Episode 18: Italian Charm with Key West’s Newest Restaurant, Lola’s Bistro

We are having a conversation between Mark Baratto and Chef Richard. 

MARK:           This is the Backyards of Key West podcast; my name is Mark Baratto and we are with Chef Richard. Chef Richard, welcome to the show.  Let me paint the picture for the people on the listening end here. We are right at 728 Simonton and you walk on the street and it looks to be like this was an old cottage. Right? You walk up to the stoop from the outside and it looks like a cottage and you walk inside and you have 9-10 tables and reminds me of going and growing up in New York City and going off the beaten path and finding these little tiny cute restaurants with some old grandmother, not that you’re an old grandmother, but some old grandmother would be in there cooking. It’s like a bring your own wine and then I’m making a Pasta Fazool (Pasta e Fagioli) and then she’d be cooking whatever she would want to cook that day and then that’s how it was. So, you walk in, it’s like the kitchen is right there next to where people will be sitting so you really smelling the flavors and then here, I see Chef Richard. He’s here and what were you cooking? Short ribs? 

RICHARD:    Braising short ribs for tonight.

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Episide 17: Get in the best shape of your life with Michelle and Jessica Spottswood of FYT Gym

We are having a conversation between Mark Baratto, Michelle Spottswood and Jessica Spottswood. 

MARK:           This is the Backyards of Key West Podcast and my name is Mark Baratto, and I am at FYT Gym with the two owners, Jessica and Micelle Spottswood. Ladies, welcome to the show.

BOTH:           Hi guys! Hi, we’re happy to be on and we’re excited.

MARK:           One of the things I wanted to do first is just, introduce yourselves, meaning how you met, how you got involved with wanting to do this. We notice you both have the same last names, but you’re sisters from another mister, so if you can get into how you guys met and all that. 

MICHELLE: Okay, so I’m Michelle.

JESS:             And, I’m Jess.

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Episode 16: Going From ‘Last In His Class’ to Running a First Class Company – Fury Key West with Scott Saunders

We are having a conversation between Mark Baratto and Scott Saunders. 

MARK:           This is the Backyards of Key West podcast; my name is Mark Baratto and I have here a very special guest. Someone I’ve been wanting to talk to with a business that I’ve wanted to talk about ever since I’ve been coming to Key West. I have here Scott Saunders with FURY Key West Water Sports. 

SCOTT:          Right on!

MARK:           Is that how we say it?

SCOTT:          Yeah, we call it FURY Water Adventures because we think we do a lot more than just water sports. We do tours that are just not a water sport. We do things that are really adventurous. We have an 18,500 square foot in the Gulf of Mexico and it’s a state-certified water park with large water toys so it’s an adventure out there. Then we do the island adventure which goes 13 miles west of Key West in these special places so we do traditional parasail and Jet Ski and reef snorkel and sunset and glass-bottom boat. But we have the adventure side of the company which is pretty exciting too.

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Episode 15: If You Like Live Music, Local Performances, & Anything Theater, This Episode is for You

We are having a conversation between Mark Baratto and Bri Gangi. 

MARK:           This is the Backyards of Key West; my name is Mark Baratto and why don’t you introduce yourself and what you do.

BRI:                All right, my name is Bri Gangi, Brianna to some. I’m the Marketing Director here at the Key West Theater and for Rams Head Presents Key West.      

MARK:           Let’s start, if you don’t mind, with Rams Head Presents or the parent company or that whole thing, because I do no research before-hand.

BRI:                That’s great!

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Episode 14: Stock Island’s Newest Art Compound Filled with Galleries, Artist Studios & More

We are having a conversation between Mark Baratto, Kassy Burnette and Stuart Damon. 

MARK:           This is the Backyards of Key West Podcast and my name is Mark Baratto, why don’t you two introduce yourselves. Before that, wait, this is my first ménage à trois when it comes to the podcasting world. I’ve never done a two on one on podcast so this is going to be good and we’ll be moving the mike back and forth but why don’t we do intros first. Ladies first.

KASSY:          Hi, I’m Kassy Burnette.

MARK:           And Kassy, what do you do over here? First why don’t you tell us where we are, and then you can do an intro, and then you we can do like a round robin. So, tell us where we are and what’s going on here.

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Episode 13: How Artist Anna Sweet is Making Waves in the Art Community

We are having a conversation between Mark Baratto and Anna Sweet. 

MARK:           My name is Mark Baratto. This is the Backyards of key West podcast and I am sitting here with Anna Sweet. Anna, welcome to the show. 

ANNA:           Thanks for having me.          

