My BBQ Pit Madam - Winnie Yee

Summary

---

Tosh Show with Daniel Tosh

Episode: My BBQ Pit Madam - Winnie Yee
Release Date: August 26, 2025
Guest: Winnie Yee, Chef and Owner of Smoke Queen Barbecue

---

Episode Overview

Daniel Tosh welcomes chef and pitmaster Winnie Yee, the entrepreneurial force behind Smoke Queen Barbecue. The episode dives into Winnie’s journey from a corporate career to fusing Texan low-and-slow barbecue with her Malaysian-Chinese roots in Southern California. They discuss the realities of starting and sustaining a food business during the pandemic, how heritage informs innovation, and what it takes to thrive in the competitive world of barbecue as an Asian woman. Daniel brings his signature irreverent humor, with playful banter spanning food, family, entrepreneurship, and cultural expectations.

---

Key Topics & Discussion Points

1. Quick Barbecue Mastery and the Start of a Culinary Journey

[01:20, 24:01]

• Daniel asks how long it took Winnie to go from burning her first brisket to selling it.
  Winnie: “Maybe like two, three weeks? My first week.”
  Daniel marvels:

  “I just want everyone that thinks that it takes forever to figure out how to barbecue to hear that.”
  – [24:04]

• Winnie’s first brisket was a disaster, but she was motivated to “not be defeated by that piece of meat.” She used pandemic meat shortages as a challenge to master smoking brisket at home.
  [19:51, 19:59, 20:21]

2. Childhood, Heritage, and Food Roots

[11:30 – 14:43]

• Winnie shares her Malaysian-Chinese upbringing, moving to Garden Grove, CA at age 6.

• Home cooking was primarily Chinese/Malaysian, with curries and Indian flavor integration.

• Daniel muses on U.S. food diversity:

  “I couldn’t…whatever you want to call American food…if you had me eat that every day, I’d lose my mind.” – [13:24]

• Winnie highlights Southern California’s authentic multi-ethnic cuisine:

  “We can…not just diluted white Chinese food or diluted Mexican food. It’s actually authentic.” – [14:08]

3. From Corporate Life, Culinary School, and Franchises to Barbecue

[15:00 – 18:20]

• After UCLA (Econ degree), Winnie leaves a Target corporate job, attends then drops out of culinary school (“I got really bored making muffins…wanted to make masterpieces!” – [16:04]).
• Runs hotel gift shops and multiple franchises (Sbarro, Baja Fresh, Submarina) but finds the franchise model unfulfilling:

  “A lot of franchises are in the business of selling franchises and not selling the actual product. That’s the problem with the franchise model.” – [17:47]

• The pandemic closes her stores overnight, losing thousands in inventory.

4. Pandemic Hustle & Reinventing Herself as Pitmaster

[18:20 – 23:38]

• Shutdown sparks Winnie’s creativity—gardening, hydroponics, chocolate bombs—until a meat shortage inspires her to finally use her smoker.
• She starts selling barbecue from home, first to friends, soon via a website and parking lot drop-offs.
• “My hater neighbor reported me”—health department and city intervene, but she bypasses shutdown by leveraging her restaurant permits.

  “I have a safe certification. I know how to handle food…It’s not like…I’m a mechanic and all of a sudden I don’t know how to handle raw meats.” – [23:05]

5. Building Smoke Queen and Barbecue Philosophy

[26:45, 37:03]

• Invests ~$16,000 in a 500-gallon smoker, likening the commitment to “an expensive gym membership.”

• Sells 2,000–3,000 pounds of meat weekly; brisket smokes overnight for top flavor and texture.

• Winnie custom-orders shorter smokers to suit her height, acknowledging the physical demands.

• Daniel:

  “You picked the heaviest of the cooking…I mean…how are you physically moving some of these meats around?” – [29:23]

• Demystifies regions & gender in barbecue:

  “People are looking at barbecue the wrong way. They think it’s a cuisine. I think it’s more of a technique…You can take it in any cultural direction.” – [37:03]

6. Sides, Menu Creativity & the Business Model

[31:16 – 34:19]

• Winnie develops unique sides, like sesame slaw (no mayo) and tallow fries (rendered brisket fat fries).
• All menu items are a la carte, which Daniel praises (“I don’t like to pick two [sides]” – [31:56]).
• Most beloved dish:
  Winnie: “It would be the pork belly char siu…my ADHD kicked in when I was starting to sell barbecue…tried to find something I can recreate with the American smoking technique.” – [30:34]

7. Navigating Cultural & Gender Stereotypes

[36:45 – 37:28]

• Daniel notes barbecue’s “manly” reputation, probes for backlash. Winnie laughs it off:

  “How often weekly are men telling you you’re doing it wrong?”
  “Initially…comments on my reels or Yelp reviews…once a week or so.” – [37:28]

• On Yelp:

  “Customers don’t give us a chance to fix anything…But…I do get a lot of new customers…so it is a necessary evil.” – [37:36]

8. Family, Community, and Recognition

[25:33 – 26:45; 38:03 – 39:10]

• Winnie’s parents were initially skeptical but became proud after seeing her popup’s success. Her dad offered to buy her a truck—his way of saying “I’m proud of you.”

• Winnie’s kids love her food, with her young daughter demanding brisket:

  “She would look and say, where’s the brisket?” – [39:10]

• Diverse clientele: roughly half Asian, 30% Hispanic, 20% Caucasian, “add 10%” for Black customers.

9. TV Fame and a New Book

[41:40 – 44:02]

• Appeared on “Chopped” and “Barbecue Brawl with Bobby Flay”—finalist, but not the grand winner.
• On helping a competitor:
  Winnie: “I don’t want to win because I said no.” – [42:44]
• Has a cookbook, Chinese American Barbecue, releasing Spring 2026 (100 recipes, restaurant favorites included).

10. Daniel’s Signature Banter & Gift-Giving

[40:03 – 41:37]

• Daniel gives Winnie random gifts (a backpack, a used inflatable movie theater), teasing about practicality and her physical strength.
• They sample her pork belly char siu; Daniel is impressed:

  “Nobody bites into this and goes, that's not for me. If you like this type of food, you're gonna love this.” – [45:48]

---

Memorable Quotes & Moments

• Daniel: "You were a straight drug dealer…everyone should have shut you down because you can't sell meat out of the back of your car." ([24:41])
• Winnie: "I couldn't be defeated by that piece of meat." ([19:59])
• Daniel: "How big was your first, your big industrial smoker?"
  Winnie: "500 gallon trailer…paid like $15, $16,000 back then." ([26:48])
• Winnie: "You just have to cook what you love to eat." ([32:56])
• Daniel, on the fusion BBQ: “East and west coming together for a taste bud collision.” ([46:58])
• Winnie: “Oh, I don't get high on my own supply.” ([36:29])

---

Timestamps of Key Segments

• [01:20; 24:01] – Winnie’s rapid barbecue learning curve
• [11:30 – 14:43] – Malaysian/Malaysian-Chinese culinary upbringing
• [15:00 – 18:20] – Escaping corporate/franchise life
• [18:20 – 23:38] – Starting barbecue during the pandemic
• [26:45; 37:03] – Building the business; gender & barbecue culture
• [31:16 – 34:19] – Unique sides and menu philosophy
• [36:45 – 37:28] – Facing cultural stereotypes & Yelp criticism
• [41:40 – 44:02] – TV shows, book launch announcement

---

Tone & Final Thoughts

• Classic Daniel Tosh—irreverent, cheeky, but genuinely curious and supportive.
• Winnie is down-to-earth, determined, and admirably open about her failures and successes.
• Episode balances behind-the-scenes restaurant insight, cultural reflection, and lots of laughs.
• Winnie stands as a model for creative culinary fusion and for unapologetically charting her own course in a male-dominated arena.

