Striving for “Culinary” Perfection

Most people know me for the business side of my life ie. building Nexubis, scaling clients, obsessing over process and growth. What most don’t know is that I’m borderline obsessed with food. I love the kitchen. I love wine. I love good meals. Over the past four years, I’ve been to so many wine farms that at this point it should qualify as a part-time job.

Turns out, the more time I’ve spent chasing the fireworks of fine dining, the more I’ve realized the magic is often in the opposite direction. It’s not the 12-course tasting menu that blows you away. It’s the simple shit done with care. No ego, no noise, no “look at me” theatrics… just the core elements, nailed to perfection.

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The Smash Burger Revelation

Case in point: smash burgers.

A few weeks ago, I gave them a shot and… damn. I don’t say this lightly, but it was the best burger I’ve ever had in my life. And I’ve eaten a lot of burgers.

Here’s the no-BS playbook:

• The patties: roll the mince into cold meatballs first. Has to be cold. Drop them straight into a ripping hot cast iron pan and smash them down. That’s how you get the crust. Otherwise, you’re just steaming beef.
  
• The cheese: classic American slices are perfect, but sometimes I slice white cheddar paper-thin and let it melt naturally on the crust.
  
• The bun: baste with melted butter (never margarine, you animal!) and toss it in the air fryer until it sings.
  
• The secret weapon: caramelized onions. Sweet, sticky, stupidly easy to make once you get it right.
  
  

That’s it. Nothing flashy. Nothing new. Just the basics, nailed. And the result? Mind-blowing.

Which is when it hit me: this burger is business (Naturally). 

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The Menu, the Cheeseburger, and the Truth

If you’ve seen The Menu, you’ll remember the cheeseburger scene. A chef who’s built his whole career on complexity, gimmicks, and ego is finally asked to cook something simple: a burger. And it’s perfect. No frills. Just pure craft.

That scene has stuck with me because it’s the same realization I had hovering over my cast iron skillet: perfection is usually hiding in the basics. The shit people overlook because they’re too busy chasing fireworks.

And most businesses? They’re all fireworks, no crust.

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Business Is a Burger

Here’s the uncomfortable truth: most founders want to jump straight to the Michelin-star tasting menu. They want to layer on bells and whistles, stack features, chase hype, and show off. But if you can’t even nail the burger, the basic version of what you do, all that extra garnish is just lipstick on a pig.

Business, like burgers, comes down to fundamentals.

• Get the foundation right.
  
• Refine it.
  
• Repeat until it’s automatic.
  
  

Then you can start adding your secret sauce, your fancy toppings, your unique twist. But only once the basics are so good they can stand on their own.

Otherwise, you’re just serving raw mince on Wonderbread and hoping no one notices.

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The Obsession Factor

Here’s the other truth people don’t like to hear: it doesn’t take a billion-dollar company or a genius chef to create something extraordinary. It takes obsession. That slightly unhealthy drive to do it again and again until it’s right.

That’s why my burger slapped so hard. It wasn’t dumb luck. It was me obsessing over every component until it finally clicked.

Same thing in business. You don’t need the biggest team or the flashiest investors. You just need to care more than everyone else about the details that actually matter. That obsession will beat size, hype, and fireworks every single time.

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Perfection in Simplicity

Perfection isn’t about complexity. It’s about stripping things down to the few elements that matter, then mastering the hell out of them.

For me, that’s two cold-smashed patties, a buttered bun, melty cheese, and caramelized onions. For you, it might be your onboarding process, your sales pitch, or your core product. Get it so good people stop looking for a better option. That’s the level.

And once you’ve nailed that, you earn the right to layer on the extras. To experiment. To innovate. But only after the fundamentals are bulletproof.

Because the holy grail isn’t hidden in the fireworks. It’s hiding in the basics you’ve probably been ignoring.

Key Takeaway for Founders: Stop overcomplicating. Stop chasing fireworks. Nail the basics, refine them relentlessly, and let obsession carry you past the people still fumbling with garnish.

And hey… I bet your ass you’re hungry and craving a burger now. But just know, whatever you order won’t be as good as mine. Nexubis Burger Stand loading…

At this rate, the Founders Diary might just pivot into a cooking blog. Stranger things have happened.