Yelp Tampa Bay Podcast

The Yelp Tampa Bay Podcast will be taking a hiatus while we transition Community Managers. Stay tuned for more episodes interviewing people who make Tampa Bay a great place to live. 

7th & Grove was created to provide a space for creatives to feel inspired. Part of creating that community atmosphere is good food. Chef Rudolph Clark, Executive Chef, and Chef James Roberts, Executive Sous Chef were integral in the creation of that menu. Topics in the podcast include: Surprising family relationships Lives before working for 7th + Grove Describing Big Mama cuisine Putting a spin on family recipes Where the names of the dishes came from How they came up with Saturday and Sunday brunch Transitioning from brunch to a day party Opening soon for lunch Their paths to becoming chefs The creation of their shrimp and grits recipe Their favorite dishes  Find 7th & Grove at 1930 E 7th avenue, Tampa, Florida 7th & Grove Instagram: @7thandgrove Yelp Tampa Bay Instagram: @yelptampabay And thanks to Genghis Flan for providing our theme song royalty free.

Joe Dodd, King of the Coop owner, sits down to muse about how he went from owning a food truck to selling out of 1500 lbs of chicken a week! This podcast contains some adult language. Topics in the podcast include: How his obsession with fried chicken started Going through 1500 lbs of chicken a week What makes Nashville Chicken so unique Perfecting the recipe Getting into Armature Works Difficulty of operating a food truck The story behind their logo Creating hype before the opening   Find King of the Coop at 6607 N Florida Ave, Tampa, FL 33604 King of the Coop Instagram @kingofthecooptampa Yelp Tampa Bay Instagram @yelptampabay And thanks to Genghis Flan for providing our theme song, royalty free!

Jay Andujar, Snobachi’s owner, and Chelsea Lopez, Snobachi’s manager, sit down to discuss the rise of rolled ice cream’s popularity and the creation of their business. Topics in the podcast include: Bringing rolled ice cream to Tampa The creation of Snobachi Choosing Ybor City Learning curve of opening their first business Working with family Franchising versus expanding on their own What makes rolled ice cream so special Including vegan options Coming up with new menu items Avocado, bacon ice cream Mentorship in the business community OJ Howard visiting the shop   Find Snobachi Handcrafted Ice Cream at 2206 E 7th Ave., Tampa, FL 33605 Snobachi Instagram @snobachi Yelp Tampa Bay Instagram @yelptampabay And thanks to Genghis Flan for providing our theme song, royalty free!

Tara Matheny, VP of Branding of 23 Restaurant Services, sits down to discuss Ford’s Garage, Yeoman’s Cask & Lion, Sake 23, and their soon to be opened restaurant, Tikki Docks. Topics in the podcast include: How 23 Restaurant Services was started The growth and future of Ford’s Garage The entire process of rebranding Yeoman’s Cask & Lion Going to London to get inspiration for bathrooms Tracking down a muralist to create art for Yeoman’s The story behind the British Lion neon light in Yeoman’s How Yeoman’s Cask and Lion got its name How managing Sake 23 differs from the other concepts Tailoring Sake 23 to Tampa Bay Their newest concept, Tikki Docks   Ford’s Garage Instagram @fordsgarageusa Yeoman’s Cask & Lion Instagram @yeomanscaskandlion Sake 23 Instagram @sake23fl Yelp Tampa Bay Instagram @yelptampabay And thanks to Genghis Flan for providing our theme song, royalty free!

Nikki Finney, owner of Finney’s Tiger-Rock Martial Arts, sits down to talk about how she came to own her own martial arts studio. Topics in the podcast include: Raising two young children while opening a martial arts studio and working a full-time job What it takes to become a fifth degree blackbelt Overcoming adversity Providing a place for children with special needs Her start as a financial analyst Expanding to a larger location Learning how to forecast class demand and survive the slow season Home schooling a child while owning a studio What it’s like to be a Tiger Rock franchise Her brief stint in education Misconceptions about owning a business How to step back to combat burnout   Check out Finney’s Tiger-Rock Martial Arts at https://www.finneystigerrock.com/ Find Finney’s Tiger-Rock Martial Arts at 13863 West Hillsborough Ave, Tampa FL 33635 Yelp Tampa Bay Instagram @yelptampabay And thanks to Genghis Flan for providing our theme song, royalty free!

