Canal Street Dreams – Austin Tedesco on Canal Street Dreams

Hosts: Eddie Huang & Natasha Perrotti
Guest: Austin Tedesco (Writer, Substack Head of Business Development)
Date: August 15, 2025

Episode Overview

In this lively episode, Eddie and Natasha welcome Austin Tedesco—food writer and Substack executive—onto Canal Street Dreams for a deep dive into food culture, the chaotic joys of restaurant pop-ups, bicoastal restaurant scenes, creative careers, and the evolution of publishing platforms. Through candid, unfiltered banter, they explore what keeps creative people engaged, the realities behind the “chef-driven” restaurant trend, and how platforms like Substack are shifting the landscape for writers, podcasters, and brands.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. The Pop-Up Restaurant Grind

Early Segment – [00:00–06:54]

• Eddie describes the high-stress, all-hands-on-deck nature of running monthly restaurant pop-ups, likening the unpredictable staff situation to “teaching a brand-new kitchen a whole new cuisine and pace each night.”
  • “A guy will come in at three, we’ll get his mise set up, we’ll show him how everything’s fired...he has like an hour to figure it out and then boom. But the beautiful thing is it’s been working.” (Eddie, [02:00])
• Natasha reflects on customers’ high expectations, observing: “I don’t think a lot of people know that it’s just the guys that work at the flower shop back there.” (Natasha, [01:01])
• Austin relates his own pop-up experience, admitting the learning curve is steep: “I tell people it’s like getting paid to go to culinary school.” (Austin, [07:28])
• Discussion on customer expectations and perfection at pop-ups—with general agreement that diners are right to expect excellence, even in chaotic environments.

2. The Call of Chaos: Why Creative People Gravitate to Certain Work

[05:50–08:08]

• Eddie and Austin agree that food and writing attract people who are “neurotic” or need constant challenge.
  • “It’s gotta feel a little insane or I’m gonna lose it.” (Austin, [05:50])
  • “Writing and restaurants, kitchens attract the same type of, like, moldy person. You know how like mold needs an environment to grow?” (Eddie, [06:45])
• Natasha and Eddie touch on monotony vs. excitement—the regular restaurant grind can get boring, while constant challenge fuels creativity.

3. Getting into Food, Writing, and the Beauty of Entry Points

[07:13–12:14]

• Austin traces his surprise entry into cooking and writing, from emailing favorite restaurants for a chance, to working at Estella, through a year-long stint at the short-lived but beloved Cool World in Brooklyn.
  • “I got into cooking because I get bored super easily, and I lost my mind when I was like 29…” (Austin, [07:31])
  • Notable journey through positions: from “google what is a trail?” to “running sauté in the middle of service.”
  • Relates the specific thrill of service: “That’s a $28 salad…someone’s definitely having it for the first time. And…they don’t know that I made it.” (Austin, [09:08])

4. Chef-Driven vs. “Fake Chef-Driven” Restaurants: The Real Business of Food

[14:42–17:58]

• Eddie challenges the performative aspect of the “chef-driven” trend, asking whether there are fewer truly creative restaurants that are still pushing themselves.
• Austin explains why many restaurants now “dress” like chef-driven spots but choose safe, profitable menus:
  • “If I were opening a restaurant with my own money…I’d never do it. Doomed for failure…martinis, burgers, fries, the things that are going to work. Basically, the Houston’s model is what makes money.” (Austin, [15:33])
• Natasha adds: “Mediocrity is often more rewarded. If you’re just in that soft spot…you’re gonna win.” (Natasha, [16:46])
• Discussion of razor-thin margins discouraging genuine risk-taking versus the greater flexibility of film or writing.

5. The Dining Scene: New York, LA, and Cultural Shifts

[18:03–34:52]

• Conversation pivots to LA vs. New York restaurant cultures. New York is admired for vibrant dining culture and chef-driven scenes. LA is praised for immigrant cuisine but criticized for a lack of creative, chef-centric spots outside established immigrant or legacy places.
  • “In LA, there is just an immense pressure to conform…art does not thrive there.” (Eddie, [30:04])
• Austin notes LA is unmatched for “lunch or immigrant food adventures,” but “get the fuck out of town” for special dinners.
• All discuss how hype cycles, media, and list-driven culture can “suck the life out of a place.”
  • Natasha on a hyped NYC restaurant: “I bring big hater energy. There is not one authentic piece of [Ha’s] in that environment. The food is great. Everything else is cosplay.” ([18:58])*
• Penny (seafood bar) in NYC is praised for authenticity, chill, and excellent cooking.
  • “They’ll make you feel so special…if you want to order three seafood towers for four hours, we got you.” (Austin, [27:21])

6. The Culture of the Modern Kitchen: Managing People and Expectations

[34:27–41:04]

• Eddie contrasts the sharp, direct style of kitchens in London with the gentler, “chiller” New York model, as new cultural norms have shifted.
  • “You have to be very gentle...They call me Chino…I go by Chino, not Chef. Chino no yell, no yell.” (Eddie, [34:56])
• Parenting analogies for leadership—Natasha applies parenting research on tantrums to managing staff: “The most effective way to handle a tantrum is to just, great rock. Okay. And when they’re done: ‘are you done? Anyway, let’s go.’” (Natasha, [39:21])
• Austin: “Being direct with people is really hard…It’s really tough.” ([40:44])
• They agree that clear, direct communication is liberating in both kitchens and life.

