NICHOLE BAJKO: SOH / THE HOSPITALITY MATCH MAKER / THE BIGGEST INDUSTRY IN THE SMALLEST WORLD

2026-10-04 · 67 min · episode 67 · 19 entities

episode page audio

Asserted relationships

→ hosted by Jeff Fell person

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evidence rules-v5
Feed author/publisher: Jeff Fell
→ discusses Arts concept

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evidence rules-v5
Feed category: Arts
→ discusses food concept

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evidence rules-v5
Feed category: Food
→ references @FellIntoFood website

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evidence rules-v5
Link in episode "NICHOLE BAJKO: SOH / THE HOSPITALITY MATCH MAKER / THE BIGGEST INDUSTRY IN THE SMALLEST WORLD": https://youtube.com/@FellIntoFood
→ references G 5kFXie website

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evidence rules-v5
Link in episode "NICHOLE BAJKO: SOH / THE HOSPITALITY MATCH MAKER / THE BIGGEST INDUSTRY IN THE SMALLEST WORLD": https://lnkd.in/g_5kFXie
→ references GS Wu YJ person

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evidence rules-v5
Link in episode "NICHOLE BAJKO: SOH / THE HOSPITALITY MATCH MAKER / THE BIGGEST INDUSTRY IN THE SMALLEST WORLD": https://lnkd.in/gS-wu_YJ
→ references Sourceonehospitality website

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evidence rules-v5
Link in episode "NICHOLE BAJKO: SOH / THE HOSPITALITY MATCH MAKER / THE BIGGEST INDUSTRY IN THE SMALLEST WORLD": https://mailchi.mp/sourceonehospitality/social

Entities found in this episode

concepts 8

mentioned Arts concept

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evidence rules-v5
Feed category: Arts
mentioned food concept

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evidence rules-v5
Feed category: Food
discusses Arts concept

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evidence rules-v5
Feed category: Arts
discusses food concept

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evidence rules-v5
Feed category: Food
mentioned WORLD concept

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evidence rules-v5
WORLD
mentioned BAJKO concept

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evidence rules-v5
BAJKO
mentioned SOH concept

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SOH
mentioned MAKER concept

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evidence rules-v5
MAKER

websites 7

mentioned @FellIntoFood website

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evidence rules-v5
Link in episode "NICHOLE BAJKO: SOH / THE HOSPITALITY MATCH MAKER / THE BIGGEST INDUSTRY IN THE SMALLEST WORLD": https://youtube.com/@FellIntoFood
mentioned G 5kFXie website

0.45

evidence rules-v5
Link in episode "NICHOLE BAJKO: SOH / THE HOSPITALITY MATCH MAKER / THE BIGGEST INDUSTRY IN THE SMALLEST WORLD": https://lnkd.in/g_5kFXie
mentioned Sourceonehospitality website

0.45

evidence rules-v5
Link in episode "NICHOLE BAJKO: SOH / THE HOSPITALITY MATCH MAKER / THE BIGGEST INDUSTRY IN THE SMALLEST WORLD": https://mailchi.mp/sourceonehospitality/social
references @FellIntoFood website

0.38

evidence rules-v5
Link in episode "NICHOLE BAJKO: SOH / THE HOSPITALITY MATCH MAKER / THE BIGGEST INDUSTRY IN THE SMALLEST WORLD": https://youtube.com/@FellIntoFood
references G 5kFXie website

0.38

evidence rules-v5
Link in episode "NICHOLE BAJKO: SOH / THE HOSPITALITY MATCH MAKER / THE BIGGEST INDUSTRY IN THE SMALLEST WORLD": https://lnkd.in/g_5kFXie
references Sourceonehospitality website

0.38

evidence rules-v5
Link in episode "NICHOLE BAJKO: SOH / THE HOSPITALITY MATCH MAKER / THE BIGGEST INDUSTRY IN THE SMALLEST WORLD": https://mailchi.mp/sourceonehospitality/social
mentioned MATCH website

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evidence rules-v5
MATCH

persons 4

mentioned Jeff Fell person

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evidence rules-v5
Feed author/publisher: Jeff Fell
hosted by Jeff Fell person

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evidence rules-v5
Feed author/publisher: Jeff Fell
mentioned GS Wu YJ person

0.45

evidence rules-v5
Link in episode "NICHOLE BAJKO: SOH / THE HOSPITALITY MATCH MAKER / THE BIGGEST INDUSTRY IN THE SMALLEST WORLD": https://lnkd.in/gS-wu_YJ
references GS Wu YJ person

0.38

evidence rules-v5
Link in episode "NICHOLE BAJKO: SOH / THE HOSPITALITY MATCH MAKER / THE BIGGEST INDUSTRY IN THE SMALLEST WORLD": https://lnkd.in/gS-wu_YJ

Episode description as stored

Everybody calls them headhunters. Nichole calls herself a matchmaker — and after this conversation, you'll understand why that one word change says everything about how recruiting in hospitality is supposed to work. Nichole Bajko started in an Italian deli at 15, went to NIU for hospitality (mostly for the kegs and eggs, her words), did seven years with Marriott including opening The Cosmopolitan in Las Vegas at 25, ran a restaurant and brewery in South Barrington, and is now about to start her fifth year at Source One Hospitality — a grassroots, referral-driven recruiting agency that doesn't use ads or AI to find people. Just conversations, a real network, and the belief that this industry is the biggest industry in the smallest world. We get into why Chicago is pretentious about outside talent, why the job you see on Indeed has 500 applicants AND is still open, the salary compression happening right now in the city, what actually gets someone from cook to sous chef (hint: it's not a better resume), and the impossible balance of being a mom in restaurant operations. She also drops her three Chicago picks and the story about meeting José Andrés in an elevator at 25. If you've ever felt stuck in your career, burned by a bad hire, or wondered whether working with a recruiter is even worth it — well call Nichole! Find Nichole: Instagram: @findyourniche LinkedIn: Nicole Bajko Agency: sourceonehospitality.com Newsletter: twice-monthly jobs + content: https://mailchi.mp/sourceonehospitality/social?utm_source=ig&utm_medium=social&utm_content=link_in_bio CHAPTERS: 00:00 Welcome + is "headhunter" a dirty word? 02:27 From an Italian deli at 15 to Marriott 04:16 Networking: the biggest industry in the smallest world 10:07 Resumes, AI, and what a recruiter actually costs you 17:15 Why Chicago won't hire outside talent 22:39 Tenure, salary compression, and the state of the industry 30:37 Mental health, moms in ops, and the "always on" problem 38:54 The real path from cook to management 48:46 What the industry gets wrong about leaders and training 54:16 Year five, The Cosmopolitan, and meeting José Andrés 01:02:14 Where to find Nichole + three Chicago picks Listen to the full episode and more! It would mean the world to me if you could leave a 5 star review on your listening platform to help grow and expand the Podcast. YouTube - https://lnkd.in/gQM3S5mr Spotify - https://lnkd.in/g_5kFXie Apple Podcast - https://apple.co/41RoTm4 Pandora - https://lnkd.in/gS-wu_YJ YouTube: https://youtube.com/@FellIntoFood Linkedin: linkedin.com/company/fell-into-food Instagram: http://instagram.com/fell_into_food Facebook: https://facebook.com/fellintofood FellintoFood.com Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy