AI Chefs Are Coming: Can They Replace Human Creativity? | Chef Lisa Dahl DSH #1388

Summary

Digital Social Hour: Episode Summary

Title: AI Chefs Are Coming: Can They Replace Human Creativity? | Chef Lisa Dahl DSH #1388
Host: Sean Kelly
Guest: Chef Lisa Dahl
Release Date: May 30, 2025

---

Introduction

In this compelling episode of Digital Social Hour, host Sean Kelly engages in a thought-provoking dialogue with renowned restaurateur Chef Lisa Dahl. The conversation delves into the burgeoning role of artificial intelligence (AI) in the culinary industry, exploring whether AI can truly replicate the human creativity and energy that define exceptional dining experiences.

---

The Rise of AI in the Culinary World

Sean Kelly opens the discussion by highlighting the advent of AI in roles typically held by humans, such as bartenders and chefs.

“I actually like that because there's AI bartenders in Vegas now, and soon there'll be AI chefs, but the food won't have the energy.”
(00:00)

Chef Lisa Dahl echoes this sentiment, expressing skepticism about AI's ability to infuse food with the emotional and energetic essence that human chefs naturally provide.

“There's no way it could have the energy and that, you know, I feel like if that day comes, I'm done. I won't be.”
(00:08)

Both agree that while fast food chains might adopt AI first, the soulful and creative aspects of restaurant dining are areas where human chefs will continue to excel.

---

Chef Lisa’s Culinary Empire in Sedona

Chef Lisa Dahl boasts an impressive portfolio of six restaurants in Sedona, a region she has nurtured over 29 years. Her flagship establishment, Mariposa, is lauded as one of Sean’s favorite dining spots.

“...we have six restaurants, all concepts, all in Sedona.”
(00:50)

Sedona's unique energy and vibrant tourist influx have provided a fertile ground for her culinary ventures. The serene environment deeply inspires her, fostering a creative haven that has allowed her to author two cookbooks and continually expand her restaurant empire.

“It's a kind of place that all your creative juices are enhanced.”
(02:13)

Sean shares a personal connection to Sedona, having gotten engaged there, underscoring the city’s magical and inspirational ambiance.

---

Overcoming Challenges in the Restaurant Industry

The conversation shifts to the inherent challenges of the restaurant business, particularly maintaining high standards over three decades.

“The restaurant industry is a tough industry, right?”
(03:06)

Chef Lisa highlights the labor difficulties in a small town like Sedona, exacerbated by post-pandemic dynamics. Yet, she credits her dedicated pastry chef, Marco Soto, for maintaining excellence without succumbing to common industry stressors.

“He is married to someone that works in my company, but he's brilliant... in 10 years, I've never even had an argument with him.”
(11:29)

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The Philosophy of Cooking with Love

A central theme of the episode is Chef Lisa's belief in the energetic component of food. She passionately argues that cooking with love transcends mere ingredients and techniques, creating dishes that nourish the soul.

“The mantra is, when you cook with love, you feed the soul.”
(13:43)

Reflecting on personal loss, she shares how cooking became a form of salvation, allowing her to channel love and memories into her culinary creations.

“I'm sure that, you know, that I lost my son in the Bay Area, and that's what guided me to come to Sedona...”
(14:58)

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Future Endeavors and Expansion Plans

Chef Lisa reveals ambitious plans to expand her Butterfly Burger concept beyond Sedona, eyeing markets like Phoenix and Las Vegas. She emphasizes maintaining quality and uniqueness in each new location.

“It is meant for Vegas. It really is such an amazing concept...”
(17:41)

Her approach involves creating diverse and innovative burger options, ensuring that each dish remains infused with the same love and creativity that define her current restaurants.

---

Personal Journey and Influences

Delving into her background, Chef Lisa attributes her culinary prowess to the influences of her mother, grandmother, and nanny. These strong female figures instilled in her a love for soulful and high-quality food, shaping her into the versatile chef she is today.

“Between my mother, my grandmother and, and my nanny, I got to eat a lot of really great food.”
(30:34)

Her roots in Italian and Mediterranean cuisines are evident in her menus, reflecting a blend of simplicity and depth that resonates with diverse palates.

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Achievements and Recognition

Chef Lisa’s contributions have not gone unnoticed. She has been honored as the 2019 Food Pioneer by the Arizona Restaurant Association and Top Chef of 2018, accolades that underscore her role in elevating Sedona’s culinary scene.

“We are really. We kind of help put the culinary on the map in Sedona.”
(34:27)

Her flagship restaurant, Mariposa, proudly holds the Trip Advisor Best of the Best 2024 for being in the top 1% of the most romantic date night spots in the U.S.

