A Round with Steve and Cole

Welcome back faithful listeners!   Big news: we have our first patron on Patreon! Who will be #2? Could it be ... you? Sign up to give us a tiny amount of money each month here: https://www.patreon.com/ARWSAC.    Oh, and we have a fresh new episode for those ears of yours. Steve and I had the honor to sit down with Anna Giordano and Maggie Morgan, two of the best working bartenders on the New Orleans cocktail scene. Hear about their respective rises in the industry, the art show they jointly curate at Santos, their annual Buffy The Vampire Slayer themed pop up, and their brand work.    It's all that and more on this edition of A Round With Steve and Cole! As always, thanks for listening.    Cheers, Cole

Welcome Back Faithful Listeners! This episode, we talk with one of my favorite people, a rare example of that all-too-elusive creature: the “working artist”. Some of you may know Ann Glaviano from her alter ego, DJ Ann Glaviano of the twice-monthly Heatwave! dance party at Twelve Mile Limit and Okay Bar. She's gained a loyal following for her well-curated playlists of energetic 50s/60s/70s pop, soul, garage, and R&B, and also for cultivating what she refers to as a, “PRO-CONSENT, ANTI-ASSHOLE DANCEFLOOR.” But that's just the tip of the iceberg. Did you know that she's also a published writer of both short fiction and essays? Her story, “Come On, Silver” was selected for Best American Short Stories 2018. Or that she's a dancer and choreographer? Ann is making a living cobbling together earnings from her various artistic pursuits. How does anyone actually do that? Tune in to find out! (On a related note, if you're enjoying ARWSAC, please support our Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/ARWSAC.) Cheers, Cole

Welcome Back Faithful Listeners! We're back at it with some fresh new episodes in SEASON 3 of A Round With Steve and Cole! Before we get into it, a little housekeeping: we're asking for a little help from our friends to keep this rolling. If you have the means, please consider supporting our Patreon. Even a dollar or two would mean a lot. We want to keep this season free from brand sponsorship, but there are still costs. If you've ever thought, ‘Hey, I wish they'd make more of this!', you can help make that happen. On to this week's episode: we sat down with Mr. Todd Price, formerly of nola.com | The Times-Picayune. Todd was a food, drink, and culture writer for the Times Pic (as it was affectionately known to locals) for over a decade, and survived many of the major changes as the paper struggled to evolve in the changing media landscape. Todd's award-winning journalism was integral to the early success of Twelve Mile Limit, among countless others, and he was a critical force in growing the ample social media following that allowed the Times Pic to survive as long as it did. Interestingly, after we recorded this episode, the Times Pic was purchased and absorbed by another local paper, and Todd was one of many writers who lost his job in the transition. It would be tempting to label him as a victim of the tectonic shifts in news media that he had long avoided, but he's already landed well, having secured a gig that will allow him to remain in New Orleans doing regional food and culture reporting for an as-of-yet unnamed publication from Gannett. You can keep track of his exploits across social media by following @foodkrewe, and we all look forward to seeing what he does next. Anyhow, give a listen, support us on Patreon, and follow Todd Price. I promise, all of the above will be more than worth your while. Cheers! Cole

Welcome Back Faithful Listeners! We've invited a couple of real social justice warriors on the show this week! Sue Mobley might be the busiest person I know. Her primary hustle is Public Programs Manager at Tulane University's Albert and Tina Small Center for Collaborative Design, which works, “with community-based organizations to provide design services for constituencies who are underserved by the architecture and design professions.” In addition to that mouthful of a job title, Sue works with Paper Monuments, WWOZ, the Music and Culture Coalition of New Orleans, and St. Claude Main Street, among others. Our second guest, Corinna Yazbek, is the Senior Associate for Strategic Partnerships at the Vera Institute of Justice, where she explores, “the intersections of economic justice, mass incarceration, and reproductive justice.” Corinna's recent work has been on the criminalization of sex work, so she's been involved locally in fighting the state and local crackdown on stripclubs, which we discussed a few weeks ago on the episode “What's Your Real Job”. We had a great, wide ranging conversation that touched on a lot of topics. Street protests, the ethics of tip-based-income systems, using of “social justice warrior” as a pejorative, and so much more. It's a long one, but worth the trip, so strap in and enjoy! -Cole