---

For more:

• Visit Smoke Queen BBQ (Orange County, CA)
• Preorder Winnie’s cookbook: Chinese American Barbecue (Spring 2026)

---

Transcript

[A]

This episode of Tosh show is brought to you by Progressive Insurance. You chose to hit play on this podcast today. Smart choice. Make another smart choice with Auto Quote Explorer to compare rates from multiple car insurance companies all at once. Try [e-mail] Progressive Casualty Insurance Company and affiliates not available in all states or situations. Prices vary based on how you buy.

[B]

Back to school is better. With family Freedom from T Mobile, we'll pay off four phones up to $3200 and give you four free phones all on America's largest 5G network. Visit your local T Mobile location or learn more@t mobile.com familyfreedom. Up to $800 per line via virtual prepaid card typically takes 15 days. Free phones via 24 monthly bill credits with finance agreement eg Apple iPhone16128 gigabyte 82999 eligible trade in eg iPhone11 Pro for well qualified credits end and balance due. If you pay off early or cancel contact T Mobile.

[A]

Hey guys, it's me, Daniel. Do me a solid. I don't ask for a lot, but like and subscribe to this podcast also you could rate it highly. I would appreciate, maybe even write a review. Maybe we become best friends. From your first burnt brisket to selling a brisket to someone. How long of a time is that?

[C]

Maybe like two, three weeks. My first. My first week.

[A]

I just want everyone that thinks that it takes forever to figure out how to barbecue to hear that. Tosh show. Tosh show. Tosh show Pro show. Welcome to Lipson's Toss Show. You think they appreciate that?

[D]

Yep.

[A]

Lipson's Toss Show. That's our parent company, Lipson. We are a proud, proud podcast under the Lipson umbrella. If things seem different around here, it's because the Lipson umbrella has taken care of us. I'll be honest, I haven't noticed a difference yet. Have the ads changed? I heard the view count is skyrocketing. Well, I just want everybody over at Libsyn to know. I don't really know what you're supposed to do with hats like this. You're probably wondering why I'm wearing this hat.

[D]

Eddie is. Libson sent it. No, no, no, son.

[A]

Uh, this hat right here, this is my Tahoe lid.

[D]

Uh huh.

[A]

I brought it back from Tahoe because I'm going to a dude ranch later on in the month and I wanted to make sure I had it right. I've had this Stetson for, I don't know, 10 years. Mmm. I had a good time in Tahoe, you know. Who I saw up there, who I saw Zuckerberg on the lake. Here's what I saw. Me, Carl and my buddy Brian were wake surfing one morning, first thing in the morning, 6:30, glassy, nobody on the lake, completely alone. Technically that's illegal. I need to have a third person, a spotter, One driving, one spot, but Carl knows how to spot. So whatever, we roll the dice. At that hour, it's just the three of us on the boat. Then about a half hour in, I see a boat coming over and I go, oh, is this. I thought maybe it was a pro, a pro wakeboarder, because like maybe there's camera crews because there was adjacent vehicles following their boat. But nope, sure enough, it was Zuckerberg. I don't know if it was him or one of his kids, but they were wake surfing and next to them was a waverunner. Like when I say next to him, I mean like feet away with two guys on that, then one of those black ops inflatable tubes on the side boat just, you know, a little bit further behind and then people on the boat and I'm just like, bro, it's seven in the morning. If you just did what I did, just jumped on the boat with Brian and I and wake surfed for 30 minutes or so, whatever you do till you get leg burn, you would have saved at least $100,000 that day.

[D]

You would have saved him so much money.

[A]

I mean, just the amount of people that had to get up at an ungodly hour, load up on vessels just so he could stand still behind a boat and go. It's just, it's comical. I mean, I know I'm an idiot and I'm doing the same thing, but like, I'm like, it's just me and my buddy and Carl here.

[D]

Well, yeah, you gotta get, you gotta get in touch with him.

[A]

Zuckerberg, Zuckerberg, just come over to my house, leave the security detail and I'll poll you for 20, 30 minutes, I'll drop you off at your pier and just let your great, great grandchildren appreciate the savings. I don't get it. I mean, listen, I know I'm out of touch, but that level is bonkers. You think somebody's really out on the lake waiting to, you know, get them? Get em, get em. That's how you talk when you wear a hat like this. I've watched Yellowstone all five seasons, plus the, the ridiculous second half of season five, which is just infuriating. Uh oh, the season five was gonna end and then Kevin Costner and The Taylor guy got in a big fight, the creator of the show, over scheduling or something, so he just killed off the movie star.

[D]

Oh, really?

[A]

That was on the show? Yeah. He's dead.

[D]

Okay.

[A]

And it's just like. It becomes unwatchable.

[D]

I can't imagine.

[A]

Because it's like, oh, you mean the one reason we watched the show, he's gone, and then he just tries to wrap it up, and he puts himself in the show constantly, and it's just showing him riding horses, which. Listen, I get it. If you're a horse person and you think it's fun to be on a horse, watching it is fucking nonsense. All he does, there's just scenes, episodes after episodes of him dancing horses in front of cattle and then running and doing these power slides with horses, and I have to act like I give two shits. It's so bad. It becomes the. The. The final season of the show becomes an infomercial for this ranch that he bought in Texas for $150 trillion or something. And, like, it's like an infomercial for buy your steaks from us. It's just. It's so embarrassing. If Yellowstone, if you were proud of the show that you worked on and were a part of and then saw the last half of the season where they killed off Kevin Costner, it's just. It's. It's bonkers how bad it is.

[D]

Seems like a different show.

[A]

Oh, it's just embarrassing. Should future viewers just end after Kevin Costner shot. Yeah. And just be like, oh, the show didn't get to end the way you wanted it. Yeah. All right. Go all the way through season five. But just watch the first half of season five. Not this bonus half of season five where he got into a little pissing match. That's what always bothers me. I get it. It's your show. You created it. But it's still the talent that drives it. And when the talent. If Kevin Costner was a complete asshole about the schedule, go with it.

[D]

Yeah.

[A]

You just got to. You watch 19, 23 or 18? No, I'll watch those eventually, but I don't know. I don't. I might not, because I don't want to give this guy, you know, more cattle to buy.

[D]

You don't want to help out his ranch?

[A]

I don't want to help his ranch out.

[D]

Yep.

[A]

Anyway, that's my land. That's my land. You don't give up one inch of it. This hat puts me in the right mindset for today's guest. So why don't you guys come on down to the barbequeer. Oh shit. Enjoy. Have you ever watched a friend start an online business and thought, how did they do that? They can't spell. And then you're like, wait a minute, they used Shopify. That's how play the Shopify new sale sound. I love that sound. Shopify has hundreds of of templates to help you build an online store to match your brand style. Don't get me started on templates. I love a big template. Always have been a template guy. Easily create social media campaigns wherever your customers are scrolling like you have a marketing team. Little old me with a marketing team. Best yet, Shopify is your commerce expert with world class expertise in everything from managing inventory to international shipping. Hello, governor. Turn your big business idea into with Shopify on your side. Sign up for your $1 per month trial and start selling today at shopify.comtosh shopify.comtosh tosh. Today's guest can smoke a brisket so tender you'll hit your mammy in the back of the head with an aluminum bat. She's combining the low and slow techniques of Tex with the sweet, rich flavors of her Chinese heritage. I only hope she arrived here in a truck that can tow a smoker behind it because her restaurant doesn't deliver to Malibu. Please welcome Smoke Queen Chef Winnie.

[C]

Thank you for having me.

[A]

That was a mouthful. That was a mouthful. Holy moly. Chef Winnie.

[C]

Huh?

[A]

Smoke Queen. I'm surprised. Was Smoke Queen taken? Are there other smoke queens out there?

[C]

You know what, I don't think so.

[A]

I'm just guessing it would be a stoner. Somebody smokes a lot of marijuana.

[C]

Yeah, I've made that mistake before by just hashtagging SmokeQueen without the BBQ at the end.

[A]

How often a day do you walk around saying, if you look and you ain't cooking?

[C]

No, I've never said that before.

[A]

If you look and you ain't cooking. I always say it. I don't even know what it really. I mean, I know what it means. I mean, stop opening the grill and peeking on your meats.

[C]

But.

[A]

So dumb. Do you believe in ghosts?

[C]

I do.

[A]

Oh, sorry, you do believe in ghosts. Have you personally had an experience?

[C]

I had when I was very little. It was probably 30, 35 years ago, so I don't really know if it's real or not. But the feelings were real. Being scared was real. Oh, sure, yeah.

[A]

So we were all scared as a little kid. I used to run upstairs quickly as a kid. I was always terrified of Going upstairs?

[C]

Yeah. Yeah.

[A]

I always thought somebody was right behind me. Sometimes when I was home alone at an age, I to talk real loud because I'd get scared about, hey, dad, put down the weights.

[D]

In case there's somebody there.

[A]

Yeah. Oh, that guy's dad is working out. Meanwhile, my dad's never worked out a day in his life. Where are you originally from?

[C]

I'm originally from Malaysia, which is in Southeast Asia between Singapore and Thailand.

[A]

Do you go back frequently?

[C]

I try to go back every year. My parents brought us, my brother and I back when we were younger, almost every year just so that we stay in touch with our heritage and culture.

[A]

How old were you when you immigrated to the United States?

[C]

6.

[A]

And where did you move to?

[C]

Garden Grove.

[A]

Okay, that's number question two. Malaysia. We know where Malaysia is. Where is Garden Grove?

[C]

It's actually in pretty much the center of Orange County. It's a small city.

[A]

Okay, you're O.C. did you like growing up in the O.C.

[C]

I didn't mind it.

[A]

Were you confused by it?

[C]

What do you mean by that?

[A]

I don't know. I always find it confusing down in the Orange County. What kind of food as a child, was it only Chinese, or were you experiencing a lot of different types of food?

[C]

So our home cooking is predominantly Chinese cooking, but then a lot of Malay curries and Indian curries are integrated in our own home cooking.

[A]

Which heritage do you like more?

[C]

You know what, it's a really hard question to answer because.

[A]

Do people actually ask that question? Because I thought that question was ridiculous.

[C]

You're the first one.

[A]

Okay, okay.

[C]

I'm of Chinese descent. My grandparents immigrated from China to Malaysia, and my parents were born in Malaysia. I was born in Malaysia. So we've integrated into the Malaysian culture. And actually, I think Malaysia is like the ultimate fusion food because one third of the population's made of Chinese immigrants, one third Indian immigrants, and one third indigenous. So we all celebrate each other's holidays and cultures. So, for example, like a typical breakfast, a Malaysian breakfast would be curry noodles or laksa. It's like. How do I say this? It's like curry meets soy sauce.

[A]

Okay, this seems like a rough way to start for my stomach, if I'm being honest with you. Like, breakfast in general, I'm like, oh, here we go. I always find it interesting in cultures where, like, you predominantly have a certain type of food, but that you eat basically a versions of that every day. Whereas in America, it's like, oh, you got to mix things up. I couldn't. Whatever you want to call American food. If you had me eat that every day, I'd lose my mind. Vice versa. It's like, I got to mix in. I got to go. We're doing Chinese tonight. Tomorrow we're doing the sushi. Let's go mix it up.

[C]

I think what we do take for granted living here in Southern California is the variety of different ethnic foods.

[A]

Yes.

[C]

So here down the street, I can get tacos, and I can get a kebab, and I can get chow mein. And I think this is, like, one of the most wonderful things of Southern California because we can not just. It's not diluted white Chinese food or diluted Mexican food. It's actually authentic.

[A]

I don't take it for granted.

[C]

Yeah.

[A]

I long for it. When I get home, I'm like, oh, good. But I'm also not even talking about restaurants. I'm talking about in homes. I always find it interesting when, like, homes only cook one style of food every time. I'm just kind of like, yeah, in.

[C]

My home growing up, we only had Chinese, Malaysian food.

[A]

Right. Listen, I'm just saying at some point, that has an effect on you. You're like, listen, I'm gonna make barbecue.

[C]

For a living and make it Asian.

[A]

By the way, get me from graduating from UCLA to opening a barbecue restaurant in Orange County.

[C]

Oh, that's a really long story. I graduated with a econ degree in accounting minor, and I worked for Target Corp. For a while. I hated my job.

[A]

No offense to Target, by the way. Target seems like a great company.

[C]

No, a great company. I just hated the corporate job.

[A]

Of course.

[C]

Yeah. And I wanted to be in culinary, so I went back to culinary school. I joined the pastry program.

[A]

This is my wheelhouse. Oh, I love pastry.

[C]

Pastry and culinary are two different studies. I think people always say, when you go to culinary school, it doesn't mean you can be a good pastry chef, but if you're a good pastry chef, you can be a good chef. Just because of the discipline in measuring.

[A]

Yeah.

[C]

And understanding how everything chemically works. And once that cake is in the oven, if you screwed up, it's too late. Whereas if you're stir frying something and you forgot one ingredient, you can just throw it in midway and you can save your.

