- My friends at California Live
got me Cousins Maine Lobster earlier this season,
and it's fantastic.
We were all freaking out, everyone on my set.
So please welcome the co-founders,
Jim Tselikis and Sabin Lomac.
(audience applauding)
All right, so I'm obsessed with your food.
- Thank you.
- And your clam chowder.
I love everything you do.
So, what are we, how did you guys get started, first?
- Yes, so we got started in 2011.
We went out to dinner in LA.
I was out visiting Sabe.
We were wildly over-served that night.
And that's when we started reminiscing
about our childhood in Maine, our family gatherings,
and really, how much lobster was around us.
So we said, why don't we take this best Maine lobster
that we grew up with, bring it to the West Coast,
serve it via food truck.
And we started that in April 2012.
So, opened the doors, had very long lines.
We went on the show Shark Tank about three months in.
Did our deal with Barbara Corcoran.
And for last seven years
we've been franchising our business.
So we have local operators in every city.
We have 12 restaurants throughout the country,
and three units in Taiwan.
- Way to go, oh my, all from that over-served dinner.
(audience applauding)
- Yeah.
And truly, one of the things we're most excited about,
we love you guys givin' love to Boston
because we're very excited to tell you this April,
we're launching our very first food truck
in Boston, Massachusetts.
- Yes, I love Boston.
(audience applauding)
- Okay, so we're making your most popular dish today.
What is it?
- Kelly, we are making the Connecticut roll.
It's warm, Maine lobster, little bit of butter,
on a New England style roll.
It's the best of the best.
- That's my favorite one, the warmed up one.
- [Sabin] I told you that was gonna be your favorite one.
- Oh, and you know me so well!
- [Sabin] I know, I know. - Do you like butter though?
- Do you think I like butter? - Okay, let's get cooking.
- Let's get butter wheels a-frying.
You and Justin.
- Abby, we gotta get cooking.
- Okay.
- You and Justin will get these, the bread.
we've got the white side, we're gonna start putting
on the butter wheel,
- This, this? - This guy right here.
- Oh this, this? - Take that roll.
- I'm starting here.
- Okay, you're starting. - Here you go,
you can both do that. - We both can do that.
What do you do?
You just do this?
(people on stage talking excitedly)
(audience applauding)
- Now put it in the skillet,
butter side down, perfect, go!
- [Sabin] There you go!
- [Abby] Wow!
That makes sense.
- We'll see how long this takes.
Abby is not keeping up with the rest of us.
- I'm really sorry.
- She's a Mainer!
- [Kelly] Abby wants all the butter!
- Okay. - Okay.
- I'm a Mainer.
- [Kelly] So what's next?
- So really, we're gonna wait for 17 minutes
until it's done.
(laughing)
- No, it's going to end up perfect golden brown
just like this.
- Okay. - Yeah.
- We'll keep checking it.
- [Sabin] Let's start picking the meat.
- While we do, why don't we.
- [Sabin] Pick a little meat.
- Okay.
- All right, so if you're from Maine,
you wanna be a Mainer, Kelly.
- [Kelly] Yes.
- You gotta get your hands dirty.
- Yeah, I'm a Texan, I do that, yes, let's do it.
- You gotta put your hands in the meat
and start picking it apart.
This is claw and not the meat, all the lobster from Maine,
sweetest, most tender lobster in the world.
And we're gonna throw it in the skillet as well.
- [Jim] Yeah, we should probably
get a little butter in here!
- A little butter, guys, more butter?
Or less butter?
- More butter!
(audience applauding)
- [Sabin] The people have spoken!
- Boom!
- [Sabin] Yeah, we're gonna need to get going, yeah.
- All right, so all of our lobster meat is in our skillet.
Justin has something very special goin' on here.
He's got the roll and the lobster meat in the same skillet.
- This is unprecedented territory here.
- [Jim] This is, never seen this before.
- I've never seen anyone even do this.
- I do what I want.
- I do what I want!
- All right. - All right.
- So what's goin' on over here?
- [Abby] I'm takin' my time!
- [Jim] Literally, at this point we're just goin' to wait
for the lobster meat to warm.
- [Kelly] Okay.
- And then once we have our finished bun,
which doesn't look like it's gonna finish,
but here's done.
- That looks real nice.
- Yeah, that's our finished bun,
so we're gonna kinda warm the lobster up,
get it nice and buttery.
- [Kelly] Okay.
- And when you pull the lobster out.
- [Kelly] Then you open this?
- It's just like a celebration.
Throw it in the roll.
- [Jim] Yeah, we open that,
we throw the lobster in there.
- [Kelly] Okay.
- [Jim] Would you like?
- [Kelly] Yes!
(people on stage talking excitedly)
- [Sabin] You got the butter overload goin' on?
- [Jim] Butter overload, yeah, okay.
- I need more butter.
- [Kelly] Got a heart problem on aisle six!
It's like.
- Oh that's a lot of but.
- It's her second thing of butter.
- Here you go, you want our butter?
- It's okay, Mike, wait, is this it?
- I'm good.
- Oh wait, do you squirt a lemon or lime
on your plate here?
- You do a lime, that's different.
We usually go lemon.
- Yeah, I wasn't gonna go lime,
I was holding a lemon, yeah.
Was totally gonna go lemon.
- [Jim] And then you just take a bite, and enjoy.
(people on stage talking excitedly)
- There are no rolls here?
- Hey, why don't we have a roll?
- It's so good!
(audience applauding)
- It's so good!
And I've seen that you have brought
some of my favorite clam chowder.
That clam chowder is so good.
- [Jim] Yes, we put it right in the roll.
We brought your favorite clam chowder,
because you loved it last time,
so we're sending you home with some.
- Yes!
- And you can eat it here if you want.
Also, lobster tots.
- You should try a lobster tot.
It's good, I've had one before.
I mean, I don't wanna be rude,
but once again I'll help you out.
You all are gonna wanna find this place
and eat in Boston, just saying.
- Diet starts tomorrow.
(laughing)
- You gotta keep saying that.
- Always Monday.