Hillary Sterling is the executive chef at Ci Siamo, a live-fire Italian kitchen and one of New York's buzziest restaurants. She invites Stephen Dubner into her restaurant, teaches him how to light the fire, and makes him cacio e pepe, two ways. Stephen returns the favor by cooking Hillary a fish stew at his place. Turns out, Hillary Sterling hates soup! It's nothing a cocktail can't fix. They sit down to discuss Hillary's journey as a chef: how she learned to ditch the thermometer and cook with her senses, why she turned down a dream offer from Danny Meyer (only to later say yes to Meyer’s Ci Siamo), and what it's like cooking for hundreds of diners every night. According to Hillary Sterling, every chef secretly wants a 40-seat restaurant. This is the story of how a kid raised on cream cheese sandwiches and canned potatoes became one of the city's best chefs. #betterinperson #freakonomicsradio #hillarysterling Airs weekly on Tuesdays. Don't miss an episode! Subscribe NOW: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCXjf7anLJA4NqUv8kPFIJWA?sub_confirmation=1 Introducing ChatGPT Work - Put ChatGPT to work on your most ambitious ideas and projects. Download the new ChatGPT desktop app today at www.chatgpt.com ABOUT BETTER IN PERSON: Everyone has a public story. Stephen Dubner wants the rest. On Better in Person, Dubner invites remarkable people into his home for a kind of conversation that’s hard to find: curious, free-wheeling, even profound. They talk, play, eat and drink, argue and laugh. The result? Less interview, more shared discovery. This is how a conversation works. FOLLOW BETTER IN PERSON: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/betterinpersontv TikTok: http://tiktok.com/betterinpersontv FOLLOW STEPHEN DUBNER: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/stephenjdubner LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/stephen-dubner-2a066578/ Substack: https://stephendubner.substack.com FOLLOW FREAKONOMICS: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/freakonomics/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/freakonomics/ TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@freakonomicsradio Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/freakonomics LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/freakonomics-media/ Threads: https://www.threads.com/@freakonomics Chapters: 0:00 Meet Chef Hillary Sterling 2:22 Fresh Pasta vs. Dried Pasta 4:15 Making Hillary a Fish Stew 8:23 Growing Up and Finding Her Passion for Food 13:20 How to Cook with Your Senses 16:03 The Kitchen Disaster She Never Forgot 20:32 Why She Became a Chef 21:45 Turning Down a Dream Job with Danny Meyer 25:31 Building Ci Siamo and Redefining Italian Food 26:48 How Hillary Leads and Teaches Her Team 30:17 The Difference Between a Cook and a Chef 32:54 The Review That Nearly Broke Her 35:20 Why Italy Changed Everything 37:29 The Business of Running a Restaurant 39:32 What's Next for Hillary Sterling Why Chef Hillary Sterling Trusts Her Senses Over Science | Better in Person https://youtu.be/u9Y7Bo84F2w