MARK:           You’re welcome. We are in, now you have two studios, right?

ANNA:           I have a studio and a gallery, yes. 

MARK:           We are in the studio and then the gallery is on Duval Street, right? 

ANNA:           Correct. 

MARK:           I need the origin story. The how did you get into this? Where did it come from? Obviously, you’re an artist so tell me about you as a little girl.

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A guide to starting yo​ur own podcast

Lately, I have come across a lot of people that have asked me about the equipment I use for my Backyards of Key West Podcast. Some seem to be simply curious, but others have an interest in starting their own show.

Should you start your own show? Let me be very clear when I say that the answer is, “YES!”

Before we get into all of the equipment, programs, tools, and instructions, let’s cut to the chase and eliminate any excuse for not starting your podcast. 

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Episode 12: Key West Bed & Breakfast Talk With Rich Pesce

We are having a conversation between Mark Baratto and Rich Pesce. 

MARK:           This is the Backyards of Key West Podcast and this is a first for me. Normally I go to other people’s businesses and I talk to them and I am kinda like in their trench. But here I’m pulling up, right on Eaton Street, I’m looking and seeing that this is the Calvin Klein residence. Right?

RICH:            You didn’t know that? 

MARK:           I was just thinking that. I’m sitting outside by the pool in this amazing man’s backyard and it is incredible. This is the quintessential reason why I started the Backyards of Key West Instagram account because not only is the house amazing from the front but then you walk out and it’s just spectacular in this backyard. The pool, the outside lounging area, a little fountain, orchids everywhere, it’s just amazing. Now that you’re jealous by hearing the backdrop of where I am, I want to introduce our guest for today which is Rich Pesce. Not “pesh,” like Zuppa di Pesce, and he has a number of different businesses down here and we connected on Instagram. I really wanted to talk to him because this podcast is really about Key West, the people that are making it happen, the businesses that are down here, why people come down here and all these great questions that I think are great, and hopefully you guys think are great, too. Why don’t we start off with, give me a little background on your current business? It could be the one because I know you are also from New York, so your main business and then we can talk about the businesses down here.

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Episode 11: The Smokin’ Tuna’s Menu Gets a Five Star Overhaul With Celebrity Chef B

We are having a conversation between Mark Baratto and Chef Bill Hunt. 

MARK:           This is the Backyards of Key West podcast; my name is Mark Baratto and I’m here with Chef B. Please, I need the name here, all I know is Chef B. 

BILL:  Bill Hunt is my name and Charlie’s nickname so he uses that, but I don’t know where that came from but I’m okay with it. 

MARK:           It’s just easier I guess to say Chef B in the house! Or if he’s praising, Chef B! It’s easier for the cheering. 

BILL:             Yeah, you know I think he has his own language, basically. 

MARK:           We are going to try to get him on the podcast at some point or another and I think that would be fun to have him on here to hear all the other stories. And, I don’t know I’m sure he’s got a lot of them.  I’d like to get his perspective. But right now, we have the most important person, I would say on this podcast because you are the chef of the Smokin’ Tuna. 

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Episode 10: How The Perry Hotel Key West, Went From Idea, To Boutique Hotel Juggernaut

We are having a conversation between Mark Baratto and Jenny Lorenz. 

MARK:           Welcome to the Backyards of Key West podcast, my name is Mark Baratto and I’m with Jenny Lorenz and we are at the Perry Hotel. There may be a little background noise, there’s a meeting going on over here to the right and we are in the bar/lounge type area where there’s an immense amount of happy hour that will be going on later today. Not right now, because it’s about 9:30 in the morning, so the happy hour is the Perry Hotel coffee that I’m guzzling. I am very fond of this hotel. So there’s going to be a lot of biased questions and love for it because I’ve stayed at the hotel and it’s amazing. I’ve eaten here, they have an amazing pool for locals and I’ve splashed in the pool as a guest and as a local and all of it has been fantastic. Why don’t we start by you giving me a little background on what you do here and then maybe go into, I don’t know how The Perry ended up here on Stock Island? Maybe a little bit of the origin story? 

JENNY:          Okay. Again, my name is Jenny and I am the Director of Marketing here at the Perry Hotel Key West and the hotel opened about two years ago, May 1, 2017. Actually, closer to 2 ½ now, and it’s just a really cool property. When they built it they really wanted to embrace the maritime history of Stock Island and with the location on the marina, we really wanted to embrace that and not only did the design and the décor, but in the architecture, so I thin that they did a really great job with that. We’ve won multiple awards when it comes to the design of the hotel. It just really stands out apart from the rest of the properties in the Florida Keys. 

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