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Stewardship and Community Engagement

A passionate advocate for environmental conservation, Chef Lisa addresses the littering issues in Sedona’s natural landscapes. Through her involvement with non-profits and volunteer initiatives, she strives to preserve the pristine beauty of her beloved city.

“People are just leaving their trash. That's a big issue.”
(25:28)

She encourages community participation to maintain Sedona’s trails and natural sites, reflecting her commitment to environmental stewardship.

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Conclusion

In a world increasingly influenced by technology, Chef Lisa Dahl stands as a testament to the irreplaceable human element in the culinary arts. Her unwavering dedication to cooking with love and maintaining authentic, soulful dining experiences ensures that while AI may enter the kitchen, it can never fully replicate the heart and spirit that define true gastronomic creativity.

“I really feel like cooking with love takes time, and it's better to not try to make it something that you have to speed to do.”
(28:08)

This episode of Digital Social Hour not only highlights the challenges and triumphs of a seasoned restaurateur but also serves as a poignant reminder of the essence of human creativity in an increasingly automated world.

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Connect with Chef Lisa Dahl

• Website: ChefLisaDal.com
• Instagram: @LisaDalSedona
• Restaurants: Explore her diverse culinary concepts across Sedona, including Mariposa, Dal and Teluca (D and D), and Butterfly Burger.

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For more engaging conversations with thought leaders and cultural icons, subscribe to Digital Social Hour on your preferred podcast platform.

Transcript

[Sean]

I actually like that because there's. There's AI bartenders in Vegas now, and soon there'll be AI chefs, but the food won't have the energy.

[Chef Lisa]

There's no way it could have the energy and that, you know, I feel like if that day comes, I'm done. I won't be.

[Sean]

It's coming. It's coming.

[Chef Lisa]

It is coming.

[Sean]

Fast food's going to be first, I think. I think they're going to go first, and then eventually restaurants. Okay, guys, Very special guest today from Sedona. Took the drive out here. Chef Lisa. One of my favorite restaurants in the world right now, Mariposa. So thanks for coming on.

[Chef Lisa]

Oh, I'm honored. Thank you.

[Sean]

I was just telling you before we started, I. I had one lunch reservation there. It was so good. I ended up going every single day in my whole trip.

[Chef Lisa]

So, you know, I told you, I wish that you had tried a few of the others, but next time, you will.

[Sean]

Can't wait.

[Chef Lisa]

I'm so happy.

[Sean]

You got six restaurants, right?

[Chef Lisa]

Six, yes. All concepts. They're all in Sedona.

[Sean]

That's amazing. So you really like that market?

[Chef Lisa]

Well, it wasn't that I planned to be a restaurateur in that market and have six restaurants, but it did happen over a period of 29 years. So it's lovely. It's incredible. It's very different. But when you think of all the guests that come to us from all over the world, it's pretty amazing.

[Sean]

Yeah, Sedona is a beautiful spot. I actually got engaged there.

[Chef Lisa]

Oh, did you?

[Sean]

Where Lovers Null is that.

[Chef Lisa]

Is that up on Schem Hill Road?

[Sean]

It was high up because there was a beautiful view.

[Chef Lisa]

That's an amazing. I think it's up on Stumbley Hill Road that you have to kind of climb up to the top.

[Sean]

Yeah. I played it off. I was like, you want to go hiking? And then pulled it out.

[Chef Lisa]

Oh, brilliant. Brilliant.

[Sean]

Pulled it off. But Sedona will always hold a special place in my heart because of that.

[Chef Lisa]

When did you get engaged?

[Sean]

Two years ago, and we're getting married this year.

[Chef Lisa]

Oh, what about Sedona? No, no, no, no, no, no. Where are you going?

[Sean]

We grew up on the east coast, so we're taking it back home, but I wouldn't be opposed.

[Chef Lisa]

But, yeah, Jersey, maybe an after celebration.

[Sean]

Yeah.

[Chef Lisa]

That we could, you know, do something magical for you.

[Sean]

Yeah. The energy there it is. For people that haven't been. It's hard to explain.

[Chef Lisa]

It's kind of prolific, really. It's a place that all your creative Juices are enhanced.

[Sean]

I just feel like. It's really hard to describe, but I just feel much better out there. Yeah. Just something in the air.

[Chef Lisa]

Yeah. I think it's probably in the. Like, in the rocks embedded in the. I always feel like there's a mineral content or something that just makes everybody really alive and open to. Just to their creative forces.

[Sean]

Right.

[Chef Lisa]

And say, it's been very good for me. I've been able to write two cookbooks.

[Sean]

Nice.

[Chef Lisa]

Since living there. And I'm birthing restaurants. Not on purpose, but they've happened. It's. It is amazing energy.

[Sean]

Yeah. That. Will. They say the vortexes, right?