7. Substack, Business Development, and the Future for Creatives

[41:28–60:33]

• Austin describes his role as Head of Business Development at Substack, working on sports, podcasts, video, and growth initiatives.
  • “I started overseeing sports. I worked at ESPN…then quickly started doing more in podcasting and video.” (Austin, [41:48])
  • “Our job…is to build the Substack app to be a place where you can grow and run a subscription business you own, no matter what form of media.” ([42:24])
• Newly announced funding round and what it means: “The thing…is think long-term…how do we make this thing as significant and big and powerful as possible?” ([44:46])
• Substack’s edge over Patreon/YouTube:
  • “You can do whatever you want in any medium on a business that you own in full…plugged into a powerful growth engine…algorithm designed to drive subscriptions, rewarding quality.” (Austin, [46:02])
• Strategic advice for creators:
  • Video and collaborative work as top-of-funnel/free; paywalled essays for deeper engagement and subscription revenue.
  • “People pay at scale because they want to be connected to you…it’s a little different. You’re someone people want to be attached to and your community around it.” ([50:41])
• Natasha praises the intimacy and authenticity of Substack over the “corniness” of TikTok: “When you go live on Substack…it really just feels like you’re kicking it with your homies.” ([52:00])

8. Brands on Substack: Risks, Rewards, and Authenticity

[56:43–60:27]

• Eddie shares how collaboration with Places (restaurant loyalty platform) is his most fulfilling brand partnership—minimal interference and true trust from the sponsor.
• Austin offers advice and caution for brands:
  • “Only works if you give creative control to the talent...a branded voice…will get crushed by you.” ([57:58])
• Substack’s ad and brand partnership experimentation—prediction that only authentic, creator-driven brand voices will find success on the platform.
  • “Instagram was very easy for brands to migrate to...Substack is the most difficult for brands to crack. And I like that.” (Eddie, [59:41])

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• “The level of difficulty on a popup is…completely insane.” (Eddie, [04:25])
• “I got bored…those were the best years we ever had. But I wanted a challenge. I wanted to be creative. And this is definitely feeding that muscle.” (Eddie, [05:27])
• “Mediocrity is often more rewarded…you’re gonna win.” (Natasha, [16:46])
• “No one drinks [in LA], so margins are fucked from the start. And the two best…sit down dinner restaurants…are tasting menus that don’t change…how often are you going to go?” (Austin, [30:43])
• “In LA…friends are looked at in strategic accessory ways. Who you are friends with is part of your career there.” (Eddie, [31:14])
• “Being direct with people is really hard…It’s so liberating.” (Natasha & Austin, [41:04])
• “You keep 90% of your subscription revenue...plugged into…one of the most powerful growth engines on the Internet…algorithm designed to drive subscriptions…so it inherently rewards quality.” (Austin, [46:02])
• “If you want to be a writer, you can subscribe to Junot Diaz for $8 and that man’s giving you the sauce.” (Eddie, [54:21])
• “Instagram…brand placement was easy…Substack is the most difficult for brands to crack. And I like that.” (Eddie, [59:41])
• “This has been fantastic. We’ve gone way over…I didn’t even know.” (Eddie, [60:27])

Timestamps for Important Segments

• Pop-up restaurant logistics: [00:00–06:54]
• Creative personalities & the search for challenge: [05:50–08:08]
• Austin’s food origin story: [07:13–12:14]
• “Chef-driven” vs. commercialized restaurants: [14:42–17:58]
• NY vs. LA dining and customer culture: [18:03–34:52]
• Kitchen management and parallels to parenting: [34:27–41:04]
• Substack’s growth, strategy, and the future for creators: [41:28–60:33]
• Brand partnerships and platform authenticity: [56:43–60:27]

Final Thoughts

This episode is a must-listen for anyone curious about the inner workings of creative life, the evolution of food culture on both coasts, and the strategic thinking behind today’s creative platforms. Austin’s perspective—from food writer to tech exec—combined with Eddie and Natasha’s irreverent honesty, offers a compelling, insightful, and often hilarious look into what it takes to make a scene, a kitchen, and a creative enterprise truly work.