Listen to the full podcast: https://bit.ly/SKMPRICARDO Ricardo grew up watching cooks in his dad's Mexican joint in LA, dropped out of school, made some choices he'd rather leave in the past, and eventually decided he wasn't ready to go out like that. What followed was 18 years of cooking across LA, New York, Atlanta, and the Michelin-starred hills of Montecito — each city refining what mattered: the line, the craft, and the relentless itch to open something new. Now he's back in Austin running Konbini, a Japanese-Mexican late-night spot serving Omakase-quality fish next to a caviar-topped hot dog, and somehow, the hot dog is always the one people can't stop talking about. In this episode, he shares his journey from poverty to the kitchen, breaks down the realities of the food industry, leadership on the line, and how AI could impact restaurants, while also diving into Austin’s food scene, the economics behind his menu, and the deeper ways consumerism can shape a person’s path. Follow Ricardo: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/elchefricardo           https://www.instagram.com/konbiniatx 00:42 Ricardo's Pop-Up Concept in the Works 04:19 What Makes Austin's Food Scene Actually Different 06:47 Murray's, Nickel City & the Late-Night Gap 07:00 18 Years in the Kitchen 09:33 How Ricardo Got Into Sushi (The Unexpected Path) 11:05 Running a Michelin Star Location 13:23 The Thing That Made Him Leave the Street Life 17:15 Nothing's Below You — The Line Cook Mindset 21:33 Austin's Culture of Collaboration 23:18 Will Austin Lose Its Soul? 25:00 SpaceX, Tech Money & What Happens to the City 42:01 The High-Low Philosophy at Konbini 47:58 Farm-Raised vs. Wild-Caught 52:03 AI and the Future of the Restaurant Industry 54:07 Sky King's Dystopian UBI World (Edopunk) 57:36 Ricardo's Next Chapter The Pop-Up Dream Listen to the complete episodes of Sky King's Mental Playground, sign up at skmp.supercast.com Follow Sky on X Subscribe on YouTube Follow Sky on Instagram Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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Propaganda, Art, Health, Regenerative Systems, Great Food, Economic Incentives, and building companies in an increasingly digital world.