[Chef Lisa]

Yes.

[Sean]

There's a lot of those out there. The trees are, like, spiraling.

[Chef Lisa]

Oh, exactly.

[Sean]

Yeah. There's something special out there.

[Chef Lisa]

Yeah, it's there. Did you see those spiral trees?

[Sean]

I saw a few where I stayed. Yeah. I got an Airbnb. Beautiful.

[Chef Lisa]

Wonderful.

[Sean]

Now, the restaurant industry is a tough industry, right?

[Chef Lisa]

Very tough. Very tough.

[Sean]

So to make it for 30 years is very. That alone is impressive, but to have, like, some of the top restaurants is even more impressive.

[Chef Lisa]

Well, I'm. I'm. I'm very blessed. I never try to say that it's an easy business, but it is such a rewarding business. I mean, you meet amazing people, and it. It offers us to give service to people in so many forms.

[Sean]

Yeah. Because food is more than just the actual food. It's an experience.

[Chef Lisa]

Exactly. It really is. You know, I try to design the whole package for the guests that are visiting, and the menus and the food quality are everything, but also the environments and the ambiance and the way that each restaurant speaks to individuals in a different way is really something that I love.

[Sean]

Yeah. Where did you learn those skills? Because that's really. That's kind of what I think separates you from other restaurants where you could just tell. It's like a cookie cutter menu. People just copy each other.

[Chef Lisa]

You know, I don't. Well, that's a really interesting thing you're saying, because I think we all get ideas from other restaurants that we go and other chefs. But I feel like travel inspires the interpretations of the things that I really love to create. And when I go to other countries or to other places, I fall in love with the culture of their food. And I try to interpret it in my own way and just be authentic to what I feel the food wants to say to the guest.

[Sean]

So you do a lot of traveling to get inspiration?

[Chef Lisa]

I wish I could say I got to do as much as I really want. But I'm allowing more for myself. We went to South America before building Mariposa. I've been to Italy quite a few times.

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[Chef Lisa]

Inspiration for my Italian Restaurants I love traveling more than anything I can think of, but with six restaurants and over 300 employees, I don't just get to go whenever I want, but I choose the times when business is slower and I know that I can get away and really inspire new ideas.

[Sean]

I love that I gotta get out to Italy. I heard it's amazing out there.

[Chef Lisa]

Oh you would love it. And your fiance should go there for sure.

[Sean]

Yeah, we're looking at honeymoon spots. That's an option.

[Chef Lisa]

Oh yeah. Oh and there's so many different regions, but my significant other and myself Got to go in September. And we focus mostly in Tuscany and in Umbria, and those are the areas that I just. I love. I resonate with the culture of the food, the earthiness, the just, you know, I'm a chef that really likes simpler foods. I like very simple, soulful foods. No matter what type of food I'm doing, I'm not as trendy as many other chefs out there that, you know, just combine so many different ingredients. I really focus on the quality of the sourcing of where everything is grown and try to keep it as close to where we live.

[Sean]

I love that.

[Chef Lisa]

Yeah. And you probably tasted that when you were at Mariposa.

[Sean]

I could tell.

[Chef Lisa]

Did you have a lot of great salads? What did you.

[Sean]

Yeah, I made sure I got a salad every. Every time. Got the burgers good. Sandwiches were phenomenal.

[Chef Lisa]

Oh, great.

[Sean]

You had one dish with scallops. Oh, my God, yes.

[Chef Lisa]

Scallops on the ajija marillo.

[Sean]

Yeah.

[Chef Lisa]

And with the mango salsa.

[Sean]

And by the way, best cheesecake I've ever had.

[Chef Lisa]

Oh, you're cute. I love it. Yeah.

[Sean]

My best friend is a cheesecake lover, and we try out cheesecakes from across the country, and I sent him that one to try out.

[Chef Lisa]

Oh, did you send it to, like.

[Sean]

I sent him the restaurant.

[Chef Lisa]

Oh, yes.

[Sean]

So when he's in Sedona, he's going to try it.

[Chef Lisa]

Oh, wonderful. Now you have to give him my contact because we have a lot of different cheesecakes. My very favorite one is in my Italian restaurants. It's a limoncello cheesecake. That is amazing. It's, like, just supercharged. Everyone says it's. It's like, their very favorite. So you have to come back. You've got a lot more food to try.

[Sean]

I do have to come back. Well, how'd you learn how to make a good cheesecake? Because that's a hard.

[Chef Lisa]

You know, I do. Well, what I actually do is I take things that are, like, tried and true. So I've had the same cheesecake base for years, and I took my mother's original cheesecake, which was really a New York cheesecake or just absolutely perfectly balanced.

[Sean]

And.

