Proof, Pairing & Pure Chaos with Chef Lamont and Todd

What happens when a chef and a mixologist start finishing each other’s…flavors?
Proof & Pairing, cocktail-first creations, wild creativity, and the most joyful buddy comedy you’ve ever heard.

Summary

This one feels less like an interview and more like getting pulled into the best kind of bar conversation, the kind where ideas fly, drinks evolve mid-sentence, and suddenly you’re questioning everything you thought you knew about flavor.

In this loud, laugh-til-you-snort episode, Siobhan sits down with Todd and Lamont, the brains (and chaos) behind Proof & Pairing, a cocktail-first food experience that flips traditional pairings on their head. Instead of designing drinks to match the food, these two design food to chase the drink, pushing each other to get weirder, bolder, and more inventive every time.

They share the origin story of their unlikely partnership: from overlapping Oakland hospitality circles, to sneaking off at Pac Bell Park like kids on recess, to virtual cooking-and-cocktail classes during quarantine that proved this wasn’t just fun, it was something real.

Along the way, we dive into what actually makes a great pairing, why cocktails are harder to match than wine, and how play, trust, and a little bit of chaos keep their creativity alive. There’s talk of yacht parties, private events, and why mocktails deserve just as much respect as their boozy counterparts, plus a deep love for neighborhood dive bars where everybody actually knows your name.

At its core, this episode is about joy, craft, and found family, how two industry pros built a partnership where criticism becomes collaboration, mistakes turn into experiments, and everyone at the table gets pulled into the fun.

It’s messy, hilarious, wildly insightful, and a reminder that sometimes the best ideas start with, “screw it… let’s try it.”

Chef Lamont Perriman

Chef Lamont Perriman is a private chef, caterer, and creative force handling everything from intimate dinners to high-end yacht events. A self-described “jack of all trades,” he brings a refined yet playful approach to food, combining chef-school technique with bold, inventive flavor. He thrives on turning dishes into experiences—and somehow keeping up with Todd’s most unhinged ideas.

Resources & Mentions

💡 Key Takeaways

  • Cocktail‑First Pairing Is a Creative Challenge.
    Designing food to match a complex cocktail flips traditional wine‑with‑food pairing and pushes both chef and bartender into new territory.

  • Play, Trust & Shared Language Fuel Collaboration.
    Because both have worked on “both sides” of the industry, they share a shorthand that lets them critique, riff, and build ideas without ego.

  • Mocktails Deserve Equal Respect.
    Non‑alcoholic drinks often require more prep, technique, and ingredients than boozy cocktails—and should be valued and priced accordingly.

  • Hospitality Is About Energy, Not Just Technique.
    Guests can feel when you’re having fun or when you’re miserable; the emotional energy behind a drink or dish changes the experience. [

  • Joy, Community & Storytelling Are the Real Pairing.
    Whether they’re on a yacht or in a dive bar, the heart of Proof & Pairing is people feeling included, delighted, and a little more connected.

“It’s a challenge to take several ingredients from a cocktail and go, What can I make that actually compliments that and balances that? It forces me to be creative. And that's kind of how our little brainchild starts—he does something wild, and I’m like, since you did that, now I can do this.”

~ Chef Lamont

Todd McKean is a bartender, mixologist, and full-on spirits nerd who’s worked across the Bay Area bar scene and currently with New Alchemy Distilling. Equal parts baseball-obsessed and candy-archive brain, he’s known for building intricate cocktails, pushing wild flavor combinations, and redefining what a drink can be—boozy or not. His style blends technical precision with fearless experimentation… and just a touch of beautiful chaos.

Todd McKean

Proof and Pairing

Together, they co-created Proof & Pairing, a cocktail-first culinary experience that flips traditional food pairings on their head, bringing neighborhood bar soul, high-level craft, and a whole lot of joy to everything from virtual classes to white-glove events.

“We just noticed there’s not a lot of booze-and-food combos. I said, Let’s do booze and food combos. We already talked about it, we love it, we’re passionate about it. Let’s put the booze first. The challenge for the chef is, What can I pair with this cocktail?”

~ Todd

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