Taylor Schalk, Director of Business Development at Toffee To Go, and Courtney Schalk, General Manager of The Dessert Spot at Toffee To Go, sit down to talk about their family business. Topics in the podcast include: What it’s like working with family 17 years in the toffee business How they got on Oprah’s Favorite Things list Growing from cooking in their own kitchen to now being sold in thousands of stores The beginning stages of promoting their toffee Opening up The Dessert Spot at Toffee To Go The process of finding a chef for The Dessert Spot How they approach Yelp Work life balance Check out Toffee To Go at https://toffeetogo.com/pages/the-dessert-spot Find The Dessert Spot at Toffee To Go at 3251 W. Bay to Bay Blvd, Tampa 33629 Toffee To Go Instagram @toffeetogotampa The Dessert Spot Instagram @thedessertspot_tampa Yelp Tampa Bay Instagram @yelptampabay And thanks to Genghis Flan for providing our theme song, royalty free!

Natalia Lima, owner of Curious Cat Bakery, opened a vegan bakery to change the world one cookie at a time. Her bakery offers delicious baked goods without any eggs or dairy. She also has a gorgeous Instagram page that showcases her eye for the magical and whimsy. Topics in the podcast include: - How Curious Cat Bakery started - Why she became vegan - Being vegan versus vegetarian - Favorite Tampa Bay vegan restaurant - How to bake without eggs and dairy - How Curious Cat Bakery got its name - Developing her baked goods recipes - How she keeps her goods affordable   Check out Curious Cake Bakery at https://curiouscatbakery.com/   Curious Cat Bakery instagram: @curiouscatbakery Yelp Tampa Bay instagram: @yelptampabay And thanks to Genghis Flan for providing our theme song, royalty free!

Jillian Brugal is co-owner of BRU Florida Growler Bar in Odessa. BRU works to stay hyper local and only serves Florida beer (along with kombucha and nitro coffee for you non alcohol drinkers). Jillian brings her beautifully quirky sense of humor to the podcast to discuss many things, including death and taxes. Topics in the podcast include: - How BRU has a five-star rating on Yelp - Creating a family atmosphere at the bar - Hiring the best staff - Jill's progression from a CPA to bar owner - Why Odessa - How they determine which beer to serve - Learning to love craft beer - Juggling two young children and owning a bar - Who goes to a bar at 3 p.m. on a weekday

Ray Lampe, better known as Dr. BBQ, has lived a fascinating life starting as a truck driver to being so well known for his BBQ that he is an inductee in the BBQ Hall of Fame. Most notably, he has recently opened a restaurant in Downtown St. Petersburg with Roger and Suzanne Perry of Datz fame (Suzanne Perry was interviewed in the first ever Yelp Tampa Bay podcast) named after him - Dr. BBQ. Topics in the podcast include: - Cooking BBQ from the back of a trailer - How he ended up writing nine cookbooks - The business side of being a famous BBQ guy - Building the Dr. BBQ brand - How he appeared on the Food Network and continued to be asked to come back - The three dishes he named when he appeared on The Best Thing I Ever Ate  - How he became a chef at Justin Timberlake's New York restaurant - Why did he decide to open a restaurant - What is it like to own a restaurant Dr. BBQ the person instagram: @realdrbbq Dr. BBQ the restaurant instagram: @drbbqs Yelp Tampa Bay instagram: @yelptampabay And thanks to Genghis

Roberto Torres is the co-owner of The Blind Tiger Cafe in Ybor and Seminole Heights, as well as Black & Denim Clothing Company, and CoWork Ybor. We discuss his journey from Panaman through the world of entrepreneurship, as well as many other topics: -Black and Denim coming first, with Blind Tiger, the coffee shop, being an after-thought. -Roberto meeting Veronica, who is the head of all roasting operations. -Opening up the second Blind Tiger in Seminole Heights. -The third location coming soon in North Hyde Park. -The future of the urban core in Tampa. -Why Roberto started a co-working space. -The Lab: A Collaborative Coffee Roastery. -Why local business is just… better. -Craft coffee, the next craft beer? -What’s next for Roberto? -Why is Tampa renovating its airport? -People Love Us On Yelp! -The Yelp Tampa Bay Podcast is now proud to be on RadioStPete.com !   ---Follow Blind Tiger on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and of course, on Yelp! They have pages for each location, but the links are to the origina