[Chef Lisa]

And then seasonally, we do different variations, and, you know, each restaurant, it has a flair of its own. So doing the limoncello in Italian restaurant is perfect. Doing prickly pear in a Latin inspired restaurant works great. And then we just change throughout the seasons to just have fun. A dulce de leche cheesecake is amazing. A butterfly burger.

[Sean]

Hmm.

[Chef Lisa]

So. But if you have great bases, then you make a Canvas of different things. But it's not like you have to redesign the entire thing. And that's kind of how I choose to do my, my foundations in my six restaurants. Because if we were constantly changing, it would be very difficult, especially in the world.

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[Chef Lisa]

Well, now where labor is very challenging, right?

[Sean]

Yeah, that's an issue right now of finding good labor.

[Chef Lisa]

Oh, it's always been a big issue in a small town like Sedona, right.

[Sean]

Because only 10,000 people live there, right?

[Chef Lisa]

Exactly, exactly. But it's exacerbated a lot since the pandemic. And, you know, it's coming back, but still for the volume of the guests that we serve every year, we're always looking for great people, to say the least. And pastry chefs are, you know, I've got the greatest pastry chef ever. He's been with me 10 years.

[Sean]

Wow.

[Chef Lisa]

He's very young. He was taught by two master pastry chefs that were kind of his mentors. And he and I, you know, we just jive very well together. We always think in the same way. I was just thinking about it the other day that, you know, in 10 years, I've never even had an argument with him. I mean, we are just really kind.

[Sean]

Of like soul might be soulmates.

[Chef Lisa]

Yeah, we could be.

[Sean]

Yeah.

[Chef Lisa]

He is married to someone that works in my company, but he's. He's brilliant. But what he does that's amazing is to imagine with a crew of only three other people that work with him to. To facilitate that am the amount of desserts that we offer in our Six restaurants is quite a lot of volume, and you have to really know how to do the production in a way that is, it's organized, but you're still putting that love into each and every item. And so he's a very rare character because pastry chefs are known to be a little. A little bit. What is the word? I would say temperamental.

[Sean]

Are they? I didn't know that.

[Chef Lisa]

Oh, they are. Well, they get up at the crack of dawn. You know, who wants to do that? They get into the restaurants at like 4 or 5 o' clock in the morning to get out. And then in our case, our pastry chef is working out of one of our kitchens, so we don't have separate commissary. When you think of the diversity that we do on the menus, with everything from specialty panna cotta, tiramisu, different cheesecakes, all kinds of seasonal things, it's a lot. And yet he's never in a cross mood. He's always just very like a little boot.

[Sean]

Wow. Shout out to him. That's impressive. Managing six restaurants with a staff of three, that's hundreds of desserts a day.

[Chef Lisa]

I would say that we definitely have over a thousand, maybe two thousand desserts in the high season going out every week.

[Sean]

Holy crap.

[Chef Lisa]

Oh, yes. And he makes a dough for the focaccia and he makes the dough for the empanadas. So it's a lot. Yeah.

[Sean]

That's insane. Shout out to him.

[Chef Lisa]

I will, I will. His name is Marco Soto.

[Sean]

Shout out to you, Marco. When I was reading the. You have like an information thing at Mariposa, and I remember you said, like, you cook with love.

[Chef Lisa]

Yes.

[Sean]

And that really stuck with me. I believe there's an energetic component to food.

[Chef Lisa]

Oh, I really do. The mantra is, when you cook with love, you feed the soul. And that's really, you know, it sounds very woo woo, but it actually is very intentional. And I do think that you can really feel and taste the energy in the food. You know, I've. I've been doing this for nearly 30 years. Last year in our restaurants, we served 500,000 guests. Wow. And we had such incredible reviews. And so many people just, they love it. They love the restaurants, they love Sedona, and they love the energy of the food because they know what they're going to get and they know it's truly infused with love. And I'm sure that, you know that I lost my son in the Bay Area, and that's what guided me to come to Sedona and really review my life and start over with meaning in a way that I never had. So cooking became like a salvation for me.

[Sean]

Wow. I love that. He'd be so proud of you if he saw what you were doing now.

[Chef Lisa]

I just know. I honestly think he does see what I'm doing. I mean that in the bottom of my heart. I think that he's kind of, like, on the other side, guiding me through many of the things that I've fortunately accomplished through the love that comes through me from him.

[Sean]

Spirit guide.

[Chef Lisa]

Yes. I do believe so much.

[Sean]

I believe in that too.

[Chef Lisa]

And, you know, I mean, I was told many years ago that we've had multiple lives together, and it kind of makes sense that, you know, he is and I have aligned together over many lifetimes. And, you know, I. I don't doubt that. It just kind of feels like it fits.

[Sean]

I just found that out with my mother, too. Yeah. My psychic told me we're. We're like soulmates. We've had, like, 100 lives together. Something like that.