[A]

Right. Baking's impressive. And cooking is like, eh, something you have to.

[C]

You know, cooking is great too.

[A]

Okay, you finish there or no, you drop out.

[C]

I dropped out. Okay, you dropped out because, you know, I got really bored making muffins, and I found. And cookies, and I found out the school was using our products that we made to sell at the cafeteria. I wanted to make masterpieces. I wanted to do sugar, art, and all that fancy stuff.

[A]

Then you jump ship and you own three food chains.

[C]

So when I was at ucla, I actually, with the help of my parents and my uncle, we opened a really small hotel gift shop in La Mirada.

[A]

What are you selling in this gift shop?

[C]

Random stuff. Random stuff. I would go to downtown LA on my way back from UCLA and then pick up inventory and then go to Costco, get cigarettes.

[A]

Did you enjoy that or was that not fulfilling in any way?

[C]

It was not fulfilling, but the money was good because I graduated with no debt.

[A]

Okay.

[C]

And I had that store going, and that's how I was able to open three more stores. This whole time. I'm, like, in culinary school, too. So once I opened my restaurants, I decided to just quit culinary school.

[A]

Okay, you opened three. You opened a Sbarro.

[C]

Sbarro, Baja Fresh and Submarine.

[A]

I want to talk about Baja Fresh.

[C]

Yes.

[A]

I always felt when I first moved out of California, and I was, you know, in that situation of where I would eat at that tier of a restaurant, let's say I always would take Baja Fresh over Chipotle.

[C]

Chipotle.

[A]

I didn't like Chipotle. I was like Baja. But Baja Fresh ran through me pretty quickly. But that's. I mean, I don't think that's on them. That's. That's my own problems. I didn't even talk about. The other restaurant that I'd never heard.

[C]

Of was the Submarina. I don't know if they exist anymore.

[A]

No one sort of Submarina. You've ever heard of that.

[D]

Never.

[A]

Never in my life have I ever heard of Submarina.

[C]

A lot of franchises are in the business of selling franchises and not selling the actual product. And that's the problem with the franchise model.

[A]

It's hard to be passionate when you're handcuffed to what this franchise can do. Although you could be one of those franchises that's not participating. You know, they're always, like, participating locations only. And your restaurant could sell nothing. Like your Baja Fresh could sell nothing but. But Chinese barbecue and be like, yeah, listen, we're not participating. We're different. Y' all can go fuck yourself. So the pandemic happens.

[C]

We literally shut down with a day's notice. I remember that week, we had, like, $15,000 worth of food come in that day, and the next day, we gave everybody their checks and said, you know what? Like, we'll see you in two weeks.

[A]

Uh huh.

[C]

Of course it wasn't two weeks.

[A]

How long from shut down your businesses to I've got an idea, I have adhd.

[C]

So I had so many ideas. I was doing gardening, I was doing hydroponics, I was making chocolate bombs, selling on Etsy.

[A]

You're just a hustler.

[C]

Yeah. And then one day, it was, I think June or July 2020, when the meat packing industry had breakouts of COVID and so they had to shut down. And then there was a limitation to how much meat everybody can buy.

[A]

Oh, it was like toilet paper.

[C]

Yes, it was that one day I went to Costco and I would go out in a Hazmat Su and it said, you know, one piece of meat per customer. So I thought, okay, let me just buy the biggest piece of meat I can find. So I looked around, I saw a brisket. I was like, okay, I know you're supposed to smoke a brisket. I do have a smoke, like the egg smoker that I've never really smoked with. And I thought, okay, let me try that. So I bought it, I went home. I didn't even know how to really light a charcoal. I didn't know what direct heat, what's indirect heat? I didn't know that I wasn't supposed to put the meat in there when the fire was blazing. You know, I had no idea. Yeah, I put it in. I go on YouTube how to smoke a brisket and I watch a bunch of videos and it came out like crap.

[A]

But, and, but you were still like, you were motivated by this to like.

[C]

Yeah, because I just, I couldn't be defeated by that piece of me.

[A]

Right, but you were just making a meal for yourself and your family at that point.

[C]

I think I needed that distraction.

[A]

Did they complain about the food? Because I have kids and when I have to prepare food for them, the last thing they want to hear is, hold on, it'll be ready in 72 hours.

[D]

Planning ahead.

[A]

I mean, it just seems like a nightmare, those days.

[C]

You know, I look back and I wonder how I got through those days. And I think it was just, you know, keeping my mind busy and determined to not be defeated by this brisket.

[A]

Okay, but then you got good at making brisket. And at what point did you say, I'm gonna try to sell it? Or was that always in the back of your mind is, I'm gonna sell this?

[C]

You know what, it's funny you asked me that, because while my restaurants were open, I had always had the creative side that was not let out. I couldn't be creative with anything. And I remember one day I was scrolling through Instagram and I saw this brand called Republicue, something like that. They were just a side business. They were hustling, selling barbecue from their backyard. And I was scrolling through and I was thinking, like, this is so cool to be able to just put something on the menu on a whim and just create something and people buying it and loving your creation. Right. So when the pandemic hit, it was actually a blessing in disguise. It was the break that I needed. Barbecue was a distraction I needed from my, you know, financial despair.

[A]

Another pandemic success story is what I say.

[C]

Yeah.

[A]

Wait, do you know all the barbecue regions in our. In the United States?

[C]

I knew, obviously, Texas.

[A]

Okay, so you got Texas barbecue, and then there's like, the Kansas City, that Midwestern and was Midwestern. Does that lump Memphis into it?

[D]

I would say, okay, yeah.

[A]

And then the Carolinas. Carolina is just garbage. Gross. Vinegar. Just everything about the Carolina barbecue. Anybody that says Carolina barbecue is the best, just conversation over. All right. But then you started just selling meat like a drug dealer.

[C]

Yeah.

[A]

By the way, is it legal just to sell meat?

[C]

Okay, first of all, I used my business ein number. I created a website. I used my business's edd. I paid all my employees who came to my house.

[A]

Did they try to shut you down?

[C]

They did, yeah. My hater neighbor reported me.

[A]

Of course. I mean, listen, you're smoking meat every day, your neighbors are gonna be like, what the fuck is going on?

[C]

They're probably pissed that I didn't give it to them.

[A]

Well, that's on you then. You should have bribed, greased the wheels. But I have a neighbor that I despise, and there's nothing I can do to ever mend the fences. So when I walk by their house every day, I know that their audio thing is triggered their microphone by their front gate. So I just say something to them every time.

[C]

What do you say?

[A]

Sometimes I'm like, hey, kids, say hi to the cunty neighbor. Well, you know, it's fun stuff for the kids. Okay, so your neighbor reported you, but. But they couldn't shut you down because you did technically find a little loopholes.

[C]

Yeah. So I do have a health department permit at my restaurants. And I said, you know what? I'm cooking everything there. They really didn't catch me in the act.

[A]

And this is pandemic loophole where everybody was just trying to survive businesses.

