A Round with Steve and Cole

The Road to Wellness

Welcome Back Faithful Listeners!

The life of a typical bartender often entails long shifts, late nights, junk food, and some hard partying. Don't get me wrong. All of that is fun, but especially now that many of my peers and I are well clear of our 20's it's time to start considering how to take better care of ourselves.

This week Michelle Lewis joins us to talk about working in the industry and eventually getting out of it and embracing a new career as a holitstic coach.

So what exactly is a holistic coach? Imagine all of those times you tried to get healthy but nothing seemed to work. Michelle specializes in working with individuals and helping them understand the nuances of how their bodies work. Proper diet, regular exercise, and overall balance are all things that Michelle works to help her clients achieve.

For more information, you can reach Michelle on Instagram under the handle @livingwell_michelle.

Anywho, to your health and mine! Enjoy the episode and thanks for listening!

Steve

No Shirt, No Problem

Welcome Back Faithful Listeners!

It's Tales of the Cocktail time! This week we welcome a guest who is synonymous with not only Tales, but many other bar related events around the world. That would be none other than the man, the myth, the legend: Rocky Yeh!

In this episode, we get to know a little bit about Rocky, a cocktail enthusiast turned brand specialist. Specifically we talk about Rocky's first time visiting New Orleans and how it has become one of his favorite cities to visit.

To me, this episode was truly enlightening because it showed the impact that attending events like Tales can have on one's life as well as career.

Anywho, sit back, relax, and enjoy as we discuss fried chicken and shirt optional policies in bars.

Cheers!

Steve

Bliz-ness is Good!

Welcome Back Faithful Listeners!

Have we got a sweet treat for you this week! Summertime in New Orleans is characterized appropriately by an oppressive and nearly inescapable heat. It's a joy to learn that the folks who have lived down here for a long time have come up with measures to combat this tropical climate that we love to hate.

Among these cures are pool time, tubing trips, ice cold neighborhood bars, and (probably most important) the Sno-Ball.

To many outsiders, a Sno-Ball may appear to be no more than your average snow cone, but it only takes one trip to one of the classic New Orleans Sno-Ball stands to realize the unique quality of this icy delicacy.

No conversation about Sno-Balls is complete without mentioning the most iconic institution to this wonderful treat. Hansen's Sno-Bliz has been around since the 30's. Their legacy as a Sno-Ball powerhouse transcends the simple moniker of snow ball stand. They are a fixture and an integral part of the fabric that makes up what is so great about New Orleans.

Paul Broussard, who has been managing Hansen's over the past couple of years, joins us this week to give us the history and some of the reasons about why Hansen's is so great. We talk about the family behind it and even nerd out a bit about "good ice".

So, give it a listen and make sure to make it over to Hansen's before the summer is over! Thanks as always for listening and we'll catch you next week!

Steve

Friends and Neighbors

Welcome back y'all!

On this week's episode of A Round with Steve and Cole, we have the pleasure of welcoming two fantastic guests: Pauline Patterson and Tyler Chauvin.

Pauline is probably best known for being the original owner and operator of Finn McCool's, one of the most well known and cherished bars in New Orleans. Throughout the years, Pauline has been an advocate for creating community spaces in Mid-City. That is very much expemplified by her current business, Treo.

Pauline, along with her indispensible GM Tyler, have built a bar that is part art gallery, part cocktail bar, part restaurant, and part community center. With that as well, they were one of the first new businesses to set down roots on Tulane Ave which over the years has begun to see many changes.

Anywho, thanks as always for tuning in to ARWSAC! Let us know what you think, and we'll catch you next week!

Steve

Live Music Nightly

Welcome back faithful listeners!

What is it that people like most about New Orleans? When asked, the response will usually involve an affinity for our music and culture. From an outside perspective, these two aspects are what make New Orleans so special.

These unique attributes, surprisingly, are not completely inherent. Organizations like The Music and Culture Coalition of New Orleans are doing amazing work supporting those effected by issues that would otherwise threaten some of the things that we hold dear in our community.

That being said, we were excited to have the chance to sit down and talk with two of the folks behind MaCCNO: Hannah Kreiger-Benson and Ethan Ellestad.

