New Episodes Drop Each Tuesday! Step into the high-pressure world of culinary chaos with Chef Spike Mendelsohn, the relentless renegade of the kitchen, as he serves up a no-holds-barred exploration of the restaurant industry. In this gripping podcast, Spike sits down with fellow chefs, restaurateurs, and industry insiders to dish out the raw chaos and brutal challenges of the industry. From the relentless rush of a dinner service to the intense moments of being "in the weeds," each episode explores the triumphs, challenges, and downright madness of life in the kitchen. With candid conversations and captivating stories, listeners are invited to pull up a seat and savor the flavors of this exhilarating journey through the heart of the culinary world. Get ready to indulge in the ultimate behind-the-line experience as Spike serves up insight, inspiration, and plenty of food for thought. Welcome to the In The Weeds Podcast, where the heat is always on and the conversation is always piping hot.
DC's Hottest Nightclub Had Better Security Than the White House. Vinoda Basnayake Built It.
Vinoda Basnayake started out throwing parties for Georgetown's international bottle-service crowd. A few years later he was on the road as tour manager for one of Cash Money's breakout acts. Today he runs VERSUS Equity, the group behind some of DC's most celebrated restaurants and nightclubs, where Drake, LeBron, and the Obamas have all ended up on the guest list. He's also the city's first-ever chairman of nightlife and culture. Spike and Vinoda go back 20 years, and it shows. They cover the first meeting Vinoda showed up two hours late to, the club that turned away the White House crashers, and the party that accidentally launched a lobbying career. There's also the day he got to introduce his dad to a president. Plus a borrowed yellow Ferrari and a traffic stop they're still laughing about. This is DC after dark, told by one of the guys who helped build it.
Listen & Connect With Us Here: https://www.intheweedspod.com/itw-links (https://www.intheweedspod.com/itw-links)
We have teamed up with Odd Chef for an official merch collab! Check it out here (https://oddchef.shop/collections/in-the-weeds-collection) and get 10% off your order with code INTHEWEEDS10.
🎙️🎙️ In The Weeds Podcast is proudly sponsored by:
Events DC is the official convention and sports authority for the District and a key player in making some of DC’s most exciting events and experiences happen. From world-class sports to cultural festivals and everything in between, they help power the energy of the city. Visit eventsdc.com (https://eventsdc.com) to see what they are cooking up!
DC Central Kitchen is an iconic nonprofit and social enterprise that combats hunger and poverty through job training and job creation. The organization provides hands-on culinary job training for individuals facing high barriers to employment while creating living wage jobs and bringing nutritious, dignified food where it is most needed. To learn more, please visit dccentralkitchen.org (https://dccentralkitchen.org)
15 Sept 2026
Lost Top Chef, Won the Internet: Eric Adjepong is 'The People's Champ' — Now Chasing a Michelin Star at DC's Elmina
He lost Top Chef's finale — and somehow won the internet anyway. Chef Spike welcomes back Eric Adjepong, the Bronx-raised, first-generation Ghanaian-American chef the internet crowned "The People's Champ." Since then: multiple Food Network shows, a James Beard hosting gig, and a cookbook the Washington Post named one of the best of the year. Now he's opened Elmina, his DC restaurant named for a treasure town in Ghana — and he calls it his current romantic partner.
In this episode, Eric opens up about the five-continent, five-year journey behind his cookbook (and the arrest in Ghana that came with it), what it means to feel a "civic duty" to represent West African cuisine, how he's quietly chasing a Michelin star by cutting brunch and obsessing over a new tasting menu, and why his toughest critic in the kitchen is his own mother. Plus: he and Spike play a round of Head Chef, and things get ridiculous fast.
Listen & Connect With Us Here: https://www.intheweedspod.com/itw-links (https://www.intheweedspod.com/itw-links)
We have teamed up with Odd Chef for an official merch collab! Check it out here (https://oddchef.shop/collections/in-the-weeds-collection) and get 10% off your order with code INTHEWEEDS10.
🎙️🎙️ In The Weeds Podcast is proudly sponsored by:
Events DC is the official convention and sports authority for the District and a key player in making some of DC’s most exciting events and experiences happen. From world-class sports to cultural festivals and everything in between, they help power the energy of the city. Visit eventsdc.com (https://eventsdc.com) to see what they are cooking up!
DC Central Kitchen is an iconic nonprofit and social enterprise that combats hunger and poverty through job training and job creation. The organization provides hands-on culinary job training for individuals facing high barriers to employment while creating living wage jobs and bringing nutritious, dignified food where it is most needed. To learn more, please visit dccentralkitchen.org (https://dccentralkitchen.org)
1 Sept 2026
Chef Patrice Cleary: She Joined the Marines to Save Her Family, Then Built DC's Filipino Food Empire
The Marine Corps couldn't break her. A pandemic couldn't break her. No culinary school, no mentor, no safety net — just her mother's recipe and zero interest in quitting.
Chef Patrice Cleary went from Navy Achievement Medals to building Purple Patch and Joya Burger with no restaurant training whatsoever — she found her first contractor by driving to Home Depot. Chef Spike gets into the grief, the grit, and the "burger dating" process behind DC's Filipino food renaissance, plus the real story of how a landlord's phone call turned into a restaurant empire. Then it's a round of Head Chef that gets very personal, very fast.
Listen & Connect With Us Here: https://www.intheweedspod.com/itw-links (https://www.intheweedspod.com/itw-links)
We have teamed up with Odd Chef for an official merch collab! Check it out here (https://oddchef.shop/collections/in-the-weeds-collection) and get 10% off your order with code INTHEWEEDS10.
🎙️🎙️ In The Weeds Podcast is proudly sponsored by:
Events DC is the official convention and sports authority for the District and a key player in making some of DC’s most exciting events and experiences happen. From world-class sports to cultural festivals and everything in between, they help power the energy of the city. Visit eventsdc.com (https://eventsdc.com) to see what they are cooking up!
DC Central Kitchen is an iconic nonprofit and social enterprise that combats hunger and poverty through job training and job creation. The organization provides hands-on culinary job training for individuals facing high barriers to employment while creating living wage jobs and bringing nutritious, dignified food where it is most needed. To learn more, please visit dccentralkitchen.org (https://dccentralkitchen.org)
Reach and audience
Public platform figures. Ratings count people who left a rating, not total listeners.
YouTube views
10,924
Score snapshot 15 Sept 2025
Apple Podcasts (US)
5.0 / 5
15 ratings
Spotify
5.0 / 5
8 ratings
Podcast Authority Score: 54 / 100
A composite of feed quality, social presence, YouTube performance and engagement. Read the methodology.
Quality
58
Social presence
0
YouTube
72
Engagement
51
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