlak:
Well, it’s kind of funny because even before I was like real deep in the chef world, I was just, I was 18 and I got my first tattoo. I was actually working at the doghouse on Brady Street and there was a tattoo shop for those that are listening that might remember called Cutthroat Tattoo. And everyone that worked there had tattoos or they went there and I thought it was cool and I got my first tattoo, big one on the right arm, tribal marijuana leaves went all out. My mom was like, what the fuck are you doing ? But again, I was gone. She had no say, you know, so I did that and then like the tattoos I always thought was cool or whatever, but then
Richie Burke:
18 must have been a good year for you. You were in college, it was for 24 minutes, then you, you got the big marijuana leaf tattoo all over
Adam Pawlak:
The Yep. And no regrets, you know, it’s all good. That’s part of the story that’s part of like, you know, where I started at making hot dogs with weed tattoos and now I have, you know, all different stuff but, and the business,
Richie Burke:
Hey everyone, it’s your host Richie Burke, and I just wanted to take a minute to thank our sponsor Central Standard and remind you that we are giving away hundreds of dollars in central standard gift cards, event tickets and more. You can simply enter by clicking the link in the show notes. And if you’re looking for that perfect summer cocktail, central standard has great options through their new ready Poor mixers Dioxide whiskey and my personal favorite, the Dora County Cherry vodka and a lot more also their rooftop is open at the craft house downtown. I’m not sure if there’s a better place in the city to enjoy a drink on a nice summer afternoon. Thanks again for tuning in thanks to Central Standard and let’s get back to the show
Around the same time you went on hell as you started Egg and Flour, what’s what’s that been like?
Adam Pawlak:
Yeah, so they don’t know this story. I mean, I was out there for over a month. I came back into reality, sat in my house for 24 hours, didn’t do anything. Kind of tried to get catch up back on my phone cause it was turned off for him.
Richie Burke:
How, how, how devastating was it to get booted off the show in the fashion that you did?
Adam Pawlak:
Oh dude, it sucked. I, I rem it’s like the most vivid part of the show that I remember is, you know, when he says, oh, like he pulls you up and sometimes he gives you the double where he is, like get back in line. I swear that was coming, you know, and then when it didn’t, it, the whole show stops right then and there, right? Like you’re out of it, you’re not in the show, you’re, you’re back to reality.
You’re back with, you know, the regular people, the peasants, I’m just kidding. But you get kicked out in the back and then it’s, it’s back on. They send you to a hotel room and, and you wait for it to be over and you kind of think about why. And, and just for me, in my case, it’s, it’s a lot different than someone like having a shit night all night getting yelled at. Like they like very deserving. So just kind of trying to figure out like, hey, there’s gotta be a reason somehow. I still think it’s just because of like, I wasn’t crazy enough on that show and they were like crazy.
Richie Burke:
Of course reality, reality tv, that’s what gets ratings going of course. Did they, so you get kicked off, you’re off set. Do you just go back in a hotel and then catch a flight to Milwaukee the next day? Or what’s that process like?
Adam Pawlak:
So for me they were like, what do you need? I smoked like six cigarettes in a row cause I was so stressed and just pissed. Then they put you in a, in a van and you talk to like a mental psychiatrist for like an hour to make sure you’re okay. And I was like, I’m okay dude. I’m literally leaving here and going to open a restaurant. I’m not, couldn’t be more thrilled.
And then they take you back to the hotel where you kind of stage or whatever, but I was at the cutoff that I had to wait for the finale show cuz the show is still going on. But then they bring back the chefs to help the two final contestants. So I’m chilling in Vegas, you know, in a hotel room doing nothing waiting, just watching new contestants come to the hotel like, oh, what happened? What happened? What, you know, like getting them getting eliminated. Are,
Richie Burke:
Are you quarantined in there? Can you
Adam Pawlak:
Go? Yeah, essentially they took us to a target. They took us to a top golf one day,
Richie Burke:
Just like a couple. It’s like you can, like you’re hanging around and you can do
Adam Pawlak:
Whatever you want. You don’t do anything. You have no wallet, no phone. You have a assistant that has this little plastic Ziploc bag that has all your stuff in it, but not the phone. And they’re like, oh, do you wanna go to like the gas station, get some snacks. I remember them dropping off a CD player, like a DVD player with like two DVDs and it’s crazy cuz I don’t remember what they were, but one was like a horror movie and one was like a romcom sort of thing. And I think I watched each of those like six times on this little screen. They even cut the line on the TV in the hotel room. They want no reality in your head essentially even when you’re off the show. Cause that was coming back.
