Happy New Year — and welcome to the first episode of 2026.

In this episode of Cooking Your Way Through Life, I’m taking a moment to acknowledge something important: we made it another year. With that comes reflection, intention, and the opportunity to start fresh.

We talk about New Year’s resolutions — how to make them realistic, obtainable, and sustainable, and why consistency and effort matter more than big declarations. Resolutions only work if we’re willing to put the work in.

On the food side, I share practical tips around meal prep — ways to make it easier to stick to if you’re doing it yourself, and an honest look at using meal prep services or personal chefs when it makes sense. Realistically, it’s often not much more expensive than the drive-through these days.

This year is about consistency for me, and new episodes will be dropping every Thursday.

Thank you for being here, and here’s to showing up for ourselves in 2026.

In this week’s episode of Cooking Your Way Through Life, Chef Drake Robertson (aka Chef Hollywood) is joined by Jamal and Lexi for an honest and thoughtful conversation about impulse — the thoughts and actions we make in the moment, often without slowing down to examine why.

We dive into impulsive decision-making and ask the bigger questions: Are our impulses driven by gut instinct, emotion, or habit? And how do those split-second choices shape our lives, relationships, and routines?

On the food side, we connect impulse to something everyone can relate to — fast food. I share tips on how to make four easy “fast food–style” items at home, because sometimes the drive-through feels like the quick answer, when cooking at home can be just as fast and even more satisfying.

🎧 New episodes every week — where food meets life lessons, and every ingredient tells a story.

🌐 Website – chculinarycreations.com 🔗 All Links – linkinbio.com/chefhollywood

👥 Guests: Jamal & Lexi

Lexi and Jamal are a married couple based in Atlanta, GA. Lexi is a freelance graphic designer, and Jamal is a soccer coach. Together, they share a love for travel, creativity, and making meaningful memories.

📸 Instagram – @jbyeldell 📸 Instagram – @lexiwandesigns 📸 Instagram – @lexisrisuwanyeldell

In this week’s episode of Cooking Your Way Through Life, Chef Drake Robertson (aka Chef Hollywood) sits down with his friend Warren Mullins — a former cruise director turned tattoo artist — for a real and reflective conversation about growth, both personal and professional.

We talk about how growth doesn’t always look the way we expect, how sometimes we don’t even recognize our own progress, and how it often takes seeing growth in others to realize how far we’ve come ourselves. Throughout the conversation, Warren and I point out the ways we’ve each evolved over the years and how perspective plays a huge role in understanding growth.

In the kitchen, I break down Pickling 101, teaching you how to pickle just about anything and how to adjust the process to fit your own flavor profile. I also share a quick and easy kimchi-style recipe, offering my personal take while being mindful and respectful of kimchi’s cultural roots, and encouraging listeners to explore its history and significance further.

🎧 New episodes every week — where food meets life lessons, and every ingredient tells a story.

🍴 Stay Connected

🌐 Website – chculinarycreations.com 🔗 All Links – linkinbio.com/chefhollywood

👤 Guest: Warren Mullins

📸 Instagram – @ininkwetrust 🎵 TikTok – @ininkwetrust 🌐 Website – ininkwetrust.co.uk

💭 Join the Conversation

What’s one way you’ve grown recently — even if you didn’t notice it at first? Drop it in the comments and let’s talk.