Jason M, is a member of the Yelp Tampa Bay Elite squad who happens to have the craziest job imaginable – he flies into hurricanes and other major storms to track data. When I started hosting this podcast, I knew Jason would be a compelling guest, and he did not let me down. We cover the following topics: -The basics of Jason’s job. -Jason walks us through his most recent flight into Tropical Storm Colin. -The history of Hurricane Hunting and what advances have been made in the industry. -The bigger the storm, not necessarily meaning the bumpier ride for Jason. -Scary and close calls for Jason over the years. -Hurricane Sandy -What Jason does when he’s not flying. -The history of what led to Jason’s career. -Doing what you love for a living. -Jason’s future and his upcoming move from Tampa Bay. -Follow Jason M on Yelp and Twitter. And check out this video the Smithsonian Channel, which followed Jason and his crew on a mission (this episode costs $1.99.) ---Follow Yelp Tampa Bay on Facebook, Twitter, and Instag

David Osterweil, chats about all things Fitlife Foods, the company he founded and continues to grow today. We hit up topics like:  -David’s life before Fitlife Foods and how Fitlife came to be. -Fitlife’s mission in a competitive business environment. -Fitlife’s expansion outside of Tampa Bay. -The future growth of Fitlife. -Culinary Director Andrew Ruga’s story. -Items that surprised the Fitlife crew in terms of their popularity. -Perfecting the re-heating instructions – genius or accidental? -Dealing with specialty diets and restrictons. -David and Fitlife’s use of Yelp. -Project U. -Meal plans at Fitlife. -Recycling the containers to help the environment and earn future credit. ---Visit eatfitlifefoods.com and follow Fitlife Foods on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and of course, on Yelp! ---Follow Yelp Tampa Bay on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. ---Thanks to Genghis Flan, for providing our theme song, royalty free.

Ashley Kritzer, a reporter for the Tampa Bay Business Journal, carved out some time out of her busy schedule to chat with me about some hot topics around Tampa Bay such as: -The types of stories that Ashley covers. -The intersection of grocery stores and restaurants. -Ashley’s twitter game live tweeting events. -The evolution of journalism in the the new digital age. -The TBBJ subscription – only $105 per year! -Ashley’s Amazon Prime Now experience. -Shipt – the home delivery grocery store. -The exhilaration of breaking a big news story. -What happens when something breaks when Ashley is on vacation? -Ashley’s phone blowing up all throughout the day. -Uber/Lyft regulations. -TBX and public transit -The future stadium of the Tampa Bay Rays -The wide-speculation that Sprouts may be popping up in South Tampa. -Ashley’s favorite local businesses and her own personal use of Yelp. ---Follow Ashley on Twitter and follow the Tampa Bay Business Journal on Facebook and Instagram. ---Follow Yelp Tampa Bay on Facebook, T

Greg Baker is the owner of The Refinery and Fodder & Shine. He was also mentioned in the, now viral, Laura Reily article about certain restaurants the deceive consumers with the "Farm-to-Table" and "locally-sourced" labels. Not only was he mentioned in the article, but he was so motivated to chime in, that he composed a blog post to share his thoughts. We discuss that, as well as: -Items that you should be weary of, if a restaurant is claiming is to be “local” or “farm-to-table” in Florida. -Fodder & Shine’s original concept being totally re-booted from Florida Cracker, to Southern. -The Refinery and its ever-changing, never-repeating menu. -Greg’s non-sleeping schedule, and the possibility of opening a third eatery. -The evolution of Seminole Heights since the 1980’s. -Thoughts on TBX. -Greg’s history before The Refinery. -Greg will be at the Atlanta Food & Wine Festival in June – go see him! ---Find The Refinery on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and of course on Yelp! ---Find Fodder & Shine o

