The Fit and Fabulous Podcast – Episode 110: Pluck with Professional Chef James Barry

Host: Dr. Jaime Seeman, M.D.
Guest: Chef James Barry
Date: November 8, 2024

Episode Overview

This episode dives deep into the practical ways we can improve our nutrition, the journey of Chef James Barry from celebrity private chef to health-focused food innovator, and a particular focus on making organ meats accessible and palatable for families. The heart of the discussion centers around Chef Barry’s product, Pluck, an organ-based seasoning aimed at effortless health upgrades for any meal.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Chef James Barry’s Culinary Journey

• Early Life and Inspiration

  • Grew up in a household with “smoke detector” meals (02:02).
  • Transitioned from a standard American diet to cooking after 9/11, which “rocked” him and made him re-evaluate life priorities (02:41).
  • Culinary school experience: “It was almost like the stars aligned—I was putting out 100%, getting back 200%” (03:11).
  • Manifestation stories: “I would literally think, ‘I want to cook for a band,’ and two weeks later, a call would come” (03:34).

• Celebrity Chef Stories

  • Worked with Tom Cruise, Barbra Streisand, John Cusack, and others; signed NDAs but shared fun, anonymous anecdotes.
    • “I was blessed by one of the celebrities…they came back with a shaman and myself and his assistant got blessed. That was pretty wild.” (04:37)
    • “I was at one client’s house when Obama won his second term…and the client got texted by Obama” (05:18).
    • Cooking for Tom Cruise: “People always ask, ‘How tall is he?’ But when you’re standing in front of Tom Cruise, all you think is, ‘Holy moly, I’m talking to Maverick!’” (06:02).

2. Nutrition Trends Among Celebrities

• Following Trends, Not Uniqueness

  • “A lot of them are just following whatever the trend is at the time” (07:56).
  • Example: The Fat Flush Diet, Master Cleanse (low-fat, low-calorie fads).
  • “I would do the diet myself so I could understand it and be proficient at cooking for it” (08:29).

• Commitment to Real Food

  • “Everything had to be made from scratch. I definitely gravitated more towards low carb, but…be an omnivore, all made from scratch, as low sugar as possible, and just low [ultra] processed foods” (09:56).
  • Importance of homemade dressings and sauces: “If you can just do that, you’ll see such a difference” (10:50).
  • Shared a simple template for homemade ranch dressing using ratios (11:25, 12:04).

• Quote:

  • “If you want a health product that becomes lifestyle, it really has to hit two markers: it’s got to be delicious and it’s got to be easy” (14:07).

3. Shifting to Primal and Ancestral Eating

• Catalyst for Change
  • Personal health wake-up call: kidney stone led to food awareness (15:36–16:46).
  • Standard college diet of “pizza and root beer” (16:48).
  • Realization: “What we eat affects our health. I was in my early 20s and I still did not know that. I’ve met 40-year-olds that still don’t know that” (16:46).
• Cooking Philosophy
  • “How do I support human nature? How do I make comfort foods healthier?” (18:12).

4. Family and Kids: Creating Healthy Eaters

• Tips for Healthy Eating in Children (19:55–23:16)

  • “The buck stops here…you have to be the boss of what you let into your kitchen” (20:15).
  • Involve kids at every step: meal planning, grocery shopping, cooking.
  • Avoid making separate “kid meals”: “You cook what you want your family to eat” (23:16).

• Quotes:

  • “Health should not be for the wealthy, but it typically is. And we have to own that” (23:55).

• Food Boundaries:

  • “Kids want a boundary. The energy you put on it is up to you, but it doesn’t have to be what you think it has to be” (20:39).

• Developing Palates:

  • Introduce new flavors (sour, bitter, umami), even starting during pregnancy (“fetal programming”) (25:04–26:25).
  • “If you think about it, we are stuck in the chords of salty sweets. That’s where we’re stuck” (26:21).
  • Use “diluted” flavor introductions—like kraut juice in purees (27:35).

5. Reconnecting With Food Origins

• Processing and Appreciation
  • Discussed ancestral food processing and how detachment from food processing has eroded appreciation (27:53).
• How Over What
  • “There’s so much focus on what are you eating, but how are you eating is more important” (28:57).
  • Importance of proper preparation—soaking, sprouting, fermenting grains/veggies (29:38).