Welcome Back Faithful Listners! Some of y'all might not be aware, but there are many instances in the liquor industry the companies producing and selling spirits make extended efforts to give back to local communities. Among these initiatives is the (relatively) local Cathead Vodka, which, since its creation, has made sure to support local charitable organizations for musicians wherever their products are sold. Here in New Orleans, Candace Frosch is the face of the Cathead brand. Candace, many head bartenders' favorite brand representative, is a local who was always passionate about the food and beverage industry. She fell into an internship with Cathead while in college and has been helping them grow their brand ever since. The local charity supported by Cathead is the New Orleans Musician Assisstane Fund. NOMAF's mission is to support the health and wellness of musicians as well as anyone who works to support the thriving New Orleans nightlife scene. Erica Dudas joins us to discuss her role at NOMAF as well as the many great initiatives championed by this organization. Anywho, thanks for tuning in as always! We'll catch you soon. Steve

Welcome Back Faithful Listeners! I hope y'all didn't miss us too badly. On this episode, we explore two aspects of two different jobs in the service industry and discuss the perception and dual nature of each job. Do help us navigate those dualities, we (fittingly) have two guests shedding light on navigating both sides. First, we have well known cocktail whisperer Nick Jarrett. Having worked at some extremely well regarded cocktail bars in New York City, Nick moved to New Orleans to work at the bastion of late night dive bars: The Saint. He would soon supplement this by working at Cure, striking a balance between making "fancy" cocktails and molding the controlled chaos that can be found at The Saint on a typical weekend. Our second guest, Angie Zeiderman, is a burlesque dancer and singer who moved to New Orleans to participate in our wonderful burlesque scene. The costs of participating in the burlesque world and living in the French Quarter being substantial, Angie decided to try her hand at stripping on Bourbon St to ensure that she could make it work. As it turns out, she likes the job a lot and it allows her to be more successful in her other endeavors. Personally, I found this episode fascinating and enjoyed drawing parellels between different corners of the service industry. There's a lot more in common with these pursuits then one may initially think, and in the end we're all doing the same thing: providing a service and experience in exchange for money. So sit back and enjoy! We're glad to have you back and will definitely catch you soon. Steve

Hey Y'all, After a brief break to enjoy a wonderful Mardi Gras, we're coming in hot! Our guest this week is Nick Detrich, one of the most celebrated bar professionals in our community. Nick cut his craft cocktai teeth working at multiple Cure Co. projects including Cure, Bellocq, and Cane & Table, where he was a partner. Over the years, Nick has developed a reputation for wanting to have fun with his cocktails and service while also pushing the envelope. This approach to bartending will lend itself well to his newest upcoming project Everywhen. And, if opening one bar wasn't enough, Nick and his partners are also opening a much anticipated Cuban-style bar called Manolito, which could be open as soon as the next could of weeks! With two projects in the pipeline, we definitely appreciate Nick taking the time out to chat with us about what brought him here to New Orleans, his career to date, and a wide variety of subjects. Anywho, check it out and let us know what you think! Thanks as always for listening, and we'll catch you next time. Steve 

Happy Mardi Gras faithful listeners! With the first major parade of the season just a couple of days away, we thought that it would be appropriate to talk about some of the things that we love about Mardi Gras. On the first half of our show, Andre Bohren​ joins us to talk about being a musician and also a 610 Stomper. Andre performs with the bands Johnny Sketch and The Dirty Notes​ and Rory Danger & the Danger Dangers​ and has some side projects, but he feels most like a rockstar when he's getting down in a red satin jacket. On the second half, we take our studio on the road to Bakery Bar where to chat with Charles Mary and Jeff Schwartz​ about king cake, Krewe de Vieux, and Mardi Gras Balls. Anywho, we've got a plus-sized carnival episode here for your enjoyment. Thanks as always for tuning in! Steve

