Episode 9: Food Truck Talk with Taco Grilla

We are having a conversation between Mark Baratto and Amy Clarke-Van Schoor

INTRO ~ Welcome to the Backyards of Key West Podcast with your host Mark Baratto. 

MARK:           Welcome to the Backyards of Key West podcast and I’m sitting outside in a parking lot and you can probably hear cars going by so I’m going to be extra loud today into this microphone. One of the cool things is that I have a beautiful view of the ocean and the reason I’m in a parking lot is because I am outside of the famous Taco Grilla, not taco gorilla, not taco grill, Taco Grilla with my guest Amy. And Amy, welcome to the show.

AMY:              Thank you!

MARK:           Tell me first, the name, I think it’s very catchy. Who came up with it? Who is the branding expert here with Grilla? 

AMY:              We were bouncing off a lot of different names, and there’s four of us, and we couldn’t all agree on one name. And it’s actually my friend’s dad who came up with it. 

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Episode 8: Craftsmen, Concerts & Cool with Billy Kearins of Coast Projects

We are having a conversation between Mark Baratto and Billy Kearins 

INTRO ~ Welcome to the Backyards of Key West Podcast with your host Mark Baratto. 

MARK:           Welcome to the Backyards of Key West and we are at Coast Projects, a couple blocks from Duval and I walk in and of course, the place is awesome, the clothing is awesome. It’s very surfer, very California, very… I don’t know, cool rustic vibe but then I walk when I come to meet Billy and I come outside and there’s a pool and Banyan trees and it’s like a whole thing going on out here. Tell me about this spot, how did you pick this spot? 

BILLY:           We started out about seven years ago and when we first started it was more of a workspace and artist collective. We found a spot, out on Stock Island on Front Street and it was an old fishing shack. We were over there until this January and we had a bunch of artists out there sharing the space and we used to do concerts and events. Retail was sort of a smaller facet of what we were doing at the time. A couple of years ago, I guess about 2 ½ years ago, I wanted to push the retail a little bit more and come out with more designs, t-shirt designs, hats, sweatshirts and things like that. I was keeping my eye open for a space in Old Town, probably specifically in the Bahama Village just because I like that area, I like this area the best.

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Episode 7: Key West Pottery Talk with Artist Adam Russell

MARK:           This is the backyards of Key West podcast, my name is Mark Baratto and I am sitting here at 1201 Duval Street at the infamous Key West Pottery, with the magical magician, the artist himself, Adam Russell. Welcome to the show. 

ADAM:           I’m stoked, thank you so much.

MARK:           I’ve seen a bunch of your stuff because we were talking before and I used to live across the street for a month. We walked by and see your stuff and of course on Instagram you are like an Instagram celebrity down here because typically people don’t have many followers at all down here and you’ve got quite a big following because of the work that you do. It’s great to actually be in the store and to meet you and maybe before I go you can show me the backroom where all the videos and the magic happens? 

ADAM:           Actually, that’s one of the things that we talked a lot about is that, a couple of years ago we used to be on Truman Avenue here in Key West. Lovely location, great neighbors, we loved it. Not as great as terms of business traffic, but when you came to Key West originally it was really just about setting up a studio. Not necessarily becoming this…

MARK:           A studio to make, and not to sell?

ADAM:           Yeah, just not even really as a retail venture but just have a space to create work because at that time, I say we because it was my wife Kelly, we were pursuing a more conventional artist gallery relationship. The artists kinda is the hidden little Quasimodo in the back and he’s making work and you have a face person out front in various cities around the world. Typically, Americans doing that right now.

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Episode 6: Tricia Coyne Talks Southern Eats with a Twist at Firefly Restaurant

We are having a conversation between Mark Baratto and Tricia Coyne 

INTRO ~ Welcome to the Backyards of Key West Podcast with your host Mark Baratto. 

MARK:           Okay, this is the Backyards of Key West Podcast, my name is Mark Baratto and I’m with Tricia Coyne. Pronounced like the silver dollar, the quarter, I like to give you the larger.

TRICIA:         Penny? 

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Episode 5: How Keith St. Peter is keeping the bar scene cool with GlitchCraft

We are having a conversation between Mark Baratto and Keith St. Peter 

INTRO ~ Welcome to the Backyards of Key West Podcast with your host Mark Baratto. 

MARK:           Hi, this is the Backyards of Key West Podcast, my name is Mark Baratto.  I am sitting with Keith St. Peter, is that how you say it? 

KEITH           Yup. You said it perfect.

MARK:           Well, I figured it would be like something French like, “St. Pierre.” 

KEITH           I mean, it is St. Pierre technically when they came over here, it was Anglicized to say St. Peter. 

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Episode 4: Love In Bloom with Kristy Geary

We are having a conversation between Mark Baratto and Kristy Geary 

INTRO ~ Welcome to the Backyards of Key West Podcast with your host Mark Baratto. 

MARK:           So, this is the Backyards of Key West Podcast, my name is Mark Baratto.  I have a very special guest today. If you live on the island, if you’ve been on the island and you see beautiful things on tables, in restaurants, in stores, at events, probably everywhere, it is because of this lovely lady, who has a store called Love in Bloom and her name is…

KRISTY:         Kristy Geary.

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Episode 3: Hotel Talk with Carol Wightman of The Marquesa Hotel

We are having a conversation between Mark Baratto and Carol Wightman 

INTRO ~ Welcome to the Backyards of Key West Podcast with your host Mark Baratto. 

MARK:           So, welcome to the Backyards of Key West Podcast, my name is Mark Baratto, and I have a special guest today. And she is…. 

CAROL:         Carol Wightman.

MARK:           Carol Wightman, yes, you may have heard of her if you’ve ever stayed at the Marquesa Hotel, you definitely heard of her. I don’t know, maybe… you gave me a look. Would they not have, are you behind the scenes? 

CAROL:         Yes, sometimes. 

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Episode 2: Landscape Design Talk with Craig Reynolds

Q:        You could use your sexy voice.

A:        That’s right.

INTRO ~ Welcome to the Backyards of Key West Podcast with your host Mark Baratto. 

Q:        So, welcome to the Backyards of Key West Podcast, I’m Mark Baratto, and I have my guest with me, Craig Reynolds. 

A:        Hello.

Q:        Here he is, the man, the myth, the legend. If you drive around Key West anywhere and you poke your head behind one of those picket fences and you see the most beautiful exquisite backyards, then the design, the landscape, all of it, it’s his stamp. His stamp is there, he is the one who did that. 

A:        And some of them you can see in the front yards.

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Episode 1: Fantasy Fest & Event Planning with Nadene Grossman Orr

Q:​ First time in Key West, a week before Fantasy Fest, right out of college.

A:​ I had no idea what I was in for.

INRO ~ Welcome to the Backyards of Key West Podcast with your host Mark Baratto. 

Q:​ We have our very first guest and I’m very excited to have her. I don’t know if I should say both names, is it one name?

A:​ It gets tricky.

Q:​ Let’s get people educated here on this first episode.

A:​ I was the eternally single girl, so I kept my maiden name and started my business under my maiden name. Now I have a married name, and you know, my husband gets upset when I get called by my maiden name, so I just kept them all in there. So, they are all in there. Nadene Grossman Orr.

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