Sarasota Stories

With many consumers in the US looking for healthier alternatives to alcohol and sodas a local businessman is doing his part to fill that need with locally brewed Kombucha. Kombucha is a fermented tea. In fact it has been around for centuries in Asia but is now growing fast in the U.S. and now Sarasota has its very own version. Interestingly, it does appear to have health benefits. It contains prob...

Making the transition from tourist to full-time Sarasota resident has taught me one thing: Sarasota has many, many very cool hidden gems and more people need to find them.  So I highly recommend you get off the water and the beaches and take a trip to find some of these little treasures inland, especially the one you’re going to hear about today. My guest today is Kim Livengood of The Ba...

If you’re a true foodie you may have heard of Spanakopita. It is a Greek, savory pie made with phyllo bread and filled with spinach and other goodies. It has been around since the fifth century. But one local entrepreneur is putting a new twist on this dish by making the name easier for newbies to pronounce and adding his own ingredients to take this dish to a whole new level. My guest today is Jo...

If there's one thing the pandemic and the current war in Ukraine are teaching us, it's that we need to produce more food locally. But a critical part of that effort is to not waste what we already grow. One community group of dedicated volunteers is making big strides by gathering up the overproduction from local farmers and giving it to those most susceptible to hunger. Today I'm very pleased to...

Have you ever traveled overseas where you didn’t speak the language and had no one to translate for you? I have, and it can be quite intimidating. To even order a coffee or get directions to a restaurant definitely raises your blood pressure several notches. Likewise, it is just as stressful for many immigrants when they come here not knowing English.  However, one local organizatio...

Most of us think of our life’s work in terms of career. It may be as an employee, business owner, or civic leader. Still, it’s a career. But there are some professions where the work is much more of a calling. These professions usually attract professionals that want to serve by providing extraordinary care and dignity that is required to serve a fellow human being in great need. Today my guest is...

It’s not an uncommon story: you grow up working in the food industry as a kid and years later, all grown up, you get to own your own place -- in this case an Irish Pub in Washington DC. But if owning that pub requires you to work an 18-hour day it can be a very hard way to make a living.  So what to do? Sell the pub, move to Venice Florida and start a new venture in the wings and hot sauce sp...

One of the reasons I started the Sarasota Stories podcast was to connect more people with their neighbors. So it is quite gratifying to me to see other businesses doing the same thing and in the process strengthening community ties. My guest today is Ashley Millington, a Founder of the Meadows Farmers Market . It started in October of 2021 and is open on Sunday's 10-2 pm. This market already has 3...

Even if you're not a business executive or business owner you should definitely know about the Economic Development Corporation of Sarasota County (EDC) because of the incredible impact they make on our community. If you ARE a business leader who is thinking of expanding or considering relocating to our county then you are at a significant competitive disadvantage if you don't know who they are. S...

Old images die hard. When I was young the circus came to town once a year. Performances of flying trapeze, wild animals from Africa, and clowns that could do the most hilarious stunts are still etched in my mind. It was strictly entertainment of course. How times have changed! While the flying trapeze artists and clowns are still an integral part of our own circus arts here in Sarasota, the animal...

Ever wonder what a US soldier fighting in Iraq does during their downtime? You study up on quality wines of course! Sound strange to you? Sounded strange to me too until I met one former soldier who decided to educate himself on all things wine as he prepared to join his fiancé in the California wine culture after his tour was up.  Years later and after a move to the Sarasota Area with h...

People often have misconceptions about the Opera— it is too stuffy, too expensive, you have to get dressed up AND you can’t even understand the words because it’s all in Italian...or certainly not English. None of these are true as I found out. Attending the opera is affordable — a little more than the local movies — plus, you can come as you are. So if you were ever curious about what the op...

Frankly, I’m sick of talking about Covid. It has been an incredibly disrupting force to everyone’s life, including festival organizers.  They love the music and the people they promote and they want to get back to work. One music festival has been missing from Sarasota for the past two years --but no more. With renewed energy and enthusiasm one of the best festivals in the entire United...