Richie Burke:
Interesting. Is that what it’s like when you’re on the show day-to-day too? You’re kind of isolated from the outside world?
Adam Pawlak:
Yeah. The only time you’re in the outside world is when you’re doing like rewards or challenges and even that, it’s kinda such
Richie Burke:
A set, set hotel set.
Adam Pawlak:
Yeah. And Mo and with Hell’s Kitchen is you’re sleeping in the set, you know, hotel was Sundays and hotel was, once you’re eliminated, that’s about it. But you’re sleeping on set with cameras in the drama in it, you know, living it, anything’s possible kind of deal. So you’re kind of just on edge for a month,
Richie Burke:
Man. How long did you have to hang around for
Adam Pawlak:
Before the finale show? Yeah, I think it was like six days, seven
Richie Burke:
Days I would’ve gone fucking crazy.
Adam Pawlak:
Oh yeah. And I’m like, you already got me on the show and record. I don’t need to go crazy anymore. I
Richie Burke:
Can imagine a lot of people, they put so much pressure and have so much weight. It it, it is life changing. If you win there’s no denying. Yeah. That, I mean it’s life changing if you go on in a way.
Adam Pawlak:
Yeah. Even if you get off first, right? I think it still is.
Richie Burke:
It’s
Adam Pawlak:
Sucks. But,
Richie Burke:
But yeah, it’s like anything and whether it’s competitive sports or business, like you make it far it all, it always sucks taking a loss no matter what stage
Adam Pawlak:
It’s at. Yeah. And just, you’re just gonna think about it forever. Yeah. You know? Yeah.
Richie Burke:
Yeah. That’s interesting. So speaking of how it’s changed your, how, how did Hell’s Kitchen change your life do you think? And what kind of opportunities came about just from go going on that show and doing what you did on there?
Adam Pawlak:
Meeting people. I think the biggest thing is meeting people that you would have no reason to meet families. And we’re not talking about like hookups or connections, but families, kids, people from all over the city, different chefs and cooks. Like one of my biggest things is a lot of people wanted to come work for me.
So that was like a huge thing that helped me through pandemic, through expanding into different locations. Helping my like training and mentoring process because like I had such great mentors and I still do that. I was like able to use, use that teaching on the new batch of people coming into Eggen Flower, which is like a huge thing for me. I’m not there as much as I was when I was in the thick of it, but when I am in there, I’m really like trying to dig into these people’s heads and show them like, you can do this.
This is like, these are little things here that you need to tying up or do, but I think they appreciate it. So but just connections wise of people that are just more, I feel like more interested because, not cuz they’re like, oh, you’re on tv, but I think they knew they got to see me as a person more. They got to see my cooking straight up. They got to see my resilience or like how I work under pressure or just like representing the city to a lot of people saying like, oh, thanks for doing that. You know, like it was like me helping the city or whatever it was. Which it’s like my small sliver of getting out there and, you know, making people proud, but it’s kind of crazy. They look at you, they definitely look at you different.
Richie Burke:
Last question, what what do you like most about Milwaukee and what keeps you here?
Adam Pawlak:
Sure. So the thing I like the most about Milwaukee is I feel like anyone can be something here. It’s a small enough city where like you can break out into whatever you wanna do and be successful and be well known. And, and whether that you are well known or people just know you by name. I like the development. The city’s always changing. There’s so much to do.
You could go on on Milwaukee or any of these sites and re the, that there’s 50 things going on in the city, you know, and when you go to these things, it’s a good time and it’s, and it’s busy and it’s full and there’s different pockets of the city and everyone has their own thing going on. And that’s, at one point I was like, I’m gonna give Milwaukee three more years, or I’m outta here. And it delivered and, and it kept me here. But just, you know, the different people. And I know it sounds kind of cliche, but everyone’s like, if you’re in the right circle, everyone’s really good to each other and I feel like they get together to help each other out.
Richie Burke:
Thank you so much for tuning into this episode of Milwaukee Uncut. If you enjoyed this episode, please do us a huge favor in subscribe to the show and write a review that helps us get more ears on these episodes and these great Milwaukee stories. Also, just a reminder that this podcast is sponsored by Central Standard Distillery in its in partnership with On Milwaukee and produced by Story Mark Studios.