The Fremont Podcast

Ready to get spooked? We're bringing you a chilling conversation with the Candle Lighters, Fremont's community beacon since 1969. Trisha and Jeff the brains behind this non-profit, share their journey from being a small fundraising group for a new YMCA building to an organization that's 100 strong. We delve into the spirit behind their operations and their unique approach to communi...

Get ready to be moved, inspired and empowered in our heartening conversation with an incredible woman, Tina Fernandez, the Executive Director of HERS Breast Cancer Foundation. Tina gives us an inside look into the foundation’s remarkable journey since its inception in 1998, highlighting their mission of providing hope, empowerment, renewal, and support to those battling breast cancer. Through her...

What if you could step back in time and witness the transformation of a quaint little town into a bustling city? That's exactly what we're doing today with my guest, lifetime Fremont resident and real estate veteran, Bob Tavares. He's sharing his firsthand account of the growth of Mission San Jose, taking us from an era of cauliflower fields and affordable homes to the modern citysc...

What if the one place you least expected to end up was exactly where you were meant to be? Join us on a captivating journey as we sit down with Bill Renetti, owner of the renowned Massimo's Restaurant. As we peel back the layers of Massimo's rich history, Bill openly shares about his father's leap of faith from running a gas station in East Oakland to embracing his true passion as a...

Bill Sinodinos joins us for this episode of the Fremont podcast. Bill has lived in and served the Fremont community for decades. He is the owner or part owner of several restaurants including Billy Roys, Skillets and Dinos. Bill cares about the community and he treats his employees with care as though they were family. Billy Roys has recently become a sponsor of the Fremont Podcast and we are prou...

If you have ever wished to have a place where you could go to find out what events or activities are available for you and your family in the city of Fremont, this might be the episode for you. In this episode, Jennifer Hill joins us to talk about the work she does to curate new about upcoming events and activities for kids and families in our community. As a mother herself, and having been a resi...

Featured in film festivals around the world, FREMONT has drawn the attention of thousands and has even received some prestigious awards for the film. FREMONT was set and in filmed in our city and features a story that will resonate with many have have fled or migrated to this city for various reasons. In this episode, we are joined by lead actress Anaita Wali Zada, producer Sudnya Shroff, and dire...

What's "Your Next Brick Idea"?:  A Lego-inspired design and bookstore in downtown Niles wants to help you build the future. Jason Farina discovered the joy and sense of community that developed around Legos. Starting with the idea of decorating his cubicle at work to then sharing his lego sets with kids who came to work with their parents on Bring-Your-Kids-to-Work Day, the idea of...

The Bay Philharmonic is headquartered in Fremont; but it was previously called the Fremont Symphony. As it has developed over the last 55+ years,  it has grown from a community symphony to a full blown professional symphony orchestra. In this episode, we talk with Barett Hoover, the Executive Director, and Jung-Ho Pak, the Conductor. We discuss the significance of a symphony orchestra and what it...

A long-time resident and locally leading photographer Scott Capen joins us this week. Scott  has been capturing images of Fremont and making moments last for years now. Although he has captured incredible images around the world in amazing places, he find great joy in making photos right here in the Fremont community. To find access to his work, check out his online gallery here.  To see his &quot...

Dr. Alexander Sah shares a little of his experience growing up in the City of Fremont and then now returning to Fremont as a leader in orthopedic surgery. Dr. Sah has worked hard to know and understand the opportunities and possibilities of knee and hip replacement. Dr. Sah is a leader in our local hospital system at Washington Hospital; but even more than that, he excels beyond others in his fiel...

Fremont's library has multiple branches throughout the city that provide a variety of unexpected resources for the public apart from books and media. In this episode, the manager of the Main Fremont Library, Becky Machetta, sits down with us to talk about the many resources that are ready to be used our communities. If you are a Fremont resident, you are missing out if you have not made yours...

Tim Tran came to the US as a refugee. Escaping from their home, they found themselves in an island in the Philippines. Then receiving help, they came to the US and eventually came to Fremont. Tim has experience in many good and noble fields, including the US Navy; but has now landed in the area of commercial real estate here in Fremont and the Bay Area. To connect with Tim on Linked-In. To connect...