Welcome Back Faithful Listeners! Well, it had to happen eventually. Since starting this podcast, there has been one subject that we haven't really had a chance to properly address: the controversy surrounding Tales of the Cocktail that came to the forefront a little over a year ago and sent shockwaves through the industry. After the dust settled, the founders of Tales had stepped down from their roles running the business and were preparing to sell the event. While this transpired, many of us in New Orleans were left holding our breath and hoping for a favorable outcome. Everyone agreed that changes needed to be made, but the economic impact of losing Tales would have been disastrous. There was a collective sigh of relief when it was announced that a local philanthropic group, the Solomon Family, would be purchasing the event and making sure that it remains a New Orleans institution. Along with the Solomon Family, Neal Bodenheimer, CureCo owner and friend of the show, is one of the partners in this venture. A lot is still up in the air, but in and of itself the new ownership is extremely good news. The Solomons are interested in deepening the nonprofit mission of Tales, and Neal has invaluable perspective when it comes to the New Orleans service industry. Anywho, we cover a lot of ground here about our past experiences with Tales and some of what we would like to see with future Tales programmng. As always, enjoy the episode, and let us know what you think! Steve

Welcome Back Faithful Listeners! We've got a real doozy of a show here for your today. To preface, this is an episode that Cole and I have wanted to do for awhile, but we were not sure the most responsible way to address the issue of addiction and sobriety. Cole drinks in a highly moderate amount, and I have pretty much completely quit drinking. That may sound strange to some of you, as we are bartenders and our livelihood involves alchohol. Indeed, that is what made this episode a bit tough to approach. Luckily, we are joined by two excellent guests who help drive the conversation. Brad Smith, General Manager of Latitude 29, joins us to discuss his past and ongoing issues with alchohol. Brad is constantly striving to physically and mentally better himself, and a large reason for this is to handle being sober in such constant close proximity to people who drink. Dr. Arwen Podesta also joins us to lend a profesional opinion. Arwen specializes in addiction treatment and counseling. Her viewpoint is particularly important because she does not condemn alchohol as some intolerable vice. Anywho, this was a somewhat heavier issue to tackle as we ring in the New Year. Remember to take care of yourselves during this holiday time, and if any of this seems to sound a little close to home, don't feel like you're alone out there. Cheers! Steve

Welcome Back Faithful Listeners! As the political landscape shifts drastically across the nation, New Orleans has elected Latoya Cantrell as our first female mayor. Counicilperson Cantrell has been active for years, bringing about change to a city that she clearly cares deeply about. It's an exciting time, and all of us here in NOLA are anxiously awaiting to see what changes are coming. To shed some light on this, John Pourciau joins us to talk about his experiences in politics and the work that he has done as Mayor Elect Cantrell's City Council Chief of Staff. In the second half of the show, the three of us are joined by Derrick Freeman, a modern day renaissance man here in New Orleans. Among other skills, Derrick is an extremely talented musician. We're such big fans that we made one of his songs the theme music to this show! Derrick brings important perspective from someone who is not just a musician but also a long time citizen of New Orleans. Anywho, I know they say not to talk about politics in a bar, but we're going to break that dumb rule. As always, thanks for tuning in. Cheers! Steve  

Welcome Back Faithful Listeners! Another fresh, tasty episode is here for you to enjoy. Our topic this week is gin, but from two very different perspectives. In the first half of our show, Fred Parent joins us to talk about his role as brand ambassador for Hendrick's gin. Fred is no stranger to bartending and has honed his craft over the years in New York City. We get the chance to pick his brain about what it's like making the transition from the bar to brand work, as well as get his perspective on the role of a modern brand ambassador in the liquor industry. Gus and Ed Haik join us in the second half of our show to chat about what it's like to be on the forefront of the boom in craft distilling in New Orleans. The Haik brothers own and operate Cajun Spirits and produce several great products including 3rd Ward Gin. Anywho, pour yourself some gin for the win and enjoy this week's episode. Thanks as always for tuning in! Steve

Welcome Back Faithful Listeners! On this episode we have the chance to pick the brains of two local comedians and get their take on the state of the New Orleans comedy scene. Our first guest, Brock LaBorde, is a veritable jack of all trades. He's one of the owners of the New Movement Theater (with locations in New Orleans and Austin), organizes Hell Yes Fest, and is the personal assistant of a legit Hollywood bigwig. By providing nightly improv shows and classes, Brock and his theater provide a invaluable resource to a city where humor comes naturally to so many. In the second half of this week's episode, Laura Sanders joins to provide insight into what it's like being a stand-up comedian in New Orleans. Laura hosts the Bear With Me open mic at Twelve Mile Limit every Monday night at 9 PM, and she regularly performs both locally and around the country. Her quick wit and knowledge of how to properly showcase a diverse group of comedians always makes for a great show. Anywho, I'm grateful for the chance to get to know the folks who make us laugh a little bit and learn about the hard work that it takes to bring that laughter to the stage. I really feel like this should be ending on some sort of punchline... Cheers! Steve  