[C]

Yeah. And I, you know, the health department came and the city Code enforcement came and they were both going to cite me like $500 or $800 a day for every day that they find me running a commercial business in a residential zone. And I remember yelling at one of them. I think the health department. I'm like, f you, dude. I have a safe certification. I know how to handle food. It's not like, you know, I'm a mechanic and all of a sudden I don't know how to handle raw meats. And I'm cooking and I'm trying to sell something to make people sick.

[A]

First of all, how much does a single order cost?

[C]

Depends on how much they order. Well, of course.

[A]

Was there an actual menu or was it.

[C]

Yeah, I had a menu website with photos and description and all my.

[A]

The full thing. At this point, it wasn't just brisket.

[C]

No. I was doing ribs. I was doing pork belly. I did sides.

[A]

From your first burnt brisket to selling a brisket to someone, how long of a time is that?

[C]

Maybe like two, three weeks? My first week.

[A]

I just want everyone that thinks that it takes forever to figure out how to barbecue to hear that.

[C]

My first weekend I sold one whole brisket, and I was just amazed.

[A]

And how much you. How much for a whole brisket?

[C]

Back then I sold it by the pound, and I think I sold it at $22 a pound.

[A]

And what do you pay for it?

[C]

Back then it was like two something a pound. Now today's price, I just checked, is like seven something a pound.

[A]

Don't worry, Trump will fix that. It's going to be so cheap so soon.

[C]

I hope so.

[A]

Did people have your address for your house when you were selling your.

[C]

No, I would actually meet them at like a parking lot in the shopping center.

[A]

All right, so you were a drug dealer. You were a straight drug dealer, and everyone should have shut you down because you can't sell meat out of the back of your car. How do your parents feel about you selling meat to strangers in parking lots?

[C]

Initially, my dad did not like that. My mom didn't either, because I think it was just a risk factor. My dad said, just stay at home and wait till we reopen. You know, I think they didn't see how far I could take this business and they didn't see the vision that I had. Now, your father, here's the thing. In Asian culture and Chinese culture, we're not very emotional with our parents. We don't really say I love you. And we're not lovey dovey. It's more of an American thing. And that's how I am to my children.

[A]

But what about, are you that way to your parents though?

[C]

No. It's kind of weird.

[A]

I know it's kind of weird. I'm not lovey dovey really with my parents. Although we say it, but it's sometimes a little awkward. Our hugs are a little weird, but whatever.

[C]

So the thing was like my very first popup with that trailer smoker. I had to rent a truck because I couldn't tow it. And my dad and mom showed up and they saw that I had a huge line and I sold out. I think I made like $3,000 that day, which is actually really good for a pop up. And immediately when I saw them the next day, my dad says, hey Winnie, do you want me to buy you a truck for your smoker? And I said, no, you know, that's okay, thank you. Because I want to do it on my own. I want the business I hate.

[A]

That's why I'm not people that don't want any. He wants to help, let him help.

[C]

It's his way of saying, I'm proud of you.

[A]

I know it is, but let him help.

[C]

So now every day he like, he talks about me to all his friends, to random people. He was in Malaysia and he was talking to one of the restaurant owners, which is his friend, and he's like, oh yeah, my daughter has this restaurant called Smoke Queen Barbecue. And some random customer there said, oh, Smoke Queen. I was there just like last month because I went to visit my son who lives in Irvine and he took me there. So it's just kind of funny that, you know, he's just, he's so proud and you know, I think that's very gratifying.

[A]

How big was your first, your big industrial smoker?

[C]

It was a 500 gallon trailer. What's that cost? I think I paid like 15, 16,000 back then.

[A]

15, 16,000 for a smoker? So you were like, at that point you're like, well, I guess I'm going all in on this.

[C]

Yeah, good for you. But it's kind of like a gym membership, right? The more expensive your gym membership is, the more you feel guilty for not going.

[A]

I've never had a gym.

[C]

And the same thing with the smoker. Like, shit, I need to not give up because I've already invested so much.

[A]

Are you good at towing a trailer?

[C]

I can't reverse.

[A]

Okay. You know, it's embarrassing, but it's not like you have to load a smoker into a lake. Well, my point is like all these Things. Men really make other men feel shitty when they can't do stuff. Like, I can't drive a trailer at all. I'm horrible at it. I mean, I can't as long as there's nobody around. But the guys that are, like, just whipping trailers into the. I'm always impressed.

[C]

I can't do that.

[A]

And I can't really barbecue well. I know how to turn my grill on, and I can heat things up. I have a pizza oven. I get pretty good at that. Do you mess with pizza at all?

[C]

I do. I actually just got a Gosne for my backyard, so I love it.

[A]

Okay, so there could be some other fusions in the pipeline, maybe we can see.

[C]

Yeah.

[A]

What's the longest thing that it takes to prep?

[C]

Obviously, it's a brisket. Takes about 12 hours to smoke.

[A]

So when do you do. Is that just constantly? You're just like. You just know where.

[C]

We're always a day ahead on brisket. So, for example, today we are smoking brisket. We're not open, but we're gonna be smoking brisket tonight for tomorrow's service.

[A]

Does somebody have to stay there at night while it's being smoked?

[C]

Yeah, it's manned.

[A]

I don't know. I don't know how to do stuff. I am so overwhelmed by restaurants in general because it's just all. I. When I look at it, I just go, oh, it just seems like so much work.

[C]

It is.

[A]

Thank God you exist. But, man, I would never be cut out for it. It's just so much work. Is there truly a noticeable difference between woods? I mean, can you smoke meat with plywood?

[C]

No, because there's chemicals in there, so you have to use wood that is treated for cooking food.

[A]

Unrelated, though, can you infuse drugs into your food? Like, why do we always just do pot brownies? Why not pot brisket?

[C]

I don't know.

[A]

I'm just thinking out loud here.

[D]

It could be part of the rub.

[A]

By the way, you're not a tall person.

[C]

No.

[A]

You picked the heaviest of the cooking. I mean, like, how are you physically moving some of these meats around?

[C]

You know, just. You're on a step stool at all times sometimes. But, you know, the smokers at my restaurant are specifically custom made, and I had them made a little shorter so I could reach in.

[A]

How many pounds of brisket are you selling every week? Do you have any idea?

[C]

I don't know, but I know we go through, like, two to 3,000 pounds of meat a week.

[A]

Two to 3,000 pounds of meat? Yes, sir. You can thank your cowboys for that.

[D]

Yeah.

[C]

It's insane.

[A]

I always. This is the dumbest thing in the world. I just love the presentation of these fancy, good barbecue places. The silver tray with the nice piece of paper and the glop of sides. I visually like how it looks.

[C]

Yeah.

[A]

I think it's so pretty.

[C]

Yeah.

[A]

Now, I don't eat red meat, so I have to stay away from the brisket. But, you know, I can do the pork ribs and I can do some links. By the way, did you eat like this before you got into it?

[C]

No.

[A]

If you could only eat one thing at your restaurant, what would it be?

[C]

It would be the pork belly. Chashu.

