Inside the Desert Oasis Room

On this episode we record a podcast during our Inland Empire Home Tiki Bar Crawl right here Inside the Desert Oasis Room for the upcoming documentary film, Talking Tiki. Join us from an impromptu session with The River Kai, The Chi Chi Lounge, Artist Brad Ableson, Echo Island Tiki, the Deep Sea Divers and much, much more! To follow our adventures, subscribe to our YouTube channel: http://www.youtu...

Today we chat with the team behind the Fugu Lounge. Our friends Steve and Dana of the Fugu Lounge talk about their use of EVA foam to create south seas inspired works of art that mimic raw, natural materials. Learn about their motivation for thinking outside the box to bring these unique and creative pieces to life! And joining us is our friend and Tiki-Ti regular, Flashblend Tiki, jumping in with...

Today we chat with tiki collector and craftsman, Robert Miller. Robert is the builder, owner and proprietor of The River Kai, a hidden, tropical paradise he built himself in the wilds of Riverside. We chat about what it took to build The River Kai, home tiki bar projects, home bartending and much, much more! On Social Media: @theriverkai Watch a walkthrough of The River Kai: https://youtu.be/ROkvI...

Today we chat with artist and carver Vic Hernandez at his art ranch in Pinion Hills, California! Vic is most notably known for his large, detailed tiki carvings, having carved the tikis and moldings in the recently remodeled Royal Hawaiian in Laguna Beach. Learn about his upbringing and background in art, his art inspirations, the future tiki bar projects he's working on, and how you too can get s...

Today we chat with burlesque performers Miss Spent Youth and Jessabelle Thunder! Both of which, will be performing at this year's Hollywood Burlesque Festival! Get to know them on a deeper level as we play a round-robin game of questions along with a special guest cameo by our friend Gustavo Rojas of Frogtown Brewery! And get all the details for the upcoming Hollywood Burlesque Festival as we play...

Today we chat with Asali Echols, Casey Beck, Chris Wooten and Alex Nisnevich, the team behind the upcoming documentary film, "Talking Tiki!" Learn about what's in store with this exciting film, what they've learned about the tiki subculture on this journey, how it's changed who they and hear some behind the scenes info about when this film gets released! On the web: www.talkingtikifilm.com @talkin...

Today we chat with Bryan Inman. You might know Bryan by his pseudonym, The Rum Champion, a rum enthusiast and educator who runs The Rum Curious Club, a monthly meetup where he hosts rum tastings at various bars across Southern California! On this episode, we share our very candid and sometimes controversial opinions on rum, cocktails, spirits snobbery and more! To follow our adventures, subscribe...

Today we chat with Jeremy Floyd and Alex Lamb. Jeremy is the voice, producer and historian behind Distinguished Spirits a channel that deep-dives into classic and obscure cocktails, and Alex is the co-director of The Donn of Tiki, a documentary about the Godfather of Tiki, Ernest Gannt aka Don the Beachcomber! To follow our adventures, subscribe to our YouTube channel: http://www.youtube.com/polyn...

On this episode we chat with Chad Yoho! Chad is Southern California face of Kuleana Rumworks, makers of world class spirits from estate-grown heirloom sugarcane on the big island of Hawaii. Learn about Chad's path to Kuleana from working hospitality in Northern California to working summers in Maui and finding his way back to the mainland! To follow our adventures, subscribe to our YouTube channel...

Today we welcome our friend David Badgerow for a return visit Inside the Desert Oasis Room, and with a cameo by his partner Jess! David is the host and producer of the fun and always entertaining "Cocktail Fridays" channel on YouTube so on this episode, we naturally chat about all things rum and cocktails!    To follow our adventures, subscribe to our YouTube channel: http://www.youtube.com/polyne...

On this episode we chat with Justin Peterson, Art Director of 23 Restaurants. Recorded on location from Tiki Oasis in San Diego, we sit down with Justin to recap our sold out Don the Beachcomber panel for those that couldn't attend. Get all the details of the upcoming Don the Beachcomber brand of restaurants from its upcoming locations to its future plans! To follow our adventures, subscribe to ou...

On this episode we chat with Kent Thompson! Kent has influenced and created cocktails for some of the best spots in the LA area, including Tasting Kitchen, Grain, Here's Looking at You and currently runs the bar program at Isla in Santa Monica. And joining us for this session is our old friend Boris Hamilton, a fan-favorite of the show and our first ever guest on the podcast! To follow our adventu...