[Chef Lisa]

My God.

[Sean]

Yeah. Like, I was her parent in a past life. Now she's my parent.

[Chef Lisa]

And I heard that too.

[Sean]

Yeah.

[Chef Lisa]

You know, and I'm not surprised, because he's teaching me every day.

[Sean]

Mm. I love that. So is the goal to keep expanding? I know you have a new concept you're working on, right?

[Chef Lisa]

Well, I have butterfly burger, and it's amazing. And it opened right before COVID six months before. It went through hardship, like all the restaurants around the country, but in a small town like ours, when all your employees are gone and you have to kind of regroup, start over. And now it's just never been better. People come from all over and just. They're in love with it. It's very unique. It's not just the burgers. It's. It's more. It's a very sexy lounge. I call it couture. It's next level, and it has something for everyone. It's not just about the meat, but the meat that's sourced is the best quality. And we have wonderful lettuce wraps with mahi mahi teriyaki. There's something for everyone. Vegan vegetarian burgers and things like that. But it is a unique concept that I haven't really seen out there. And we're feeling like we're really ready to start stepping out of Sedona.

[Sean]

I love that.

[Chef Lisa]

So you're in many years. I've been asked to go into the Phoenix marketplace, which is huge for years and years, but I think I just kept falling more in love with locations in Sedona. But now I really think that it's a new time. It's a very special paradigm right now. And everything is telling me intuitively that it's a good time to get it out there before I love it. Anything happens.

[Sean]

I hope you come to Vegas one day, personally, selfishly.

[Chef Lisa]

And I'm going to tell you this, and I'm kind of upset, of course, that you didn't get to try it, but I know you're just four and a half hours away, but Vegas really speaks to me for this concept. It is meant for Vegas. It really is such an amazing concept of everything it has with an incredibly gorgeous, sexy bar. But it's the food. The food is off the charts. It's different. It's not like a typical burger place that you would imagine. I have probably about 12 different burger styles so far. And they're all unique, and they have ethnic influences to each one of them. But they. They are served with what I call my buddy sauces and buddy sides. So every time that you get any type of sandwich, it comes with one of our signature sides that are really. They're just delicious. They're like most wonderful homemade, like the best potato salad or marinated butter beans and things like that that come with it and make it really just, you know, you walk out of the place and you're like, oh, my God, I can't eat it. I love the meal of the day.

[Sean]

We need that in Vegas.

[Chef Lisa]

Yes, it is. And because the beef is. It's my favorite beef that I'm using, the blend is a brisket blend, but it's also all natural, so you don't feel weighted down. And also, I put a lot of thought into the beef choice being humanely slaughtered so that, you know that the animals did not suffer when they were tough.

[Sean]

Stress.

[Chef Lisa]

That's right. And that. That goes right through all the hormones shooting through the system. It's. It's a different. It's a different feeling. So you can eat a burger once in a while and feel really good about it. But the neat thing about this place also is that there's. There's just wonderful other options in case someone doesn't want meat at all. So that's one of the other things I think that people would love in Vegas.

[Sean]

Please bring out here, because I am getting a little sick of in and out.

[Chef Lisa]

Well, we couldn't be any different. I really admire the model of restaurant chains that keep it very clean that are those type of concepts that have multiple units. You Know, like an in and out. I think it's. I think it's one of the best. It's out there, but this is so different. This is really a next level. And, yeah, I think people will fall in love with it when it gets out into the bigger market.

[Sean]

Yeah. I can't wait for that. You have a documentary, right?

[Chef Lisa]

A short film documentary just came out for Sedona Film Festival.

[Sean]

Nice.

[Chef Lisa]

That was in February, and it's really poignant. Did you get a chance to watch it?

[Sean]

I did watch it. Yeah.

[Chef Lisa]

Did you enjoy it?

[Sean]

Yeah, I was tearing up. I mean, what. What a journey. Yeah. You've been through a lot.

[Chef Lisa]

Yeah, yeah. And, you know, it's inspiring. People. People are telling us that they just. They, you know, that broke him down, but yet it lifted him up at the same time.

[Sean]

Yeah, yeah, you didn't. Whoever, like, made that did so well with the cinematography on it.

[Chef Lisa]

That's the photographer and cinematographer. Eric Wolfinger is a genius. He's an amazing food photographer, especially. I don't know if you felt the way others have said, but they got starving watching that film. Did you?

[Sponsor]

I might have got a little hungry.

[Sean]

Now, I think about it. Yeah.

[Chef Lisa]

Yeah. Watch it again. You'll get very hungry. But he is. It was magical working with him and very intimate. A lot of the interviews were very emotional, but we were in all the kitchens together. It was really quite something. And you saw that his cinematography of Sedona was absolutely breathtaking.

