GNY EP.187 | From Laid-Off Chef to CNY Restaurant Owner | feat. Don Agate of GOOD Eats & Sips
What does it take to open a restaurant during a global pandemic — after being rejected by four banks? In this episode of Good News York, host Noah Chrysler sits down with Chef Don Agate, owner of Good Eats & Sips and Good To Go in Skaneateles, NY, for a candid conversation about resilience, reinvention, and the accidental creation of a best-selling cookie.
Don’s story is anything but ordinary. He started as a dishwasher in Homer, NY, trained at Johnson & Wales, cooked his way through Manhattan’s high-end restaurant scene, survived the 2008 financial crisis by landing a gig running fine dining restaurants at Club Med in the Bahamas (where he also met his wife), and eventually made his way back to Central New York to build something of his own.
When COVID hit, Don and his wife saw an opportunity where others saw only risk. Despite being turned away by bank after bank — including one that kept them for 45 minutes just to tell them how bad of an idea it was — they kept pushing. On the fifth try, they found someone willing to bet on them. Good Eats & Sips opened in June 2020, right in the middle of the pandemic, and hasn’t looked back since.
In this episode, Don gets into the real culture behind running a great restaurant, why he thinks kitchens should run more like sports teams than families, how The Bear gave him genuine PTSD flashbacks, and why the best thing on his menu started as a total mistake. He also shares his excitement for the Central New York renaissance and what’s next for the Good Eats brand.
If you’re a food lover, an entrepreneur, or just someone who loves a great CNY success story — this one’s for you.
Chapters:
0:00 – Intro & Don’s famous cookie
0:18 – Welcome & introductions
1:05 – How Good Eats & Sips was born during COVID
1:54 – Getting rejected by 4 banks (and scolded for 45 minutes)
5:33 – Don’s background: dishwasher to culinary school
7:18 – Working in Manhattan during the 2008 financial crisis
8:59 – Club Med in the Bahamas (and meeting his wife)
13:50 – Moving to Montreal, then Texas
14:57 – Finding out he got the Krebs job… on Facebook
18:20 – What makes Don stand out as a chef and leader
22:26 – "Put a timestamp on your bad day" — leadership philosophy
23:52 – Restaurants are sports teams, not families
24:18 – The Bear gave him PTSD (real talk about kitchen culture)
27:24 – The accidental invention of Don’s famous sea salt cookie
28:32 – Vision for Good Eats & Sips and the future of CNY
30:07 – What makes the Skaneateles community so special
32:05 – How to find Good Eats & Sips & catering info
🌐 LINKS & RESOURCES
Good Eats & Sips: www.goodscan.com
Good News York: www.goodnewsyork.com
Content Marketing & Strategy: www.ClickStreamStudios.com
🎙️ SPONSORED BY: Ads on the Go
This episode is brought to you by Ads on the Go — helping Central New York businesses grow through smart, effective digital advertising. Learn more and get started at www.getadsonthego.com.
📍 Good Eats & Sips | Skaneateles, NY
🎬 Good News York is a production of Click Stream Studios, a content marketing agency based in Syracuse, NY.
If you run a business and you’re not sure what to post on social media or how to build a strategy that actually works, Noah is offering free digital marketing plans for Central New York business owners. Book your free 30-minute session at www.ClickStreamStudios.com.
