What happens when you put a line cook with a stand‑up habit in front of a bowl of rice crackers and a can of Vietnamese coffee? You get Snackin’ & Yakkin’ Episode #29, where chef-comedian Graham Codespoti trades kitchen war stories and open-mic chaos with host Big Ben Kennedy, all while trying not to choke on puffed rice.

Meet Graham Codespoti: Chef, Comic, Name People Butcher

Graham Codespoti introduces himself the way many comics do, with a built‑in bit. On stage he usually goes by just “Graham” because almost no host can say Codespoti right on the first try. Or the second. Or the third.

Off stage, he splits his time between two hot spots: the kitchen and the mic. He is a working chef in Charleston and a regular at local open mics, especially Wit’s End Comedy Club.

At his day (and night) job, Graham runs a big chunk of the prep and production at The Archer, an eclectic New American spot in Charleston. If you want to see what he helps send out of that kitchen, their dinner menu at The Archer is a good peek behind the curtain.

Inside The Archer: New American With Serious Comfort

The Archer leans New American, with a menu that lets the cooks play but still hugs you like comfort food.

A few standouts Graham mentions:

• Scallop and octopus dishes with a cheffy twist
• Short rib over mashed potatoes, the top seller
• A burger smothered in a rich cream sauce, pure late‑shift fuel

Graham lives in the weeds back there, handling the prep that makes those plates look easy when they come out on time.

Snack Time: Rice Crackers and Vietnamese Coffee

For Snackin’ & Yakkin’, the guest picks the snack. Graham went simple and very chef-brain: rice crackers and Vietnamese coffee.

Ben loads up bowls of mixed rice crackers, including those tiny ones wrapped in seaweed that both of them light up over. Graham loves them because they hit like a chip but lighter, with that puffed rice texture and clean seasoning instead of an ingredient list that reads like a lab report.

On the drink side, Graham goes straight for canned Vietnamese coffee lattes from an Asian market. He says he mostly only drinks coffee and water now, so this checks both boxes: caffeine and comfort. Ben does not drink coffee at all, so he respectfully sips water and tries not to feel like he is tapping out.

If you geek out over this combo, you might like these Vietnamese coffee rice krispie treats, which mash up childhood cereal bars with that bold condensed-milk coffee flavor.

Crunch Memories and Weird “Snacks”

Talking texture, they wander into childhood crunch addictions.

Ben remembers canned crispy wonton noodles from the grocery store, the kind meant for salads. His stepmom was not a “real snacks” person, so he would crush entire cans of those noodles and pretend they were chips.

Graham counters with Thanksgiving French fried onions straight from the can. He hates making classic green bean casserole at work, but he will absolutely eat the fried onions by the handful at home.

Fry Toys and Blooming Onions

Blooming onions come up, because of course they do when two food people are talking about deep fryers.

Ben watched a demo once and was surprised how simple it looked, just careful cuts, a flour dredge, seasoning, and a dunk in hot oil. Graham explains that in larger Outbacks they even have a dedicated fryer setup for it, like a lazy river where the onions float along until they are done, then get scooped out on the other side. Efficient, ridiculous, and very kitchen-brain.

Bald at 14, But Not Alopecia

At first glance, you might assume Graham has alopecia. He does not. His hair just bailed early.

He had a full head of hair in eighth grade, then rolled into ninth grade with what his friends described as “scorched earth” on top. From the front mirror view, it looked normal, but from above it was disappearing fast and no one wanted to have the “bro, it is going” talk.

He tried topical treatments more religiously than homework, then ended up at a geneticist. The doctor even brought in med students to see this “rare case”, which is not ideal for a 14‑year‑old’s confidence. Turns out his hair is just super blond and super sparse. If you rub his head, you can feel the tiny soft hairs. He jokes that his eyebrows are the only real hair he has left, so he keeps them tidy.

Wit’s End, The Graham Burglar, and Open-Mic Pressure

Ben and Graham first met outside Wit’s End when Ben was dipping back into stand‑up after years away. Graham spotted him, asked if he was a comic, and started nudging him toward the list.