[Sean]

Yeah, it was. Yeah. I like how honest and vulnerable you got. You know, you showed all the ups, all the downs. Because a lot of people glorify. They don't show the downs ever.

[Chef Lisa]

Exactly. Yeah. You know, my backstory stays with me every day, and I really feel that I'm blessed to be able to do the work that I do in this business. And the business is very demanding. It's like, I sometimes feel like we need an eighth day of the week, quite honestly.

[Sean]

It's probably one of the toughest industries.

[Chef Lisa]

It really is. But it's an industry and a business that just continues to give back. You know, you're always getting to work with young people and mentor them. I'm always hoping that maybe rubbing off on the younger people will keep our industry not going backwards and turning into just, like, where food is mechanical. We want to keep our passion, you know, as. As why we do what we do and keep the culture to be real.

[Sean]

Yeah, I actually like that because there's. There's AI bartenders in Vegas now, and soon there'll be AI Chefs. But the food won't have the energy.

[Chef Lisa]

There's no way it could have the energy. And that, you know, I feel like if that day comes, I'm done. I won't be.

[Sean]

It's coming.

[Chef Lisa]

It is coming.

[Sean]

Fast food's going to be first, I think. I think they're going to go first, and then eventually restaurants.

[Chef Lisa]

Of course it's going to happen, but I think that they'll always be the people that really want the most wholesome food to digest. And these box concepts, you know, they're. They're taking up so much of the real estate of the ecosystem, you know, and really, I just hope that I don't see that day.

[Sean]

Yeah.

[Chef Lisa]

Anytime soon, at least.

[Sean]

No, it's scary because I just checked into my hotel in Miami. I was there for F1 Miami last week, and it was A.I.

[Chef Lisa]

Oh, my goodness.

[Sean]

Yeah, it gave me a blank hotel card. I scanned it on the computer.

[Chef Lisa]

Wow.

[Sean]

No one helped me.

[Chef Lisa]

That's. That's. That's where we're getting. That's where it's going.

[Sean]

And I was at the airport on the way home to Vegas. The wheelchairs are AI now, so there's no one pushing it anymore. The wheelchair shows up to your gate automatically.

[Chef Lisa]

Unbelievable.

[Sean]

Isn't that crazy?

[Chef Lisa]

Like, really crazy. But cars are AI Yeah.

[Sean]

Waymo.

[Chef Lisa]

Self driving, you know, I mean, we shouldn't doubt that it's happening.

[Sean]

Sedona will probably be hit a lot.

[Chef Lisa]

Like last, I would imagine.

[Sean]

Yeah. Because you guys are very spiritual over there. You don't really like that stuff.

[Chef Lisa]

Very strict. I mean, our. Our city council is very strict, even about light ordinances and sound ordinances. We're very protective.

[Sean]

Yeah, you guys shut down early over there.

[Chef Lisa]

Well, we don't shut down as early as you might think. My restaurants actually stay open until 10. Sometimes. I can't even get a reservation in New York as late as we will stay open. But it's not that, you know, we have so many visitors. We have almost 4 million, 3 to 4 million a year that pass through. Not all of them are staying over, but our biggest concern is that they don't litter our trails and that they honor our beauty and, you know, pick up their trash and all the things that we see. The more that we attract those people, the more we have to be very speaking to the culture of do not trash our environment.

[Sean]

Yeah, I didn't know that was an issue.

[Chef Lisa]

Oh, it's a big issue.

[Sean]

People are just leaving their trash.

[Chef Lisa]

I was really shocked when I was on the Sedona Chamber of tourism for a period of time. And unbeknownst to me, people would be like leaving bags of dirty diapers and all kinds of things. I've noticed lately there's a little Tesla station in one of the plazas by my restaurant, Cucina Rustica. And every time I walk by, I notice that there's more and more trash that people just feel that they can just dump and leave. Wow, it's really.

[Sean]

That's mind blowing to me.

[Chef Lisa]

It is. It's really. It's really sad.

[Sean]

That's a shame. Yeah. Because I believe in karma, so I don't believe in harming nature because that's going to get back to you.

[Chef Lisa]

Better believe it.

[Sean]

Yeah, 100%. That blows my mind.

[Chef Lisa]

Yeah. And there's actually, you know, through the chamber of commerce, they have different volunteers that actually go up into the canyon and they go out to all the beautiful trail sites and they pick up bags and bags and bags of refuse. Yeah. You wouldn't imagine that people would be that mindless.

[Sean]

That's crazy. It's so ironic because you're hiking in nature. Why would you want to destroy it? You know what I mean?

[Chef Lisa]

Can't imagine.

[Sean]

That's a shame. Well, let's. We'll link below some charity stuff for that. People want to volunteer?

