Top Chef Twins on the Career Paths Nobody Warns You About with Brandon & Jonathan Dearden

Brandon Dearden is a James Beard Award semifinalist and chef-owner of Ember and Grano in Montana. Jonathan Dearden is corporate chef at KNEAD Hospitality + Design in Washington D.C. Both competed on Top Chef Season 23. In this episode, André Natera sits down with the identical twin brothers to talk about what actually builds a sustainable chef career — and why prestige alone does not. Their paths diverged dramatically after coming up together. Brandon pursued fine dining through elite kitchens including Alinea and Saison before opening his own restaurants. Jonathan focused on leadership, operations, and corporate chef roles. That contrast drives the whole conversation — two chefs, same foundation, very different answers to the same industry problems. They get into the real return on investment of culinary school, how Michelin-level kitchen training actually shapes a cook, why impressive resumes create hiring mistakes, how menu engineering drives profitability, and what it takes to build a restaurant that survives. They also reflect on competing on Top Chef, building a presence on social media, and how AI is starting to change what it means to be a chef. Topics covered in this episode: What chefs actually learn from Michelin-level kitchens The real value of culinary school and where it falls short Why every cook still starts at the bottom regardless of credentials Hiring mistakes caused by prestigious resumes Menu engineering — profit drivers, loss leaders, and cost control How restaurant ownership shifts a chef's entire mindset Lessons from competing on Top Chef Season 23 Social media, personal branding, and AI in the modern kitchen Timestamps 02:30 Fine Dining and Recovery 09:04 Early Career Stories 14:09 Michelin Discussion 17:13 Culinary School Debate 23:22 Lessons from Alinea 28:19 Hiring Pitfalls 34:32 Union Kitchen Reality 46:09 Menu Engineering 54:09 Top Chef Experience 58:50 Social Media for Chefs 01:05:55 Creators vs Chefs 01:15:17 Profit Mindset 01:21:23 Where to Follow Follow Brandon on Instagram :   / chefauthorized   Follow Jonathan on Instagram :   / chefjonathandearden   LINKS & RESOURCES Subscribe on Substack → https://chefspsa.substack.com/ Shop Chef’s PSA Merch → https://shop.chefspsa.com/ Visit Chef’s PSA Website → https://chefspsa.com/ Sponsored by RATIONAL USA → https://rationalusa.com #chefspsa #RestaurantBusiness #TopChef #CulinarySchool #KitchenLeadership