Podcast

#046 - Today we are talking to Lori Watkins, the Founder and CEO of The Lord’s Helper Boutique. Lori did not grow up a religious person - she found it as an adult. Impressed with her fellow worshipers’ fashion, Lori researched how she could secure similar garments for herself. She was shocked when she learned the price. After discovering how much worshipers were being overcharged, she decided to do something about it - she became the...

#045 - Today we visit with Randolph Belle from RBA Creative. RBA Creative is a storefront in the Laurel District that Randolph opened with his wife Erica in 2017. It serves several purposes - a gallery, a photography studio, and a co-working space for creative businesses. This is not their first rodeo - Randolph has had several spaces around Oakland going back to the early 90s when he first brought his airbrush business across the bridge from...

#044 - Today we are talking with Nelson German who runs two beautiful establishments here in Oakland - alaMar Kitchen & Bar and Sobre Mesa. Nelson also starred on Season 18 of Top Chef on Bravo - we even got into what that experience was like. ...

#043 - Today we are talking with Mario Benjamin & Chaz Hubbard of Oakland’s only Black-owned brewery - and 1 of ONLY 60 Black-owned breweries in the entire country. They started brewing in the backyard as part of the dad's club at their kids’ elementary school. The dads would come together and that sparked Mario’s and Chaz’s competitive nature. Everyone liked their brews and that gave them the confidence to take it to the next level. ...

#042 - Today we are talking to Matt Day, the owner and operator of Planter Day, a mission-driven plant shop located in Rockridge that is dedicated to destigmatizing mental health and promoting mental health resources. Matt decided to pick some weeds one day after visiting his mom in the hospital while she battled cancer. ...

#041 - Today we visit with Chef Tirzah Love, a food entrepreneur who created Soul Box, which is a membership offering one-of-a-kind cooking experiences. Members receive a monthly curated box with a recipe and minimally perishable goods from local Black owned, minority-owned, LGBTQ, and Woman owned food companies that are needed to make that recipe. The box also includes access to a video of Tirzah preparing the dish, a DJ curated playlist, and...

#040 - Today we visit with Chef Daphani Hightower, the owner and operator of The Cake & Sugar Company. Chef Daphani has an incredible story and continues to persevere in the face of adversity. She lost her son’s father to COVID and was diagnosed with stage 3 stomach cancer in 2022. The cancer diagnosis has inspired her to forge ahead to create a legacy for her children....

#039 - Today, David Benton joins us. David is an Oakland Baker and the owner and operator of Sugar Sweet Bakery. David started cooking as a child. As an adult, he hosted dinner parties where friends came over - they really liked the food. At the constant urging of one of those friends he decided to give culinary school a chance. He went in thinking he would be chef, but he fell in love with the art of baking and never looked back...

#038 - Today we visit with Charles Farrier, the owner and operator of Crumble & Whisk, an Oakland Patisserie, specializing in cheesecakes. Charles’ love for baking was inspired by his father. As a young boy he was drawn to the kitchen to watch his father work....

#037 - Today we visit with Melissa Myers, the owner and operator of The Good Hop, a craft beer and bottle shop. The Good Hop features 16 California focused beers on draft and more than 450 beers from independent breweries. Melissa was a professional brewmaster in Philadelphia when she decided to move west. ...