The experience of regularly visiting a homeless shelter as a child caused Tanvi Barman to realize that not all children enjoy the pleasure of having a birthday party the way that she enjoyed her own birthdays. So as a teenager, she started No Birthday Left Behind which provides and facilitates birthday parties for children in homeless shelters. No Birthday Left Behind started here in Fremont but s...

As a daughter of two art teachers, Janine Pitta desired to pursue other than art or teaching. However, her journey has not moved from that direction. In fact, she has been a teacher and an artist in our community for over 30 years. Janine grew up in Niles, and now, as she is retiring, she has established her own art studio in Niles where she is able to practice and teach art. Janine is inspiring a...

Vinod Narayan joins us on the podcast this week and talks about life. Vinod's life is one that it marked by failure and that is ok. He is a podcaster, a content creator, an entrepreneur and many other things; but in all of these things, he is learning to be ok with failure. In his failure, he has learned many things about what it means to live life to the fullest. In a conversation that is re...

A long time Niles resident and singer-songwriter Michael McNevin join us on the podcast this week. Michael is the imaginator and curator of the infamous Mudpuddle Shop in Niles. From antique decorations to etch-a-sketch drawings, the MudPuddle is a place to visit and take in if you ever get the chance. Michael shares with us a bit of his story as well as a story or two behind a few of the songs th...

Some kids dream of being a fireman, but most never fulfill that dream. The opposite is true of Fremont's new Fire Chief. She never dreamed or imagined herself being a fireman; but now, over 20 years of fire service, she is now in charge of Fremont's Fire Department. Zoraida Diaz became a fireman after previously receiving a degree and serving in social work. After more serving for a deca...

Cricket is a sport that you will likely see being played around the parks of the City of Fremont. For some in Fremont, it is a new and unfamiliar sport. But for many, it is a sport as common as baseball is in our broader American culture. Sravan Dhulipala, the co-founder and head coach of the VK Cricket Academy in Fremont, joins us for a discussion about cricket and the VK Cricket Academy. He shar...

A new member of the Fremont community, but not a new at all to the Bay Area, is the Lace Museum that will be reopening its doors in Fremont for the first time on Mothers' Day weekend. Lace is an art and artifact that finds it place in the stories of people both rich and poor from all over the world for centuries. The Lace Museum in the Warm Springs district of Fremont seeks to preserve and te...

Anna Smirnova joins us in this episode for a conversation about life and how to engage with and navigate the twists and turns that life brings. She is a academic mathematician and serves the Fremont community with her mathematic knowledge. But beyond that, she feels that mathematics has help her establish a foundation for understanding life as a whole.  Anna enjoys art, specifically she enjoys lea...

Olive Hyde lived through two World Wars and is described as “This very intelligent and gracious lady came to Mission San Jose to protect and enhance the Mission. A new city grew — she mothered it. She gave of herself. She gave of her talents. She gave of her worldly wealth." In this episode, we sit down with Manveen Kalyanpur who is the Vice President of the Olive Hyde Guild. We talk about wh...

The Athena Project is a non-profit organization started by local Fremont high schoolers for the purpose of using traditional art to help unify our diverse community. Fremont is made up of people from many different backgrounds, cultures and interests; and the Athena Projects seeks to give a voice and presence through the use of traditional art forms. These young entrepreneurs each enjoy other inte...

Margaret Thornberry has served as the president of the Fremont Cultural Arts Council for about a decade, but now she serves as a regular volunteer working to facilitate many of the various activities of the FCAC. As part of California’s focus on Arts and Culture throughout the month of April, Fremont has officially joined in as well. So, I’m following suit, we are sharing episodes that feature peo...

Durba is an artist that lives and creates in the Mission San Jose District of Fremont. She had her first experience with art as a child in India; but like many others like her, she pursued another direction in her early adult years. However, as a young adult, she rediscovered her love of art through the encouragement of her husband and a teacher she visited in India. Today, Durba creates with vari...