[Chef Lisa]

Yeah, absolutely.

[Sean]

Next time I come out there, I'll help out.

[Chef Lisa]

Oh, that's amazing. And I'll introduce you to this woman that met recently and hoping that she will join forces with me on my non for profit. But she actually has volunteers that travel and come from around, all over the country, from the world. And she gets them involved in things like this, like picking up trash and things. And they. They actually feel so good that they're coming to a place that they can make more beautiful.

[Sean]

I love that.

[Chef Lisa]

Kind of a great concept. I'll introduce you to.

[Sean]

Yeah, please. Thank you. You going on any shows anytime soon? I know you were on Bobby Flay.

[Chef Lisa]

I was on Bobby Flay a number of years ago. I don't really have plans to go on any show unless somehow something is in the works.

[Sean]

Gordon Ramsay makes the call.

[Chef Lisa]

Well, if he makes a call, that would be interesting. Yeah, I don't really fish for that type of thing. There's a lot of stress involved. But it's also another learning experience. When you put yourself on the line for something that you know is really gonna make you really intense, you learn what you could do better the next time.

[Sean]

Yeah, you're right, though. That is the opposite of your cooking style.

[Chef Lisa]

Oh, yes, exactly.

[Sean]

High Stress environment.

[Chef Lisa]

Yeah. You know, I really feel like cooking fast. You know, I love that expression, slow food, because trying to see how fast you can cook something is not the name of the game. And that is what most of the shows promote. It's a short time frame to do what you have to do. So those adrenaline and the stress builds up in a way, when I think cooking with love takes time, and it's better to not try to make it something that you have to speed to do. Just like I speak about my soups, when you immerse yourself in making a brilliant soup, something that is going to really resonate with thousands of people, it's like you want to take the time to go through all the stages and watch each stage of it emerge. And so it's not something that I really see a value for myself in how quickly I can cook something. Although, you know, I do have a competitive nature. And I Going back a little bit to Butterfly Burger, I was involved in burger battles in Scottsdale, and they were pretty big deals because we had about 800 to 1,000 people that we presented our burgers. And I was awarded the highest awards three years in a row. And that's why Bobby Flay show came to me, because of that reputation. And that wasn't really about how fast you cook. But it's also all the steps that you need to take to have the best tasting, most moist, most creative, most delicious burger out of a number of other burger concepts that are established as burger concepts. And at the time I did it, I didn't have a burger concept. So it was winning those three years that made me really want to take it seriously.

[Sean]

Wow.

[Chef Lisa]

Very cool.

[Sean]

I gotta try your burger now. I didn't know you would go nuts.

[Chef Lisa]

Yeah. And so what you had at Mariposa, I have less burger varieties.

[Sean]

Yeah.

[Chef Lisa]

But I started it there. And at Butterfly Burger, I have all kinds of whimsical, fun burgers that all, you know, speak to different people's palates.

[Sean]

I love that.

[Chef Lisa]

Oh, yeah.

[Sean]

You mentioned your mom earlier. Was she the first one that taught you how to cook?

[Chef Lisa]

She influenced me. My mom, my grandmother, and my nanny. Quite honestly, my mother is a working woman. She had women's clothing stores, and she's very much a pioneer and a woman entrepreneur. Before, it was very common. She had four kids and she was a great cook. She learned that from her mother, who's my grandma, who is a wonderful cook. Very American influence, but very high quality, lots of flavor in our food. We never had artificial foods. We never got to really even eat junk food and things. So we were fortunate to have very good quality meals. But my mom was always at work. Even sometimes, like on Christmas, she wouldn't get home until like 10 o' clock at night. But we had great food and we were fortunate to have incredible, like a substitute mom. Her name was Barbara and she was from the South. She was born in Georgia. And so she taught me all kinds of soul food and things that I wasn't really having in my own meals with my family. And. And so between my mother, my grandmother and, and my nanny, I got to eat a lot of really great food.

[Sean]

I love that.

[Chef Lisa]

Yeah, very soulful.

[Sean]

That makes sense because your restaurants are very different. You have a lot of different cuisines, right?

[Chef Lisa]

Yes.

[Sean]

So that's impressive that you could pull that off.

[Chef Lisa]

Well, and Italian is, you know, is my favorite. And make no bones about it. I love. I love the simplicity of the. Using the best quality ingredients. But the Italian style is. It resonates the most with me. I could eat Italian every day. You know, I can't eat a steak or a burger every day, but I could think of different things that I want to have in Italian every day. And I eat Italian more than anything else. Italian, Mediterranean. But that's how I began. And I had lived in the Bay Area for many years, and even though I wasn't a professional chef, I was inspired by very much by the California cuisine and the interpretation of the Italian restaurants that I went to all the time in San Francisco. So when I became a chef in my first restaurant, and me and my boyfriend at the time was from Rome, we teamed up and we started cooking together. And we, you know, I was making the sauces and the soups, the vegetables and things like that. And he was doing his style of saute, which is very delicate and light. We live by that still to this day. People just started talking. And there were a few restaurants in Sedona at the time, not very many. And all of a sudden, we just kept getting busier and busier and busier, and that's how it all began.