Welcome Back Faithful Listeners! Halloween celebrations in New Orleans are one of the things that make this city so incredibly special. I've been a huge fan of this ghoulish holiday ever since I was a little kid. Candy, mischief, scary stuff, and getting to be a completely different person for a night. What's not to love? To further explore the uniqueness of Halloween in New Orleans, we are joined this week by two fantastic guests. The first, Hope Kodman vonStarnes, is no stranger to the show. Hope joined us for an episode in Season 1 where we discussed her efforts to open up Dynamo, her adult boutique. This time, Hope gives us insight into her other job as a New Orleans tour guide who regales visitors with tales of ghosts, murderers, and the macabre. Our other guest, Jennifer O'Blenis, is a veteran of the New Orleans nightlife. Her experiences as a bartender on Frenchman St during Halloween range from humorous to pretty much what you'd expect from one of the most wild, chaotic times of year. Anywho, great stuff here inluding Cole's favorite Halloween candy, tales of New Orleans axe murderers, and our favorite Halloween movies and shows to get you in the spirit of the season. Cheers y'all! Steve

Welcome Back Faithful Listeners! One of the greatest parts of doing this show is getting the chance to sit down and talk with people that I have met but really don't know too well. It's even better when the people you get to chat with are as interesting as our guests this week: Isaac and Amanda Toups. Isaac and Amanda are Louisiana natives who followed their passion for food and hospitality by opening the magnificent Toups' Meatery in the Mid-City neighborhood of New Orleans. Since opening, their flagship restaurant has received heaps of well deserved acclaim and adulation. They've earned several James Beard nominations, and Isaac to competed on the television show Top Chef, where he was a finalist and won fan-favorite. With the success from all of these endeavors, Amanda and Isaac have now been able to open a second restaurant: Toups South, located in the Southern Food and Beverage Museum in Central City. I'm a bit of a fanboy, admittedly. In my opinion, both of their restaurants rank as some of the best in the city. And aside from that, Amanda and Isaac are just cool and hilarious people. Anywho, check it out and thanks for tuning in! Steve

Welcome Back Faithful Listeners! This week we had the pleasure to host two of the hardest working "Bums" on the planet: none other than Jeff "Beachbum" Berry and Annene Kaye, AKA Mr. and Mrs. Bum. My personal history with Jeff and Annene goes back many years. I first met them as a bartender and would go on to help them open up their fantastic French Quarter Tiki paradise, Latitude 29. Here we get the chance to talk about the process of opening Latitude, the current state of Tiki, and the bar industry as a whole. Check it out, and let us know what you think? Steve

Welcome back faithful listeners! It's good to be back online. We took a brief hiatus re-tool the show a bit, and we are extremely excited to bring to you Season 2 of A Round with Steve and Cole! On this week's episode, we get a chance to chat with Skylar Stroup and Stephen MacDonald, two members of one of our favorite New Orleans bands: Sweet Crude. Composed exclusively of longtime Twelve Mile Limit regulars, Sweet Crude has found success bringing upbeat, culturally conscious music to the masses. Sweet Crude is dedicatied to the preservation of Cajun French through their lyrics, which are in both English and French. Skylar and Stephen are not only rockstars, but childhood friends from Mandeville who now work at the same company, iSeatz. Their employers are survivors of the bursting tech bubble of the late 90's and now a pillar in New Orleans tech industry, or "Silicon Bayou". This episode was recorded at a time when both Stephen and Skylar could not be on the road with their band due to work and personal responsibilities. Balancing passion and responsibility is something that I think all of us strive for, and it's great to get perspective on how to manage this from two highly talented individuals. Anywho, it's great to be back. Enjoy the conversation and the music and let us know what you think? Cheers! Steve 