6. The Lingual Neural Response & Mindful Eating

• Definition and Significance
  • “Our bodies communicate through a process called the lingual neural response... the act of eating your food, mindfully chewing and allowing your body to communicate to your brain” (31:49–33:35).
  • Eating too quickly or swallowing supplements: “We are basically bypassing this neural response that’s been shaped for hundreds, thousands of years” (33:03).
• Barry’s Food Pyramid
  • Top: natural flavors from real foods
  • Middle: ancestral, nutrient dense foods
  • Base: mindful eating (34:24–34:57)
• Quote:
  • “There’s one person in the relationship of our existence that will never lie to us…it’s our body” (35:14).
  • “Let your body direct you. If it’s not working, your body will tell you” (35:51).

7. Organ Meats: Pluck and the Multivitamin of Nature

• Developing Pluck

  • Motivation: how to get nutrient-dense foods into his kids (39:53).
  • Pluck: “Freeze-dried powdered from 100% grass fed cows — liver, heart, kidney, spleen, and pancreas — combined with herbs and spices” (40:20).
  • “If you can salt it, you can Pluck it”—use on anything from Mac and cheese to pizza and popcorn (40:45).
  • Emphasis on taste and ease: “I want health to be a lifestyle. I want things we do a little bit each day, but effortlessly, and get big gains” (41:31).

• Host Experience

  • Dr. Jaime: “I put a pretty decent ratio [of Pluck]…and my kids were like, ‘Oh, this is good.’ Nobody even noticed it was there” (43:21).

8. Rapid Fire Q&A (46:18–54:43)

• Cookware:
  • James prefers gas (by default), uses both stainless and cast iron, avoids nonstick (48:16–49:31).
• Cooking Fats:
  • Top choices: ghee and lard; duck fat for potatoes; tallow for baking (49:40–52:07).
  • “Duck fat and potato were destined to be together” (50:11).
• Last Meal:
  • “Really good steak—a filet mignon with a compound butter made with Pluck” (53:36).

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• “When you’re standing in front of Tom Cruise, you’re not thinking how tall he is. You’re thinking, ‘Holy moly, I’m talking to Maverick!’” — Chef James Barry (06:02)
• "What we eat affects our health. I was in my early 20s and I still did not know that. I’ve met 40-year-olds that still don’t know that." — Chef James Barry (16:46)
• "If you let your body direct you...if it’s not working, your body will tell you. You won’t sleep well, your skin will break out, you’ll have headaches..." — Chef James Barry (35:51)
• "If you want a health product that becomes lifestyle, it really has to hit two markers: it’s got to be delicious and it’s got to be easy." — Chef James Barry (14:07)
• “If you can salt it, you can Pluck it.” — Chef James Barry (40:45)

Key Timestamps for Important Segments

• 02:02–03:11: Chef Barry’s culinary origin story and 9/11’s impact
• 04:37–06:45: Celebrity chef stories
• 07:56–09:56: What celebrities eat & nutrition trends
• 11:25–13:04: Homemade dressing formulas
• 15:36–18:12: Personal health awakening and comfort foods
• 19:55–24:29: Strategies for raising healthy eaters
• 25:04–29:41: Palate development, ancestral foodways, Bill Schindler’s perspective
• 31:49–36:28: The lingual neural response & the importance of mindful eating
• 39:53–44:00: Intro to Pluck, marketing organ meats to families
• 46:18–54:43: Rapid-fire questions: cookware, fats, and the ultimate last meal

Resources & Where to Find Pluck

• Pluck Website: eatpluck.com
• Amazon: Search "organ meat seasoning" or "Pluck"
• Socials:
  • @eatpluck
  • @chefjamesbarry

Tone & Takeaways

Warm, humorous, candid, and practical, this episode emphasizes empowerment through knowledge, reconnecting with our food, gentle persistence in family health changes, and the value of rooted, ancestral nutrition—without food shaming or dogma. Chef James Barry’s approachable wisdom provides actionable tips, especially for parents and anyone wanting to stealthily boost their nutrient intake. Chef Barry’s Pluck seasoning is presented as an innovation born from both his chef’s palate and a parent’s practicality.

For anyone seeking a sustainable, real-food approach—without overwhelm or elitism—this episode is a must-listen.