Today’s guest is Lois Freedman, one of the most powerful women in the restaurant industry. Lois is co-CEO of the Jean-Georges restaurant group, the company led by world-renowned chef Jean-Georges Vongerichten that includes more than 50 restaurants in 12 countries and more than 1,000 employees. This year marks Lois’s 40th anniversary of working with Jean-Georges. Amazingly, this is Lois’s very first podcast. She’s been very low-key throughout her career, but fortunately for us, agreed to come on the show and talk about her remarkable career. She and host Kerry Diamond discuss Lois’ time as a chef, her move to front-of-house and what that unlocked, her love of to-do lists, why Jean-Georges calls her Madame No, plus advice for opening restaurants and keeping them open. You will learn a lot from Lois, whether you work in hospitality or another industry. This episode was recorded at Newsstand Studios at Rockefeller Center. Click here for the 2026 Cherry Bombe Power List Thank you to American Express and Resy for supporting our show. The views expressed in this podcast are those of the speakers – not of Resy – and do not constitute professional advice. Thank you to Veuve Clicquot for supporting our show. Thank you to S. Pellegrino for supporting our show. Learn more and follow the 2026–2027 competition at sanpellegrinoyoungchefacademy.com. Click here to order The Game Changers issue of Cherry Bombe magazine. Sign up for our free Radio Cherry Bombe newsletters at cherrybombe.substack.com More on Lois: LinkedIn, Jean-Georges restaurants More on Kerry: Instagram, “So You Want To Open A Restaurant” Substack series

Ask this episode

“What did the council decide on item 42?” — answered with the speaker and the moment.

Transcript

Related