Welcome Back Faithful Listeners! With the recent flooding in New Orleans, there has been a lot of talk about water and the way that our community deals with it. On this week's episode, we decided to approach the subject of water from a more macro perspective, as opposed to concentrating solely on the current state of our streets, pumps, and drains. We are joined this week by two amazing guests. Ariadne Acevedo, Outreach Team Coordinator at the Gulf Restoration Network, discusses growing up on the Gulf Coast in Texas and how that and her time at Loyola University led her to her current non-profit work. Maggie Olivier, a South Louisiana native who works in the Jefferson Parish Floodplain Management and Hazard Mitigation Department, talks about the role that the government plays in helping to manage the risks that water may pose to a community and steps that are being taken in Jefferson Parish to mitigate how flooding impacts their residents. Anywho, another great episode about what it's like living here in New Orleans. Thanks for tuning in, and we'll catch you next week! Cheers, Steve

Welcome Back Faithful Listeners! To most out there, our guest this week needs no introduction. To everyone else, allow me to introduce the one and only Kimberly Patton-Bragg. Kim has been a fixture of the New Orleans cocktail scene for years. She was the first President of the USBG Chapter here in NOLA and has run several prominent bar programs throughout the city. KPB (as us cool kids like to call her) is a naturally hospitable person. It's no wonder that she chose to pursue her passion for bartending over a career in stand up comedy and acting. It's clear, though, that her training for the stage makes her a unique and unforgetable barkeep. Besides her accolades, one of the things that I love most about Kim is her desire to mentor and teach others. She has trained a multitude of folks the craft of bartending. Many of us (yes, I too am included here) have taken the knowledge that she imparted to develop our own unique careers. She cusses like a sailor, loves to drink bourbon, is pretty handy with a rapier, and is one truly special individual. We had a blast getting the chance to get to know her better in this episode, and hope y'all enjoy! Cheers! Steve

Welcome Back Y'all! Tipping is a subject that may seem a bit taboo in polite company. People may know how much to tip on a typical meal, but there is a lot of debate on how to appropriately tip in many other situations. Cole and I are intimately familiar with what we see as the proper way to tip at a bar, but even between us we have a difference of opinions. On this week's episode, we explore tipping at bars, restaurants, and a few other spaces where people might not know the proper protocol when it comes to leaving a tip. Joining us this week is Marci Semper, who works as a stripper on Bourbon Street (and has also waited tables and tended bar.) She lends insightful opinions on how to properly compensate for the various services offered in the club. We are also joined by Josh Benitez, who is not only a musician but also a pedi-cab driver who gives his thoughts on customer interactions in both of those worlds. Join us and learn how to tip like a pro! Thanks as always for tuning in. Steve

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

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

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

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

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 

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

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

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

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    

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 

Hey Y'all! Welcome back to the show! We've got a good one this week with a very special guest: Chris Hannah. Chris' bar, the French 75 was recently honored with a James Beard Award for Outstanding Bar Program. In this episode, we discuss how Chris got into bartending and eventually moved to New Orleans. We also get to chat about the evolution of the his bar and a bit about the people who have helped him along the way. So, sit back, relax and enjoy! And as always, let us know what you think!   Cheers! Steve

Welcome Back Y'all! If I weren't such a nerd, I would apologize for the punny name of this episode. But I am, so there you go. This week we are thrilled to be joined by one of the most talented and recognized bartenders in New Orleans: Abigail Gullo of Compere Lapin. I'd like to think that Abigail truly embodies what it means when you find New Orleans and it becomes your home. Her style of hospitality is so reflective of the nature of this city that you would swear that she has been here all her life. Abigail, in this week's episode, gives us some insight into her take on bars and how she came to be a bartender. We then have the chance to talk about the inherent gender bias that plagues not only our industry, but almost all professions. Y'all. There's no such thing as "Girl Bartenders". There are bartenders who are strong, embattled women who try to make a difference through their passion and craft. Get with it if you're not already there. Anywho, had a great time with this one. Hope y'all enjoy it, and let us know what you think!   Steve

