Caropop

Author: Mark Caro

There may be nothing more inspiring and entertaining than relaxed, candid conversations among creative people. Mark Caro, a relentlessly curious journalist and on-stage interviewer, loves digging into the creative process with artists and drawing out surprising stories that illuminate the work that has become part of our lives. The Caropopcast is for anyone who wants to dig deeper into the music, movies, food and culture that they love.
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Language: en

Genres: Music, Music History, Music Interviews

Contact email: Get it

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Rick Bayless (Frontera Grill, Topolobampo)
Episode 220
Thursday, 9 April, 2026

Chef Rick Bayless worked in his parents’ Oklahoma City BBQ restaurant before he found his passion exploring Mexico’s regional foods. When he and his wife Deann opened Chicago’s game-changing Frontera Grill in March 1987, he wowed the ever-packed dining rooms with complexly flavored Mexican dishes featuring hard-to-source ingredients. The chef pushed the boundaries of fine dining two years later by opening Topolobampo, which, like Frontera Grill, would win the James Beard Foundation’s Outstanding Restaurant award, with Bayless previously named Outstanding Chef. Topolobampo became a favorite date spot for Barack and Michelle Obama, who invited Bayless to prepare a White House state dinner. Speaking in a conference room above Frontera Grill, Bayless reflects upon all that plus his experience winning Top Chef Masters; his other restaurants that include Xoco, Bar Sótano and the Tortas Fronteras outlets that serve O’Hare International Airport’s best food; the Frontera retail ventures and what happened to my favorite granola; his efforts to combine cooking and acting on stage; and the post-pandemic state of business, with Frontera’s 40th anniversary approaching.