It is true that most businesses don’t survive past 5-years. But one family-owned business in West Bradenton has been going strong for over 50. Today, I am very pleased to welcome Susan Higbee of The Chop Shop in West Bradenton. Susan is one of the family owners at this iconic butcher and grocery store. Since 1971 The Chop Shop has been a Bradenton mainstay serving high-end meats which come from fa...

It is not uncommon for many faith-based leaders to leverage Biblical teachings to run their businesses. The most well-known in this area is the national fast-food restaurant Chick-fil-A which has several locations in the Greater Sarasota Area. But where can a locally-based business leader go to get training and support to implement Christian principles in their businesses? Today I am very pleased...

What do you do with your life when you’re young, smart, and talented? Simple. You get a job, try to make a lot of money, or start a business to do the same thing. Or if you’re a free spirit maybe you budget travel the world for a few years. But none of these options fit for one very determined young woman who is making a big difference taking on the homeless problem in the Greater Sarasota Area. T...

Most people don’t know that some of the household company names we know today were started in the Great Depression. Publix Supermarket is one such example. So it never ceases to amaze me what people can accomplish even during the toughest times, including the recent worldwide pandemic. One local couple decided that what Sarasota needs is an all-inclusive, upscale picnic service for local beac...

My guest today wrote the hilarious: Cheapskate's Handbook : Cheap Dates, Cheap Mates, How To Resist General Impulses, and More (For Less!) This book was translated into a half-dozen languages and has sold over a quarter-million copies.  But what he is best known for is writing well-researched and incredibly engaging children’s books with such titles as— “ Dad: The Man, the Myth, the Lege...

Many US communities have been impacted by their local icons. These icons work hard in their own professions but in reality elevate the entire community towards greater prosperity while molding the local culture though their philanthopy, leadership and vision. Today I am very pleased to welcome Michael Klauber of Michael’s on East . I’d wager if a vote were ever taken for the title of Mr. Sarasota,...

Most everyone has been to a farmers’ market at one time or another. I think we have one of the very best markets in all of Florida at the Sarasota Farmers’ Market in downtown Sarasota. It’s open every Saturday from 7:00am to 1:00pm rain or shine. But have you ever wondered, what happens behind the scenes? Today I’m pleased to have as my guest, Amber Rusch. Amber took over as the Sarasota Farmers’...

The fastest growing fitness franchise in the US and possibly the world is Anytime Fitness with more than 4500 locations state-side and sites in 50+ countries. I’ve been a member for over ten years now and love it. One reason is I can use any, Anytime Fitness affiliate when I travel. So I’ve been to their gyms in Texas, Ohio, Florida and in Santiago, Chile. Still, my favorite location is my hometow...

One of the real treasures of the Sarasota Area is the downtown Farmers' Market which is open year-round, every Saturday from 7-1 pm. If you have not been, you simply must go and try a variety of foods, drinks and music from more than 70 vendors. While hard to say what’s my favorite, finding a fresh take on gourmet ethnic foods is a real treat. Today I share one vendor I recently discovered whose M...

Who is NOT concerned about our environment.. especially when you consider South Florida has had its own problems with Red tide and algae blooms. Sometimes all we hear is how bad things are when in reality there are good things happening by people who care and are making a real difference right here in the Greater Sarasota Area. Today, my guest is Sean Patton, Founder and Owner of Stocking Savvy. S...

Imagine owning/operating not one but two local restaurants during the height of the Covid pandemic. With both staffing shortages and food delivery interruptions the job of navigating these difficulties demand management to be creative and nimble. One local restauranteur deals with the pandemic head-on with creativity and resolve to come out on the other side more connected to the communities he se...

Are you familiar with the term “Integrative Health?” How about “Telehealth?” If not you should be. Both Integrative Health techniques and Telehealth are two of the fastest growing sectors in the  medical field and for good reason: Integrative Health takes the best of traditional or Western style medicine and combines it with ancient techniques that have been successfully used for centuri...