Cary Tear is responsible for many things at TreeHoppers and Scream-A-Geddon up in Dade City, and he shares plenty of interesting details about... -What exactly is TreeHoppers and how do you describe it? -People overcoming their fear of heights at TreeHoppers. -Working your way up from Yellow to the Double Black courses. -The safety system that ensures that you’ll never be able to fall! -The story of how TreeHoppers came to be. -How the courses are designed. -Training a staff at such a unique business – more procedures to keep you safe! -Cary’s rescue background -What exactly is TreeHoppers and how do you describe it? -The variation of haunts. -Why Scream-A-Geddon is just so awesome. -What goes in to designing the haunts. -Hiring scary people! -Any changes for SAG in year #2? -The ticket costs and hours of operation for TreeHoppers and Scream-A-Geddon. -The new night climbs at TreeHoppers! ---Find TreeHoppers on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and of course, on Yelp! ---Find Scream-A-Geddon on Facebook, Twitter,

Hawkers began in Orlando, and has since opened in Jacksonville, and Downtown St. Pete. We had a lot to discuss! -Choosing a region and specific neighborhood for each Hawkers. -The design and décor of Hawkers. -Hawkers involvement with Yelp, Yelp Events, and Yelper Parties. -Local beer on the Hawkers menu. -Delegating and giving up control, now that there are 3 Hawkers. -What is Asian Street Fare? -Kaleb’s favorite menu items. -The future of Hawkers. -The future of the Rays and their affect on local business. -Life before Hawkers for Kaleb. -Hawkers $3 small plates and $3 local drafts ---Find Hawkers on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and of course, on Yelp! ---Follow Yelp Tampa Bay on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. ---Thanks to Genghis Flan, for providing our theme song, royalty free.

  Yelp Elite Squad member, Chris W has been chosen as the ACRONYM (Advisory Council of Outstanding National Yelp Members) for Tampa Bay in 2016. He was recently flown out to Yelp HQ in San Francisco for a conference with his fellow ACRONYM's from around the country. We chat all about that, plus... -The start of Yelp, and the name the company almost took on. -UYE’s. -Yelp’s expansion into new countries. -Why Chris loves writing reviews. -Reservations through Yelp. -Burmese Restaurants and San Francisco’s amazing food culture. -The rest of the year as ACRONYM. -How Chris came to Yelp, and how he worked his way up to the Elite squad. -Brett and Chris’s Yelp message chain. -Coming to a Yelp event as a newbie – is it scary? -The annual Yelper Party. -I incorrectly recite the amount raised for the Humane Society (it was over $4,500.) -Assigned seating at Yelp events. -Yelpers. -The other 2016 ACRONYM cities. -Chris shout outs his favorite local businesses. -Busch Gardens and roller coasters. -TreeHoppers in Dade Ci

I chat with Mike, as well as Regional Sales Director, Brett Burhenne about all things Big Top Brewing Company: -The upcoming Yelper Party on 4/4, and Big Top’s involvement as the exclusive beer sponsor. -Mike’s life before Big Top. -What caused Mike to transition into the brewery world. -The process for developing new beers. -People who come to Big Top and claim they only drink Bud Light. -Brewmaster Josh Wilson, actually created a Turducken beer. This is not a typo. -Regional Sales Director Brett Burhenne grabs the mic to chat about the upcoming hotter blonde ale, and some other collaborations they’ve produced. -The craft beer bubble… can it burst? -The community of local breweries viewing each other as teammates, rather than competition. -The percentage of craft beer vs Bud/Miller/Coors that’s consumed. -The long-term growth for Big Top. -The quality of a locally owned product and the multiple hats that everyone has to wear at Big Top. -Big Top’s 2 year anniversary on April 2nd. -Every Tuesday and Friday, a

Blue and I have probably spent somewhere north of 1,000 hours on the phone, texting, or emailing each other over the past 3 years as co-workers, so we figured, it might be time to record a podcast! Blue is the Community Manager of Yelp BPB, so we share stories and perspective of what we see in each of our communities. -Why Yelp events are more than just a random people on the internet meeting up in-person. -What a “UYE” is! (Unofficial Yelp Event) -The Yelpies, and what they mean to the community. -The common thread amongst Yelp Elites -The Whole Foods Games – an annual tradition in the Yelp BPB community. -What exactly is Yelp “BPB” ? -Blue’s favorite businesses in his community. -Brett’s favorite part of being a CM. -Brett and Blue’s undying love for being a Yelp CM and the importance of finding a job you’re passionate about. -Follow Yelp BPB on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram, and of course, on Yelp! -Follow Yelp Tampa Bay on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. -Thanks to Genghis Flan, for providing our the