[A]

Now there's a fusion.

[C]

Mm. And I just happened upon it kind of by accident. I think my ADHD kicked in when I was starting to sell barbecue, and I kind of got bored with the typical flavors, the whiskey, peach sauce and whatnot. And I looked at my heritage and tried to find something that I can recreate with the American smoking technique.

[A]

How often are you trying to create something completely new for your menu?

[C]

Not very often now because we're a full blown restaurant open five days a week. And so doing new items and then having new sops just takes a lot more time and.

[A]

But you don't want to get. I don't want you to get bored.

[C]

Yeah. No. Running a restaurant, you're not bored.

[A]

Okay, let's talk sides. What's your best side?

[C]

I think it's the dirty rice. It's kind of our Asian take on Southern dirty rice. We take jasmine rice, sesame oil, and we take all our cutting board trimmings and our homemade sausage, and we steam up the rice.

[A]

When you buy a platter, do you get to pick two sides?

[C]

No. So we sell everything a la carte.

[A]

Good for you.

[C]

Yeah. So pick and choose.

[A]

Because I'm not upset when I have to pick two sides. I also don't think sides should be priced the same. There's just no way, you know, coleslaw should cost as much as pick something that costs way more.

[C]

Chili.

[A]

Thank you. You're telling me chili and coleslaw are the same price? And I also think there should be. Instead of. When people don't sell a la carte, I think it should be four sides. I don't like to pick two. What other sides do you have? Mac and cheese.

[C]

Yeah. Mac and cheese slaw. Not cool. Baked beans. Sesame slaw. No beans.

[A]

No sesame slaw.

[C]

So I developed this recipe when I was a vendor at Smorgasbord la, which is the largest open air market.

[A]

I know what it is. I know what that is.

[C]

Not all your viewers.

[A]

Yeah, they do.

[C]

Oh, okay.

[A]

No, I don't. You're right, they don't.

[C]

It's a.

[A]

It's basically an honor to be there. Right?

[C]

Yeah. Because you have to be chosen. You have to be approved. So it's, you know, in la, downtown LA gets really, really hot in the summertime. So instead of a mayonnaise coleslaw, I developed a sesame paste slaw.

[A]

My wife might eat that. Cause she just despises anything like a mayonnaise.

[C]

She doesn't like it and I don't like. I honestly, I make what I like and I sell what I like to eat. And if you don't like it, don't buy it. That's it.

[A]

I'm right there.

[C]

And I think it gets pretty crazy when you try to please everybody. Never done that because there's, you know, so many types of customers out there. You just have to cook what you love to eat.

[A]

I tell jokes that Eddie likes. People don't like my jokes. It doesn't matter if Eddie likes it. Joke stays. All right, what other sides?

[C]

Cornbread. We make that from scratch.

[A]

Did you put chunks of actual corn in it? I don't like it.

[C]

Oh, sorry.

[A]

I don't like that.

[C]

I'm not gonna change it for you.

[A]

That's fine. I don't dislike it, but I get happier when I don't taste actual pieces of corn in my cornbread. That's just. I like an instant box. You know what I'm talking? Oh, that's where I grew up. On some cheap jiffy thing. A little tiny blue box. Blue and white box, yeah. All right, so cornbread, what else?

[C]

Tallow fries.

[A]

What are tallow fries?

[C]

So tallow is actually rendered beef fat. We go through so much brisket every week. When we trim off the fat, we grind it up and we bake it for about 18 hours or so. You know, at the end product, we sift it and we have oil. So we use that oil in our fryer to make our fries. And the best way to describe these fries are fries from the 90s because now all the restaurants are using seed oils or peanut oil.

[A]

Are they thin fries? Are they thick?

[C]

Crinkle.

[A]

They're crinkle fries. So they are on the thicker side.

[C]

Of the thicker side. Yeah.

[A]

They're not seasoned, are they? Just with salt and pepper. Do you have side of ranch?

[C]

No.

[A]

You don't have ranch dressing?

[C]

No.

[A]

That's gonna be a problem. I'LL bring my own ranch. Can you bring your own bottle of Hidden Valley?

[C]

Absolutely.

[A]

Okay. You're not gonna be kicked out for that.

[C]

I don't judge you.

[A]

Is there an interior dining here or is it all just outside picnic tables?

[C]

So our restaurant is actually a 70 year old residential home. Our smokers are outside in the front yard. So this home has been converted to a restaurant, A kitchen.

[A]

Neighborhood.

[C]

It's a neighborhood.

[A]

Their house is next to you.

[C]

Yeah.

[A]

So you're still cooking illegally in a house?

[C]

No, now we're cooking legally. Got you. Gotcha. Yeah, so it's all outdoor seating. My landlord owns about 12 houses in that square block and she worked with the city to convert it to mixed use. She kept the exterior and the architecture the same, so it looks like a house, but inside, you know, we made it into a commercial kitchen.

[A]

You keep a bedroom just for the late night. Brisket watcher. Mm.

[C]

Mm.

[A]

That would've been nice.

[D]

Good idea.

[A]

You have nice bathrooms?

[C]

Uh, yes, we do.

[A]

Okay, yeah. Take pride in that.

[C]

Yeah.

[A]

You know, you oughta just have somebody just full time. You know what, I go in after every single person and just do a little spruce up.

[D]

Give me a minute.

[A]

You know the smell of barbecue so delicious when you're craving barbecue, when you're not craving barbecue a bit much.

[C]

When you smell like meat and you've been working all day and your hair smells like smoke.

[A]

What do you do about that? What do you do about that every day where you're like, oh, I gotta smoke? I mean. Cause if I smelled barbecue every day, I think I would be like, oh.

[C]

I think it's worn off on me. Like, I get used to it.

[A]

Okay.

[C]

Yeah.

[A]

How often do you eat barbecue?

[C]

Every day. I'm into the restaurant.

[A]

You do?

[C]

I mean, like, I don't have a full on barbecue meal, but I do taste for quality assurance.

[A]

Okay. And then you go home and have a. And have a Malaysian meal.

[C]

Yeah. Noodles and salad and rice.

[A]

How do you stay so most. Most pit master. You're. What do we call you? A pit madam.

[C]

Pit madam. Yeah.

[A]

Pit madam. Just obese is what I'm thinking. Right. Just horribly like one clogged artery away from kaput.

[C]

Oh, I don't get high on my own supply.

[A]

Okay, yeah, yeah. I mean, I get it makes sense. You have tons of fans and you're wildly successful, but the people that, the haters. You have a certain type of person, you're like, oh, of course this person. Because barbecue people are so opinionated. I always think of barbecue as, you know, A manly thing. So you're probably getting it from a lot of directions from men because you're a woman. And then let's throw in the California thing as another reason people to hate you.

[C]

Yeah, because we're not doing barbecue. Right? Right. So I always say there's no wrong way to barbecue because people are looking at barbecue the wrong way. They think it's a cuisine. I think it's more of a technique. And you can take in any cultural direction you want because it's the art of smoking. It's not just a specific cuisine tied to a region.

