Brew's Cafe

For the Executive Director (i.e.-CEO) of such a sophisticated institution as East Hampton's very own Guild Hall, one might not expect to start the session with talk of "salty balls" before segueing into an in depth analysis of "The Texas Chainsaw Massacre". But Guild Hall is not like other arts institutions, and Andrea Grover is not your basic nonprofit CEO. Eventually the conversation finds its way to Guild Hall and all its wonders, including the just completed $30mm renovation/restoration as well as this weekend's coming standup show featuring The Daily Show's Dulcé Sloan. Naturally, we dig into what it takes to renovate a nearly 100 year old arts building in East Hampton, how it differs from any other arts institution in the country (probably the world, but we didn't go that far), as well as its history, its future and some delicious upcoming features this fall. No further mention of "salty balls".

Three generations of Ryans, lifeguards from East Hampton, share insights into lifeguarding's evolution, the town's Junior Lifeguard program success, and community support. They also discuss education, local issues, and past memories, showcasing the dedication needed to safeguard the East End beaches.

Get checked. And get checked again. And if you're not sure they checked correctly, have someone else check. Because the last thing you want to hear is that you have stage 4 cancer and they "missed it" on the mammogram, or whatever scan or screening they use. That's exactly what happened to Ty Wenzel. Ty was going about her highly interesting life as creator and editor, writer, chief cook and bottle washer at the wonderful new style magazine, "James Lane Post", when she got the awful news. So get checked. Fortunately, though it's become a big thing for her, Ty's story  doesn't begin or end with cancer. Writer, performer, editor, style maven and mother, Ty leads a busy life. She even has a book out, called "Behind Bars", which I swear I'll read before I have her on the show again. A former NYC bartender, Ty has many stories to tell, and I'm sure you'll enjoy hearing them as much as I did.

Fitness coach, yoga instructor, lifeguard, dad, Jimmy Minardi discusses beach safety measures, surveillance challenges, ocean rescues, mountain adventures, active lifestyles, male yoga teacher struggles, and community dynamics in an engaging and insightful podcast conversation.

Twenty-three years ago, before "Women Owned Business" was cool, before pre-owned vintage clothing was more valuable than new, Tisha Collette struck out in business. In a small shop on Jobs Lane in Southampton, she opened "Collette", a consignment shop featuring a curated collection of previously owned, designer fashion goods. Not long after, she opened another outpost. Then another. And soon, another. Today, mention the name "Collette" anywhere on the South Fork, or the upper east side for that matter, and the image of a gorgeous store selling gorgeous home goods and high fashion in any one of five locations comes immediately to mind. In fact, she has achieved the ultimate symbol of success: "Collette-ing" is now a verb, meaning to shop for previously owned treasures in The Hamptons. The Collette Empire now includes four stores in the Hamptons totaling over 30,000sf and another 5000sf on Madison Ave and 93st. And she's managed to achieve all of this without outside investors or partners, forging ever fearlessly ahead. Join us as she shares with us the challenges, rewards, and some secrets of her success.

When we think of East End architecture, and new building and development in general, we often gravitate toward the obvious: the large, new, cutting edge design that makes magazine covers and lifelong name recognition. Erica Broberg certainly doesn't shy away from taking on large projects, but her business mission holds firmly to one critical  ethic that separates her from the more famous names: half of her business consists of local projects, designed for year round residents and business owners. She looks at architecture a little differently. Rather than building only the newest, latest and greatest, she sees the architect as having a duty to the community in which they live. Erica got her start on the East End in what might be considered "neediest cases". She took on projects that had major challenges, either from regulatory restriction, logistical challenges or some other difficulty. That experience serves her well, as she has a unique understanding for the process, the constraints, the needs of the community, as well as the client. In this conversation, Erica gives us lots of insight into what informs her work today, as well as how she arrived at it. We also cover some of the interesting, often controversial elements that building on the East End now face.

From digital marketing to social media, Ryan Sherman wears many hats in the modern media world. He's a podcaster, photographer, videographer, and social media expert. The podcast also delves into the importance of local advertising and the rise of long-form podcasts.

Amanda Merrow, co-founder of Amber Waves Farm, shares the journey of turning a small land into a thriving farm and iconic fashion piece. Topics include farm-to-school connections, condiment love, challenges for women in agriculture, seasonal living, childhood freedom, crop planning, composting benefits, and the flavors of wild cherry tomatoes.

Jeremy Blutstein is NOT a local. He makes that clear several times in the course of our conversation. He wasn't born here, only moved here when he was a kid, used to be a summer kid. All the bona-fides of a non-local. But you'd be hard pressed to find someone more dedicated to promoting and contributing to the local economy than he does as current and former chef of several restaurants whose menus center on locally sourced products. He drops names like Alex, Amanda and Marilee as if he were referring to the summer glitterati, rather than the local farmers with strong hands. As a restaurant manager, which is what a chef really is, he's also intensely familiar with the many challenges facing anyone trying to not only make a living, but provide the space for others to make a living, too. So while we cover some familiar ground of housing, labor and transportation, Jeremy also provides some fresh insight into ways he's working to make these challenges less difficult. So while he's not actually a local, he certainly acts like one. Another thing he's not? A fan of "The Bear"! Tune in to find out why....

A recurring theme for many of my guests, is that they knew what they wanted to do from an early age. When Nick Epstein was very young, he knew he wanted to perform onstage. Today, Nick can be seen onstage as the lead singer and guitar player in Roses Grove Band, a group that plays songs from the Grateful Dead songbook, mostly on Long Island and very often on the East End. I've had the good fortune to know Nick for some time, and when I had a recent birthday party at the Stephen Talkhouse in Amagansett, Roses Grove happened to be headlining and Nick offered to play a song (or two... or three) in honor of my birthday. That's just one of the stories that Nick and I share about music, performance, and figuring out who we wanted to be. In this episode, Nick tells the tales of his adventures in music and life, and even plays us an original song while he's at it!