On this episode we are joined by Ken & Heather Pleasant. Heather is the granddaughter of the famous furniture manufacturer William Westenhaver of Witco fame and Ken, her husband, was trained by Wil himself and has been manufacturing and restoring furniture and art in that same style for the last 2 decades. We chat about all things Witco, including the history, legacy and future of the business and...

Today we join our friends Brandon & Kim Grilc, owners of The Kazan Room, Kobe Japan's first and only tiki bar! Hear what brought them from Portland, Oregon to Kobe, Japan and what it took to open their bar, what the cocktail scene is like, the differences in culture, palates and ingredients, and where you can see and possibly sample more from the Kazan Room right here in the United States! To foll...

On this episode we chat with Marie King! Join us as we learn about her ecclectic background, her start as a hostess at Jolly Roger to the moment where she almost left hospitality altogether to join the medical industry and the full circle story to her becoming the new Director of Beverage for the upcoming launch of the iconic, Don the Beachcomber brand and their new chain of restaurants! To follow...

Today we welcome the boys from Don Papa Rum- Tomas De Los Reyes and Ben Rojo! Tomas is a bartender, artist and DJ, and one of the founders of Jeepney in New York City. And also from New York comes Ben Rojo, mixologist extraordinaire and founder of Black Emperor Bar. Both, extremely talented cocktailians both, instrumental in the current Filipino food movement and both, representing the iconic Fili...

Today we are joined by burlesque performers, Miss Spent Youth and Veronica Voss! Learn about the history of burlesque, their backgrouunds in burlesque, and get details on their upcoming Hollywood Burlesque Festival, coming March 17, 18 and 19 in Hollywood, California! To follow our adventures, subscribe to our YouTube channel: http://www.youtube.com/polynesianpop For exclusive content subscribe to...

It's ladies night inside the Desert Oasis Room as we are joined by Addie Alonzo from Bamboo Club and Crystal Mendoza from Roxanne's and The Exhibition Room! On this episode we chat about their dynamic backgrounds in mixology, their creative processes, their approach to competitive bartending, share travel stories and more!  To follow our adventures, subscribe to our YouTube channel: http://www.you...

Today we chat with bartender mixologist Sonny Esponda! Sonny is the winner of the first ever Tropical Shakedown cocktail competition which earned him a trip to this year's Tiki Oasis. On this episode we chat on all topics cocktails, mixology, the hospitality and service industry and more! Watch the cocktail tutorial we recorded here: https://youtu.be/CVCwwPCJvok To follow our adventures, subscribe...

Today we chat with Evan Reiner! Evan is the owner and founder of Droogies Ultra Dog, manufacturers of Southern California's newest gourmet hot dogs! As a 3rd generation butcher, Evan is a master at delicious meat blends and combinations. We chat about the art of the butcher and the nuances of this profession as well as industry secrets in the underground food scene, unscrupulous restaurant practic...

On this episode we chat with our friends Los Pakalolos! Los Pakalolos is a surf music band from right here in the inland empire that have just released their new album Lolo-a-Gogo! Hear about how they started during the pandemic, their song writing process, musical influences and more! To follow our adventures, subscribe to our YouTube channel: http://www.youtube.com/polynesianpop For exclusive co...

Today we come to you live from Frogtown Brewery, and chat with our friend Noa Laporga. Noa, along with his partner Angelina, are the founders of Skull & Crown Trading Company on the island of Oahu. They also produce and run the largest event in all of Hawaii, known as Haunted Plantation. Learn about what it took to open Skull & Crown and hear stories about Haunted Plantation and what we are partne...

Today we chat with Stefan Immke, Executive Producer of Squeezed Up - Tales of Polynesian Pop and Kustom Kulture! Squeezed Up documents an unforgettable road trip across Southern California, combining Hot Rodding, Polynesian Pop, Tiki Culture, and Kustom Kulture! On this episode, Stefan talks about traditional hot-rodding, rattlesnake breeding, tiki in Europe and more! On social media: @stefan_immk...

Today we chat with Sam Schwall, founding member of the Hawaiian musical trio, The Deep Sea Divers! Hear about Sam's start in Tiki, how he formed his band, his musical influences and, listen to tracks from their live performance at the legendary Mai Kai! To follow our adventures, subscribe to our YouTube channel: http://www.youtube.com/polynesianpop For exclusive content subscribe to our Patreon at...

Today we chat with our friends Alex Lamb and Gustavo Rojas! You might know Alex as co-director of the upcoming documentary film, "The Donn of Tiki," a biographical story of the life of Donn Beach aka Don the Beachcomber. And joining us is our friend Gustavo, partner of our favorite brewery in LA, Frogtown Brewery! On this episode we chat about the origins of Frogtown Brewery, our recent Don the Be...