[Sean]

Wow. So you didn't even know Sedona was going to blow up like, the way it did.

[Chef Lisa]

Well, it's 29 years and, you know, I always felt like after coming from Marin county, which is one of the most beautiful places in the world, but in California, of course, and coming to Sedona and seeing how magical and stunning it was, it's like, how could people not end up wanting to really discover what it's all about? And the Magic of it. And especially at that time, we weren't known for culinary. We really didn't have a great culinary presence. I feel very fortunate that the Arizona Restaurant association and my peers in the industry awarded me the 2019 food pioneer.

[Sean]

Wow.

[Chef Lisa]

And of Arizona. It was a big, big thing. And 2018, I was awarded the Top Chef, which really shocked me, because till then, I don't think that people thought of Sedona as really a place for fabulous food. So those honors are the highest that I could ever receive. We are really. We kind of help put the culinary on the map. In Sedona. It used to be the kind of place that people thought of. Oh, we'll go up, we'll do a hike, we'll drive through, go to the Grand Canyon. They didn't really stay because they didn't have all the assets that we do have in Sedona. Now we've got resorts that are world renowned, and it's growing all the time. I'm always questioning, well, where are we going to find the people to work in these places? I think that'll be the biggest challenge. But I'm very content with what I've done there. And it grows all the time in terms of, you know, contentment, satisfaction, in terms of. We have made our mark in Sedona, will continue. But I do think that that's enough restaurants in Sedona for me. You know, I've done all the concepts that I've dreamed of, and they're all thriving. My first restaurant is, you know, it's my baby. It's like your first child, of course, who was awarded the Trip Advisor best of the best in 2024 for top 1% most romantic date night restaurants in the U.S. wow. Which one's a big one? That's Dal and Teluca. We call it D and D. And here it is, nearly 30 and winning some of the top awards that you can achieve.

[Sean]

Well done.

[Chef Lisa]

You've got to check them all out. I mean, you'll love the energy. Each one. Excuse me. Each restaurant has, like, a soul of its own. They have their own personalities. Some of them are, you know, older restaurants that I rehabbed, like Dal and DeLuca was a Sonic Burger. No one can believe it. And Pisa Lisa was an old Pizza Hut. So each one of them that was built in, in a structure that already existed, it brings a soul. And I try to honor that soul and let that creativity come through me. When designing restaurants, it's, you know, they don't all have views. I quite honestly never thought I'D have a view. And maripusa came about because of the reputation of the other restaurants, and it paved the way. And it's gorgeous. It's so drop dead beautiful.

[Sean]

That view's amazing.

[Chef Lisa]

You know, that restaurant was an old real estate building, and we pretty much tore it down and started over.

[Sean]

Yeah, highly recommend that one, guys. We'll link everything below, but Mariposa has my heart for sure.

[Chef Lisa]

Thank you.

[Sean]

What's next? Where could people find you and keep up with you and everything?

[Chef Lisa]

Well, we have a new website. It's really great. Chef. Lisadal.com, of course. On Instagram. Lisa Dal Sedona. Our social media is growing all the time, and we are growing. I just. I just hope that people come and visit us.

[Sean]

Please visit. God.

[Chef Lisa]

You want to come in the slow season? That's. It's. You know, everyone wants to come in the same months of the year, right? Spring and fall, gorgeous months. But winter is amazing there. And I don't care if they don't come in the summer, because summer is pretty hot like it is here in Vegas. Not quite as hot. Fortunate that we have a lovely evening environment, so we always cool down into, like, the 60s at night. Patios, superb in all the restaurants, but we'd love to have more visitors in the winter.

[Sean]

That's when I came.

[Chef Lisa]

Enchanting time.

[Sean]

Yeah. I took advantage of it. That's when I came.

[Chef Lisa]

And we didn't have very much snow this year. That was a fort. It was very unfortunate. We got some at the very end of the season. We got to see the beautiful. Call it almost like a powdered sugar that just sticks in the crevices of the rocks. But it was very fleeting. But now the rainy season is coming, and everything will flourish. And it's just. I'm very blessed to have been able to be on the show.

[Sean]

Thanks for coming on. That was beautiful.

[Chef Lisa]

Thank you, Sean. I really appreciate it.

[Sean]

Of course. Check out the website, guys, and I'll see you next time.