[A]

Well, you're preaching to the choir here. How often weekly are men telling you that you're doing it wrong?

[C]

Initially, when I first started, I would get comments on my reels or Yelp reviews. Maybe like once a week or so.

[A]

How's Yelp? Is Yelp horrible?

[C]

The thing I don't like about Yelp is these customers don't give us a chance to fix anything. You ask them, how's everything? And they say, oh, yeah, it's great. And then they go home and they write a one star review, like, hey, why didn't you tell me we have a manager on duty? Let us fix it. But, you know, I do get a lot of new customers because they find us on Yelp. So it is a necessary evil.

[A]

Are you proud of yourself? You know you've done a good thing.

[C]

When I, you know. You know the feeling where you have to pinch yourself like, this is the dream.

[A]

No, I don't ever do that stuff, but I understand what you're saying.

[C]

Yeah, sometimes I do get that because when I go to the restaurant, I see so many people dining there. Like, where the heck do you did these people come from? And they're actually eating my food. They love my food.

[A]

Aren't you glad Sbara went out of business for you? Do you see a lot of Asian. More Asian people in your line at just because, you know, you're an Asian business owner?

[C]

I think so. I do. I would say, like 30% would be Hispanic, maybe 20% Caucasian, and then 50% Asian.

[A]

Well, I don't. What about no black people?

[C]

Well, come on. Sorry. Give them another 10%. I don't know.

[A]

Nice. I mean, listen, don't get me started. They love barbecue. Do your kids. Do they love your food?

[C]

They do. My daughter, she was only two years old when I started, and it got to a point when I would give her Mac and cheese and she would look and say, where's the brisket?

[A]

Are they heavy children?

[C]

No, they're not.

[A]

Are they gonna force him to work in the restaurant?

[C]

I do sometimes.

[A]

Yeah, I think that's illegal, too. Just so you know. Do you do private events?

[C]

I do.

[A]

What do you bring to the house? Do you bring a smoker to the house or.

[C]

No, if you pay me, I will.

[A]

You gotta back into my place.

[C]

Yeah. But, yes, we can bring a smoker. Here's a misconception about barbecue catering is a lot of people ask me to bring the smoker, but everything's already smoked and ready to go. So bringing a smoker is just for show, and it's just an extra thing for me to lug around. Also, if I have to start the fire, I have to consider how much time I need to spend there. Start the fire, and then I have to kill the fire before I drive off. And also, while I'm serving, I have to make sure no kids are running around my firebox. So really, it's more to show.

[A]

I just want you to show up 12 hours early in the middle of the night. Guess who's Winnie's here. Everybody. Everybody that's on the show gets some gifts. It's just stuff around my house. I really wish your daughter's first name starts with an M. I wish it was started with a P. Because this company sent me a backpack that's got a P on it, but it's not for my kid.

[C]

That's so cute.

[A]

Well, whatever. You'll have to figure it out. It's for back to school. And then there's a. It's just this company. Little chicken. I'm not giving them. I'm giving them a plug. They sent me the wrong stuff. And you're supposed to send stuff back when they send anything wrong. This is a lunchbox. But back to school's coming. It's brand new. The receipt's still in there. This was Amanda Starr. I got your order. I'm not sending it back. Have little chicken figure it out. I'm gonna give that to you. You can give that to your daughter. Oh, it's nice for her. She'll love it. Next thing I thought, oh, this is a perfect gift for you, your kids. You like it? You're doing barbecue in the backyard. Okay, you need an outdoor movie theater. Now, this is an inflatable outdoor movie theater.

[C]

Oh, my gosh.

[A]

This my.

[C]

Is this used?

[A]

Yeah, everything's used. And stuff in my house that I don't want. It's been used. One time. Eddie was with me. The one time I used it. We watched in my backyard.

[D]

Christmas Vacation.

[A]

Christmas Vacation. It was awesome. We watched Christmas Vacation, and it's huge. It's a huge theater, like, outdoor theater. Your kids will love it. You'll have a movie night.

[C]

Oh, thank you.

[A]

Oh, you're gonna love that. Put that on the floor. Man, you're so.

[C]

Oh, my gosh, that's heavy.

[D]

Yeah, it's bigger than her, Daniel.

[A]

Well, she can handle. If she can handle £2,000 a week of brisket. You appeared on Chopped and Barbecue Brawl with Bobby Flay. What was that like?

[C]

It was surreal.

[A]

Which one did you do first?

[C]

Barbecue Brawl.

[A]

Did you win it?

[C]

I was a finalist.

[A]

How many people are finalists? Just two people.

[C]

Yeah.

[A]

Okay.

[C]

Yeah.

[A]

So you just lost the last challenge or something?

[C]

Yeah.

[A]

Okay. You're still beating yourself up over it.

[C]

There are things that happened on set that was never edited in. Like, for example, one of my competitors, Friars, was broken. We had a challenge within a challenge. We had a whole hog challenge, which was like, six, eight hours. And then we had wings challenge within that challenge. And so my competitor's fire broke. I had finished my wings, already plated it, ready, because the time was running out, and they stopped the clock and they let him. And I said yes because he was my friend.

[A]

Yes, that's on you. I don't want to hear any more of them.

[C]

Yeah. So I don't want to win because I said no.

[A]

You should have said no. And then what you. And then they would have edited that out and they would have just. And you would have won. You'd have been the champion.

[C]

But he's my friend, though.

[A]

Is he still your friend?

[C]

Yeah.

[A]

Oh, well, then you did the right thing.

[C]

At the end of the day, it was just the exposure. Whether I won or not, I think it didn't really matter to me. My only goal going into that show was to not be the first one to be kicked out.

[A]

You know, that's everybody's goal on any type of reality show. I used to watch Chopped, but then it started to annoy me because I don't care about somebody being able to cook when there's a basket of nonsense in front of them.

[C]

It's actually. Yeah. I mean, it really puts you to the test. Right.

[A]

But it's a test that none of us need to pass.

[C]

I agree.

[A]

Did you win Chopped?

[C]

No.

[A]

Were you the first one out?

[C]

Nope.

[A]

Okay. That's all it matters.

[C]

So I achieved my goal.

[A]

By the way, here's a question about Chopped. Tell me if they're. Do you know the secret ingredient ahead of time? Do they taste everything While it's hot. Or do they Wait?

[C]

So temperature is not supposed to be part of the judgment?

[A]

Okay, good fucking luck telling me that it's not.

[C]

But, you know, if I bite into.

[A]

Some cold chili, I'm not gonna be like, oh, this probably would be amazing if it were warm. What's next for Winnie?

[C]

Oh.

[A]

Oh, no, I don't like any of this. Oh, look at this. You wrote a book.

[C]

Yes.

[A]

Chinese American Barbecue. I wish American would have gone first, but that's just me.

[C]

You gotta talk to my publishers.

[A]

That's good. Look at that. Look at. Congratulations.

[C]

Yeah, so I've been working on this.

