With excitement allow me to introduce to you today's guest, Kevin Scharpf. Born and raised in Galena, Illinois, Kevin attended the Le Cordon Bleu of Culinary Arts in Minneapolis, MN. His past culinary experience includes the Hotel Sofitel's fine dining restaurant, La Fougasse, the acclaimed Restaurant Daniel in New York City, and a 6-year stint as the Executive Sous of Diamond Jo. In 2014 Kevin received First Place at the Taste of Elegance competition and competed in the National Pork Summit in Napa Valley. In 2016 Kevin was named one of FSR magazine's “40 under 40” Risings Stars. Kevin competed in season 16 of Bravo's ‘Top Chef’ and was awarded the 2019 Iowa Restaurant Association's Chef of the Year. In November 2019, Kevin and his team were invited to the James Beard House in NYC as the Featured Chef for the “Dubuque Debut” dinner. Today’s feature affiliate: Bentobox. In need of a restaurant website? Click this link to find out why so many of my guests use Bentobox! Show notes… Calls to ACTION!!! Join Restaurant Unstoppable Network and get your first 30 days on me!  Connect with my past guest and a community of superfans. Subscribe to the Restaurant Unstoppable YouTube Channel Join the private Unstoppable Facebook Group Join the email list! (Scroll Down to get the Vendor List!) Favorite success quote or mantra: "People are drawn to things that are authentic and real, and that's inspiring." In this episode with Kevin Scharpf we will discuss: Authenticity Awareness Mentors Culinary school Working in casinos Structured lifestyle/workstyle What we learn from corporate environments James Beard Awards Location and interior space/decoration Partners Prime Cost Operating a food truck Today's sponsor: This episode is brought to  you by Plate IQ, your Accounts Payable Automation and Expense Management solution. PateIQ works with 20,000 restaurants across the country. Plate IQ uses OCR "Optical Character Recognition" and Deep Machine Learning to eliminate manual data entry from the AP process. Automate the full life cycle of your invoices from General Ledger coding to bill payment via PlateIQ’s VendorPay network. With PlateIQ’s VendorPay you can seamless flow from invoice upload to paying your bills. You can earn cashback on invoices from over 180,000 vendors. With Plate IQ Vender Pay, you can see what is due when. Schedule payment by check/ACH/or Plate IQ Card. Lastly, VendorPay is also FOR Vendors. Keeping your vendors happy will give you leverage in negotiating your terms. Vendors participating in Plate IQ’s VendorPay network LOVE it because it shortens Day Sales Outstanding by 25% - AKA: Vendors get paid 25% faster. To learn more head to plateIQ.com/unstoppable to get at least 25% off implementation. Fluctuating food prices. Staffing challenges- Now more than ever you need to control costs to remain profitable. MarginEdge is a restaurant management software that lets you see your food and labor costs in real time. By automating your invoice processing and totally digitizing your back office, MarginEdge saves your team hours on paperwork and gives you instant insights to manage your prime costs. Try MarginEdge free for 30 days. No contract. No setup fee. Learn more at marginedge.com/unstoppable   Diageo Bar Academy equips bartenders, servers, managers, and hospitality professionals with the insights, stories, and tools to be better - raising the bar on industry standards. Diageo Bar Academy reaches a diverse audience, with backgrounds and skill levels of all ranges- providing them with skills, knowledge, and the techniques they need to improve their personal and professional lives.   Knowledge bombs Which "it factor" habit, trait, or characteristic you believe most contributes to your success? Weird What is your biggest weakness? Sensitivity What's one question you ask or thing you look for during an interview? Passion What's a current challenge? How are you dealing with it? Personal growth Share one code of condu