The next week, Graham was hosting the open mic and Ben tried to sit it out. Graham did not accept that. He kept walking back over with new slot offers. “You are going up third.” “Fine, sixth.” Eventually Ben caved, giant 6‑foot‑plus man bullied into performing by a 5’7 comic in a poncho.

If you are curious about that room, check out the Open Mic night info at Wit’s End. It is where a lot of Charleston comics cut their teeth.

Graham also wins handle of the year with his social name: @grahamburglar. After a previous Snackin’ & Yakkin’ episode that was heavy on McDonald’s talk, Ben was extra delighted to say it out loud.

Caffeine, “F’d Up Fridays,” and a Sobriety Frog

These Vietnamese coffees are not a cute gimmick for Graham. They are part of how he stays sober.

He started drinking at 13, thanks to a friend who grabbed a bottle of his mom’s apple pie moonshine instead of apple juice. They decided to “get rid of it” by starting a tradition called “Fucked Up Fridays,” which meant getting hammered at 9 a.m. before school.

There was an even earlier accidental drunk at eight years old on a Disney cruise, when he housed an entire rum cake his mom brought back as a “souvenir” snack. So his body got the memo early.

Years later, a doctor sat him down and told him flat out he had to stop drinking because the damage was already adding up. That talk landed right before a planned four‑day bender. To keep himself from blowing the money on booze, he walked into a tattoo shop and got a cartoonish frog piece. The frog reminds him he fights alcoholism like a Battletoad, one level at a time. He has not had a drink since.

He even has dreams where he starts drinking again, has a blast, then fast‑forwards to sad, lonely drinking a week later. His brain cuts out the middle and just shows him the ending.

Music, Punk Guitars, and Food Tattoos

Before kitchens and comedy, Graham played guitar in a string of punk bands. These days he channels that energy into music fandom: Slipknot, Stone Sour, and deep respect for Corey Taylor’s voice. They talk about how Slipknot keeps the masks sacred, making new members go incognito for months so the mystique stays intact.

His tattoos tell the rest of his story:

• A “Live Mas” taco piece, a nod to Taco Bell shifts
• A pizza slice from one of Charleston’s best restaurants, where he first saw his path in kitchens
• The paper boat SS Georgie from It
• A toilet roll that says “Shit Happen”
• A fish pinup girl he shares as a matching tattoo with his brother
• The big Battlefrog on his leg from the day he chose sobriety over a bender

Chef Life, Insomnia, and Comedy Goals

Graham has been cooking professionally for about 11 years. He grew up in West Ashley, still calls Charleston home, and has had insomnia since he was about 12. There were plenty of shifts where he dragged himself into the kitchen after three sleepless nights and still got yelled at for moving too slow.

Like a lot of back‑of‑house folks, he has seen how easily long hours and stress slide into substance abuse, so he works hard to keep his vices to caffeine and rice crackers.

Comedy showed up later. His longtime friend and fellow comic Liam Baker told him, “Yeah, you are funny enough,” and that was all the permission he needed.

His short‑term goals are clear:

• Get passed at Wit’s End
• Land a feature set there in the next year

Long term, he would love to do stand‑up full‑time or at least build a life where he only needs a part‑time day job and spends the rest of the week writing and working shows.

For now, he keeps it simple: no serious relationships, no kids, just one man trying to juggle tickets on the line and punchlines on stage.

Where to Find Graham and More Snackin’ & Yakkin’

If you want to catch Graham live, your best bet is to hit the Wednesday open mic at Wit’s End and look for the short guy with food tattoos and possibly a Dragon Ball Z poncho. Online, he lurks under the handle @thegrahamburgular, posting jokes and the occasional cat pic.

To see the full rice cracker chaos and every future snack‑based hang, subscribe to the Snackin’ & Yakkin’ YouTube channel, and if you are a kitchen goblin who loves this kind of thing, the show’s Patreon at patreon.com/snackinyakkin helps keep the snacks and stories flowing.

In a city packed with chefs and comics, Graham Codespoti is one of those rare weirdos who happens to be both. That mix of kitchen scars and stage time is exactly what makes this episode such a fun, crunchy watch.

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