[A]

Did you actually make that? Is that actually.

[C]

I cooked everything here.

[A]

Okay.

[C]

There's a hundred recipes here.

[A]

Let me see this. What's this pasta salad down here?

[C]

So that's a green curry Mac and cheese.

[A]

Mm, that looks good.

[C]

Yeah, that's really good.

[A]

What about this cucumber salad? What am I looking at?

[C]

So that's our spicy cucumbers.

[A]

I love that too.

[C]

So everything in our restaurant, the recipes will be in the book and then some.

[A]

Well, then no one's gonna come to your restaurant anymore. No, I'm kidding. Congratulations.

[C]

Thank you.

[A]

On writing a book.

[C]

Yeah. It'll be released spring 2026.

[A]

That's too far.

[C]

I know. Pre order today.

[A]

Can you pre order it already?

[C]

Yes.

[A]

Really?

[C]

Yeah.

[A]

Did you bring some meat with you?

[C]

I did.

[A]

Oh, no. This is gonna end poorly for me, isn't it?

[C]

So I'm just searing this off to get it warm because you can't have my barbecue cold.

[A]

Okay. Are we set up for this in here? Oh, this is heaven on earth now. Oh, man. Come on.

[D]

It's good, huh?

[A]

Mm.

[C]

So you will not get that kind of char siu. This is called pork belly char siu. You will not get that anywhere else, because char siu is actually a Cantonese style barbecue, and it's roasted, not slow smoked. So I, like, employed the Texas style of smoking onto this char siu. So you have a different texture.

[A]

Nobody bites into this and goes, that's not for me. If you like this type of food, you're gonna love this.

[C]

So that and pickled onions and rice is my go to, but I forgot the pickled onions.

[A]

Well, thanks a lot.

[C]

Yeah. Sorry.

[A]

Do you want to go back and get it? Sure.

[C]

Two hours there and back. No problem.

[A]

Well, this is wonderful. Listen, I hope you have all the success that you can handle.

[C]

Thank you.

[A]

I appreciate it. Thanks for coming on.

[C]

Thank you for having me. It was a pleasure.

[A]

This episode of Tosh show Is brought to you by Progressive Insurance. Do you ever find yourself playing the budgeting game? Well, with the name your price tool from Progressive, you can find options that fit your budget and potentially lower your bills. Try [e-mail] Progressive Casualty Insurance Company and affiliates Price and coverage match limited by state law. Not available in all states. I want to thank Winnie for being on the show and feeding the boys.

[D]

It's good.

[A]

Carl, did you get any of that cue? It's east and west coming together for a collision. A taste bud collision. Okay, go to toshshowstore.com get some merch, check out our tours. Eddie and I doing some stand up comedy. Come see me in San Francisco. I can't wait to get back to my once favorite city. Now it's just in ruins. San Francisco's just in ruins. I don't know why my hotel's so expensive.

[D]

Then should be getting a deal if it's in ruins.

[A]

Yeah, if the city's in ruins, how come rooms are so expensive?

[D]

I fight my way into the front door.

[A]

God, I love San Francisco. You know why I love San Francisco? Because there's always been like a San Francisco LA rivalry and I never cared. Yeah, every time I performed in San Francisco, I didn't care. I'd wear my dodger hat on stage and we'd just have a good time. The people are great, shows are fun. Amanda finding her sweet, sweet love hasn't been easy. I don't know if my viewers aren't taking this seriously, but I need you to call in. Okay. I tell you who she took a shine to.

[D]

Who's that?

[A]

Our boy, rj.

[D]

Oh, that'd be nice.

[A]

Run. Running Rivian. Guess what, guys? RJ went surfing with me. That's came over to my house, started laughing immediately. He like verified everything I said was true. Like saw that. He was like, oh my goodness, your diploma is in your chicken coop.

[D]

That'd be a funny lie.

[A]

Yeah. And then he's like, he's like, oh, you do have Rivians. I'm like, yeah, there's Rivians here. He looked at the sandbar, the 360 Subaru old van. He loved it. He's checking out the E30. Loved it. We went surfing, walked in, told my wife, my wife's family was there, my in laws were there. He was blown away by all these people that are from Florida, from his neck of the woods, just hanging out in Malibu. And then I'm like, I'm going surfing with rj. We were about to sit down, they Were about to sit down for dinner waiting for me, and he's like, you can just, like, leave and go. Have, like, go surfing. I'm like, I'll do whatever I want. I'm the king of the castle.

[D]

King of the castle.

[A]

He was blown away. He's like, well, that's impressive. Are you sure she's not going to be mad at you? I'm like, mad at me. You see this roof I put over her head? Good luck getting mad. Let me know how that works out for you. No, she wasn't mad. She was fine. She was like, so, R.J. she was happy. We went surfing. Waves weren't great, but we had fun. Come. Came back to the house. Amanda's there, and they just start chatting, and, you know, he's just hanging out. Just hanging out with the fam. I'd love R.J. to be part of our family. Go ahead, R.J. mary, Amanda. Do we have any new potential suitors that called in?

[D]

We got a couple.

[A]

Okay, let me hear. Let me hear these voicemails.

[E]

Hey, Josh, I got a proposition for you. You date Amanda because you fit all of those, and I'll start getting your life. Think about it. Let me know.

[D]

You thinking about it?

[A]

Thinking about it. I think about that every night of my life. That's the. That's the last thing I think about before I go to bed. And I just think, oh, man, if I could date Amanda. No, that doesn't work. I didn't want somebody that already had children and has a vasectomy. She wants children. I can't produce that for her. I guess I could get it reversed. Yeah, but they say the success rate of reversing your vasectomy after five years, I think is where it really falls off. But I do have the best reversal of vasectomies working on my junk. There's time. That was his pitch to me. He's like, this is permanent, but I'm the best at reversing it. I'm like, well, I don't think you know what the word permanent means. Let's see how good he is.

[D]

You got a couple years to figure out.

[A]

The point is, I don't want to go have surgery just so I can ruin my marriage. Right. Okay, so that guy. I appreciate him wanting to date my wife, and I don't. Maybe my wife would want to go out with this guy, I think. But that's her decision to make. Whoever marries and impregnates Amanda, that's my decision. All right. Do you have anybody else?

[D]

Yeah.

[A]

Okay, Eddie, let's hear it.

[E]

My name is Edward. I'm five eight, £160. I'm a mechanical engineer, and I would make you laugh harder and better than anybody. As ever, my number is, and I live in Omaha, Nebraska.

[A]

God, that just couldn't get any worse.

[D]

Go, Big Red.

[A]

That guy sounds like a.

[D]

Keep that number up, though. People call him to that guy.

[A]

That guy can't be serious. Doesn't vote 5 8, lives in Omaha and thinks he's going to make me laugh harder than anybody has ever made me laugh ever. Oh, God, this is me harder than I thought. This pool that we're pulling from is. Is. Is depleted. Let's go, guys. There's got to be a few good guys out there that are attractive, that want to become a part of my family. See you next week.