Sound Bites: Chef Aron Habiger

To us, music is food for the soul. Whenever we’re home making dinner — because fast food more than three times a week is frowned upon by our doctors — our phone is bellowing out melodies from decades we’ve nearly forgotten. Music, like food, fills us with joy and fuels us when we’re hungry for inspiration.

This leaves us curious, fascinated, and eager to learn what sort of music successful chefs listen to while they’re in the kitchen. Now some chefs may not listen to any at all, their kitchens being an ocean that demands respect and focus.

Other chefs, however, live for the music.

This new series will highlight a chef and the music that’s in their heart when working in the kitchen.

We spoke to Aron Habiger, formerly of Petit Trois, The North Left, and current head chef at Vacation Bar, and also curator at Cooking on the Lam, and asked him to share his Spotify playlist with us.

We’ve had the pleasure of seeing Habiger cook in person, and every time we’re in a kitchen with him, he’s always asking for music recommendations. Well chef, it’s time for some recommendations of your own.

Here’s what’s on Aron’s playlist:

Habiger chose to begin service with Joy Division’s “Warsaw” to get him fired up, with the following songs to keep him pumped through prep and service. To finish the night he begins to wind down with some Mos Def and ends with Sade’s “Smooth Operator” as his mellow closer.

The Southern-California based chef added that he was excited to be the first in this Foodbeast series, as music was a huge driving force for his cooking.

My eyes lit up when you asked me this, I was so excited. I wanna hear what other people listen to, because that’s the first question I ask any cook that comes in the kitchen or anyone that I ever work with. I don’t care about what you eat, or all that other stuff. Music is the thing that drives you to want to do other stuff.

So sit back, Foodbeasts, and enjoy Chef Aron Habiger’s handpicked tunes.