Brian Bornemann's Five Rules for How to Break Out On Your Own

“Success is just a series of failures. If you didn’t experience failure, you would actually know nothing." ~ Brian Bornemann This week on Five Rules for the Good Life, I head to Santa Monica to sit down with Brian Bornemann , chef and owner of Crudo e Nudo and Bar Fortuna . A third-generation Angeleno, Brian shares his Five Rules for How to Break Out On Your Own . He talks about how growing up around his grandfather’s garden and the Pacific Ocean shaped his cooking, and how years of putting his head down and learning prepared him to recognize an opportunity when it arrived. It is a great conversation for anyone thinking about taking that first leap or finding the confidence to take another. One of the things I appreciate most about these conversations is when someone puts words to a feeling I have spent years trying to work through. Brian’s perspective on imposter syndrome- that everyone is living for the first time and bringing their own experiences to the table- was great to hear. Working across television, podcasts, writing, and now documentary film, there is always another room to walk into where I can convince myself that everyone else knows something I don’t. I love his willingness to put that feeling aside and get on with the work, along with his belief that every failure gives you something you can bring into your next attempt. There is a lot of freedom in allowing yourself to learn as you go, and a lot to admire in someone who keeps showing up with enthusiasm for whatever comes next. Photo by Catherine Dzilenski. Introduction Hello and welcome to Five Rules for the Good Life. I’m your host, Darin Bresnitz. Today, I’m on the west side in Santa Monica, hanging out with Brian Bornemann, who is the owner and chef of Crudo e Nudo and Bar Fortuna. He’s here to share his five rules for how to break out on your own. He talks about the importance of staying ready so you don’t have to get ready, ignoring imposter syndrome, and how success is moving from one failure to another without losing enthusiasm. It’s a great conversation about Brian’s journey from growing up in Santa Monica to owning his own restaurant and bar, and fantastic inspiration for anyone who’s ever wanted to strike out on their own. Please take a moment to rate and subscribe wherever you listen to podcasts. So let’s get into the rules here on HRN. Growing Up and Finding His Own Path Brian, so good to see you again. Thank you for the incredible hospitality when we were in last time at Crudo e Nudo. Welcome to the show. Thanks for having me, man. Such a pleasure to feature you and chat. You are born and bred in Santa Monica. How much of the ethos of local cooking and ingredients inform your upbringing? I started cooking at a young age. I didn’t consider cooking to be a career until much later in life. Third-generation Angeleno here. So I had grandparents who grew up in the city. We were lucky to grow up on lots of land with abundant fruit trees and chickens, plenty of room to garden. Beautiful. My grandfather was an avid gardener and horticulturalist. He’s really the one who imbued in me from a very young age how to just enjoy things at their absolute peak and prime. I didn’t think much of it at the time. I mean, it was just normal to me eating figs or peaches or blackberries or sapotes or passion fruit or guavas the best day when they’re just shining. In learning how to tend to vines, how to grow the best tomatoes, tend the soil, etc. was something that was just part of how I spent my wee