Welcome back everyone! It's been a busy couple of weeks here in New Orleans for some of us bartenders! French Quarter Fest, Easter, and Jazz Fest always have a great impact on many of our businesses. Besides that, we have also had a couple of great educational opportunities in the form of Lush Life's Bar Institute Econo Tour and the United States Bartender Guild Southern Region Conference. The latter event gave way to the inspiration for this weeks' podcast. One of the seminars that was presented at the USBG SRC concerned how bartenders could better utilize social media to furter their professional brand. A large portion of that seminar concerned the lack of bar and bartender inspired programming on television and various other forms of media. This lead to Cole and myself wanting to further explore this subject. To help us, we invited one of our friends Mike Jones to add his perspective. Mike is an excellent bartender from Atlanta who was in town for the conference. Anywho, check it out as we talk about why chef driven shows are so popular, what it would take to make a popular bar show, and even a couple of pitches from each of us. And as always, thanks for listening to the show! Let us know what you think and feel free to shoot us any ideas for future episodes!   Steve 

Welcome back y'all! This week, we welcome our good friend Bryan Dias as a guest to the show. Bryan is the GM of Pontchartrain Vineyards as well as the NOLADrinks podcast and radio show. The inspiration for A Round with Steve and Cole was born in the same studio that broadcasts Bryan's show. It seemed only fitting to invite him on to talk about the process of creating and maintaining a successful radio show. Like many of our episodes, this one takes a fair number of twists and turns. Amongst our topic at hand, we also get the chance to talk about criticism, journalism, and whether or not media exposure is vital to the success of a bartender. Anyways, thanks as always for listening! We'll catch you next week with another exciting episode!   Cheers! Steve

Welcome Back Everyone! The relevance and proliferation of cocktail bars in the city of New Orleans is due to one thing and one thing only: Cure. A bold project that became an anchor to a street left nearly vacant from Katrina, Cure for many of us is the reason why we decided to become bartenders. Plain and simple. Even for some of us who had been bartending for awhile, going into Cure provided a glimpse at a style and standard of service that was not yet common to most New Orleans bars. Seeing the way Cure did things inspired many of us to strive to learn and become better at what we do. Hopefully, I'm not overstating things too much here, but I want to provide some context to the way I feel about this episode. This week, we get the chance to talk to Neal Bodenheimer (one of the owners of Cure) and Matt Lofink (one of the bartenders at Cure). With all that this awesome bar has accomplished, it is so refreshing to be able to hear how honest and approachable these two are. We cover such topics as how Cure ended up on Freret, challenges they have faced over the years, and things they have done to improve their business. For anyone interested in turning their passion into a business, listen and learn. So, thanks as always for tuning in! Don't get trapped underneath any ovens. And, of course, let us know what you think! Cheers! Steve    

Welcome back y'all! When first establishing A Round with Steve and Cole, me and my co-host were determined that we didn't want to produce a podcast that solely focused on bartending and cocktails. There are already great shows out there that addresses that subject matter much better than I think I could. We wanted to do something a little different. Something that would focus on our community and the world around us, but through the eyes of two New Orleans bartenders. I think that this episode is a great step forward in that direction. After our first few episodes came out, I realized that in casual conversations, I tend to make a lot of assumptions. One of those assumptions (expressed several times on past episodes) is that real estate is getting too high in New Orleans. I'm guilty of using the term "bubble" to describe the growth in our city and the subsequent rise in property value. To be frank, I don't know anything about real estate or housing in New Orleans aside from my experience with finding an apartment and looking at properties for potential businesses. I think those experiences have given me an impression that is not an accurate view of the nature of property in New Orleans. Cole is much better versed in this issue, having bought not only a business, but also a house. Aside from this, we decided to reach out to some local experts to get some further perspective on the real estate situation in our local community. We are thrilled to have had the chance to talk to two experts on this subject: Katie Witry of the Witry Collective and Maxwell Ciardullo the Director of Policy and Communication for the Greater New Orleans Fair Housing Action Center. It's impossible to properly address all of the issues that concern housing in New Orleans in a 40 minute podcast. What I think is most important is that this can serve as the beginning of an important and ongoing conversation. The lesson I'll be taking away is that I personally need to get more involved in my community. Learn more about the issues and make time to show up to the appropriate meetings. For that and for taking the time out of their busy schedules, I want to sincerely thank both of our guests this week. Anyways, to all those listeners out there old and new enjoy this weeks episode and as always, feel free to let us know what you think! Steve