Among the topics we get to discuss are the Noise Ordinance, the Smoking Ban, and the proposed $40 million safety plan that has been under discussion.

Anywho, enjoy the episode! It's a pleasure having the chance to explore the issues that face our city and have a productive discussion about it.

Cheers!

Steve 

Boiled Alive

Welcome Back y'all!

On this week's episode we welcome Mid-City resident and entrepreneur James Clesi of Clesi's Restaurant and Catering.

For many of us, Clesi's has set a new standard in boiled crawfish, fried catfish, jambalaya, and so many of the other essential South Lousiana food staples that we have grown to love. James' humble demeanor and sense of humor are true reflections of the casual and inviting atmosphere of his establishment and the events that he hosts.

Besides learning more about James and how he came to become a master crawfish boiler, we take some pretty funny tangents during this episode. In all, the three of us love chain restaurants and fast food. As well as Futurama!

Anywho, really excited about another great episode that I hope y'all will enjoy. Let us know what you think or what you'd like to hear about next week!

Cheers!

Steve

In the Weeds

Welcome Back Y'all!

Continuing with having great guests on the show, we get a chance to sit down and talk with Lucy Weed this week. Both Cole and I have a relatioship with Lucy that stretches back almost to when she first moved to New Orleans. Personally, she is one of my favorite bartenders in the industry. I'm sure I'm now alone in saying that!

In this episode, we get to learn a bit more about Lucy's experience working in bars around the city and her current experiences working at Black Penny as well as being a brand specialist for St. Germain.

We also get to chat briefly about how all three of us have taken steps towards drinking and partying less than we used to, and how that is an important thing in our own personal and professional lives.

Anywho, kick back, relax and enjoy this episode. Let us know what you think. And as always, thanks for tuning in!

Cheers!

Steve

Play It Again, Sam

Welcome Back Y'all!

After a week on the road, it's great to be back with another fantastic guest. Sam Perez, the brand new Food and Beverage Director at the Catahoula Hotel, joins us to discuss their history as a long time resident of Southeast Louisiana.

Besides being a talented hospitality professional, Sam is a dedicated advocate for several very pertinent social issues in our community. Among those, we get to chat a little about Coastal Preservation and intersectionalsim in public environments.

Anywho, it's great to have y'all back here at ARWSAC! Enjoy this episode and let us konw what you think!

Cheers!

Steve

Friends with Benefits

Welcome Back Y'all!

We've got a fun episode this week that focuses on an ongoing debate within the bartending community. That debate concerns whether or not it is appropriate to take advantage of benefits offered to bartenders by brands. These benefits can consist of merchandise, travel, and other unique opportunities.

A phrase that is being thrown out more often than not is "selling out". While I don't want to take any hardline stance on this issue, I do think that accusing bartenders of selling out is a little bit silly. It's not like anyone is selling out their soul by taking a trip and picking up a couple of new bottles at their bar.

In the second half of our show, Megan Devine joins us to talk about Camp Runamok and how that is a benefit that many up and coming bartenders want to participate in. Megan is a manager at 12 Mile Limit and a kick ass bartender that I have the pleasure of working with on Wednesdays and Fridays.

Anywho, thanks as always for listening! Enjoy this week's episode!

Steve

 

 

Let's Talk About Sex

Welcome Back Y'all!

More precisely, Let's Talk About Sexual Health and Wellness! That's exactly what we get to do with our guest this week Mrs. Hope Kodman VonStarnes.

Hope is one of the co-owners of Dynamo, a soon to be open female-run adult boutique. Dynamo has been popping up at a myriad of different events around town to generate buzz for their store opening. Hope and her partener Nico also help run an awesome Adult Sex Ed evening at 12 Mile Limit.

On this episode, we get to discuss the origin and creation of Dynamo, as well as the importance of such shops in our communities. We also get to explore at length the challenges of starting any new businesses that need a storefront. From dealing with City Hall to ADA compliancy, the complex nuts and bolts of brick and mortar establishments are something that is a shared by many business owners.

As always, thanks for tuning in. Let us know what you think, and we'll catch you next week!

 

Steve