Welcome back everyone! We have a very special episode this week featuring two amazing guests: Jonathan Shock and Bazil Zerinsky. Our topic this time around concerns something that was covered by The Advocate last week. In summary, we are talking about moving away from New Orleans. During this episode we discuss the reasons why people initially move to New Orleans, the ups and downs of life down here, and the tough decision of deciding to move away. This is the longest episode that we have released, but throughout the editting process, I felt like it was important to not cut out too much of the conversation that we all got to share. Anyways, thanks as always for listening! We'll be back next week with an episode a little less barcentric! Steve

Welcome Back Y'all! On this weeks episode of A Round with Steve and Cole we are taking a full swig of hatorade! That is, we get to chat about why things get hated upon and whether or not it is justified. This episode was a lot of fun to make. Much like our Jukebox discussion, we went off the cuff, and it's pretty interesting the various things that we ended up talking about. It was kind of like playing Six Degrees of Seperation between the band Sublime and La Croix sparkling water. Rounding out his two episode stint as our first guest on the show is Michael Domangue of The Broad Theater. Great to get his expert opinion on movies as well as hear his take on Stargate as a sci-fi franchise. Spoiler alert, Stargate sucks. At least that's what me and Michael think. This week is also pretty cool because we are now live on the iTunes Store. The approval process was a little bit tricky, but I'm very happy with how everything turned out with that. Anywho, thanks as always for listening. Enjoy these ramblings about Nickleback, Long Island Iced Teas, and Man Buns. And as always, feel free to let us know what you'd like to hear about next! Steve

Hey y'all! Just in time for the weekend, here's our third episode of A Round with Steve and Cole! On this weeks episode, we discuss our experience hosting and attending special events at 12 Mile Limit as well as around the city. This also marks the first chance that we are welcoming a guest to the show: Michael Domangue. Michael is a manager at The Broad Theater and hosts our weekly Geeks Who Drink trivia night every Wednesday at 8 PM. As always, thanks for listening to us and if you have any feedback feel free to reach out to us. Cheers! Steve

Hello Again Everyone! This week we discuss the importance of music in bars and restaurants as well as get some insight into how certain music is chosen for the jukebox over here at 12 Mile Limit. Now, before anyone jumps at us, there are a couple of pretty obvious mistakes made by me and Cole. The Flamining Lips song that Cole makes a reference to is "Do You Realize?" not "Summertime". Also, the Solomon Burke song I'm trying to reference is "Got to Get You Off of My Mind". Pretty embarassing on my behalf, but a good demonstration of how we want to keep this show spontaneous and off the cuff. This episode actually came about because we had so much fun with the first episdoe that we decided to immediately record another one. We took about 5 minutes to write down our lists and hit the record button. Also of note, this episode saw our first major sound edit in post production. Halfway through the episode, the phone rang and Cole had to get up to answer it. I didn't know how to pause the recorder, so there was about 2 minutes of fumbling and silence that had to be removed. I think it came out pretty good and is hard to figure out where the edit happened. That being said, the sound quality is similar to the first episode. The mics are a bit unbalanced, but hopefully not distractingly so. We just recorded two new episodes and are hoping that some of those sound issues are resolved. We also have some new equipment that has been ordered that should help the overall quality of our recording process, so stay tuned! With that, here's our second episode of A Round with Steve and Cole. Thanks for listening and sharing our show with your friends! I can't express how amazed I am with how many people have listened to us so far! Cheers! Steve  

Hello Everyone (or Anyone)! Here's a little project that me and my friend Cole have been working on. Both of us are bartenders who have worked for quite some time in the city of New Orleans. We've had many unique experiences along the way. With the city changing so rapidly around all of us, we felt that it would be productive to create a platform that offers the view of life from behind the bar and maybe a little bit beyond. In the future, we hope to include the perspective of some of peers, friends and regulars. But with this first episode, you've got us talking a little bit about ourselves and why we do what we do. So, feel free to listen and pleae feel free to provide any and all feedback. Unless you want to point out that I say "like" a lot. Or go ahead and do that. As long as you're listening!   Cheers! Steve Yamada