HECHO

Welcome to Season One Episode Seven of the HECHO Corpus Christi Podcast, the podcast featuring Corpus Christi’s Creators Makers Doers and Builders. Jessica Gignac is our guest on today’s episode. Jessica is a Corpus native, who adventures outside of Corpus which have helped shape her interests in, and passion for, her hometown. Jessica is a trained fashion designer who directs her creative talents to running three local hotspots: Eleanor’s, The Gold Fish,* and Lucy’s Snack Bar. We recorded this episode in the early evening at the Gold Fish, an open-air bar in a former gas station in downtown Corpus. The background is vibrant, so it’s best to not listen to this episode at a high volume, but the background highlights Jessica’s passion for service. In fact, her passion for serving and entertaining shines across all three of her current ventures, each of which provides a unique experience in beautiful settings in Corpus. Lucy’s Snack Bar recently opened in downtown and provides a much-needed quick-stop food counter and stand-up coolers full of cold beverages and grab-and-go items. At the time we recorded, Lucy’s did not have its beer and wine license, but it does now, so you can enjoy eats and treats from Lucy’s during their regular hours! The Gold Fish anchors the corner of Mesquite and Taylor in downtown, in the former Peerless Cleaners building. It provides top flight beverage service in a laid-back atmosphere. And Eleanor’s Coffee Bar + Market encourages slowing down and gathering with friends over properly made coffees, espressos, and food. Eleanor’s also pays tribute to Jessica’s grandmother, whose inspiration still motivates Jessica. Jessica’s excitement about these enterprises, and working with her brother and their partner in the Gold Fish, is exactly the kind of passion that causes revitalization and growth! 

It’s hard to imagine successfully juggling a business and a family, but Jessica manages not just one business but three, and does so with excellence, drawing on inspiration from her family and travels. Corpus is fortunate to have a native daughter who is willing to invest so much of herself in providing unique experiences not routinely found outside of major metro areas. To keep up with Eleanor’s, The Gold Fish, and Lucy’s Snack Bar, follow them on social mediate @eleanorscctx @thegold_fish and @lucyssnackbar. Don’t forget to follow us on Instagram too @hechocorpus. Thank you to our infrastructure partners the Sound Guys, Clint Tucker Homes, and Sawyer Audiology. And thank you for taking time to listen!

*Editor's Note: In January 2020, Jessica and her partner sold The Gold Fish to another local business duo, Mike Treiber and Houston Boswell, which brought The Gold Fish into the Irish Cassidy's Pub family. You can read more about it here: https://www.caller.com/story/news/local/2020/02/14/gold-fish-bar-downtown-corpus-christi-reopen-march/4759706002/

Welcome to Season One Episode Six of the HECHO Corpus Christi Podcast, the podcast featuring Corpus Christi’s Creators Makers Doers and Builders. Hollie Schaub is our guest on today’s episode. Hollie is Corpus Christi transplant who has put down family and professional roots here. Ten years ago, she and her husband, Aaron, moved from Guam. He, to be a Navy flight instructor. Her, to, well, that’s the story she shares with us on this episode. But you probably know where the story is today, where Hollie is the chief baker and owner of Fed By Bread. If you’ve listened to episode five you’ll remember that Randi Carroll mentioned that Hollie and Fed By Bread played a significant role in helping Randi’s business, Driftwood Coffee, get started. But helping local businesses get started is not all that Hollie and Fed By Bread have done. Their primary focus has been creating and selling delicious baked goods so that they can donate profits to provide meals, medical care, and educational opportunities in Rwanda and other parts of sub-Saharan Africa. And not only have Hollie and Aaron grown a business to support children in Africa, you’ll learn on this episode that they have been blessed to help children even closer to their home! It’s always inspiring to hear about businesses designed with philanthropy in mind, and it’s even more inspiring to hear how Hollie and Aaron have put their passion for children into practice in their own home. Although we’ll miss them while they are in Rhode Island, we will welcome them back with open arms, and all the while, we’ll continue to enjoy delicious Fed By Bread products! Place your Fed By Bread orders at fedbybread.org and follow them on social media @fedbybread. Don’t forget to follow us on Instagram too @hechocorpus. Thank you to our infrastructure partners the Sound Guys, Clint Tucker Homes, and Sawyer Audiology. And a special thank you to third grade teacher extraordinaire, Ms. Kay Watson, who, in addition to teaching the primary third grade subjects with excellence, also raises the bar and teaches third graders Latin and Chemistry! And thank you for taking time to listen!

Welcome to Season One Episode Five of the HECHO Corpus Christi Podcast, the podcast featuring Corpus Christi’s Creators Makers Doers and Builders. Randi Carroll is our guest on today’s episode. Seven years ago, Randi and her husband Steven, packed up their one-year-old son and moved to the land of Borat. Steven became a missionary and teacher in Kazakstan, and Randi was busy with their little boy. However, a need for community brought them home to Corpus Christi where Randi was rescued from the riptide of postpartum depression, and where she has grown their coffee roasting business from Steven’s expert roasting in a popcorn machine to a soon-to-be open storefront. Randi has a deep emotional attachment to the community Corpus Christi provides her, and she discusses the personal community side of Corpus, which is not often celebrated but is immensely valuable. Randi and I visited in her current roastery, and you’ll hear the roaster heating up in the background. The roastery doubles as the family garage, or perhaps it’s the garage that doubles as the roastery. Either way, for a coffee lover with a sensitive nose, it was coffee heaven! Thanks for listening! 

Welcome to Season One Episode Four of the HECHO Corpus Christi Podcast, the podcast featuring Corpus Christi’s Creators Makers Doers and Builders. Jordan Regas is our guest on today’s episode. Five years ago, Jordan was a newlywed, a newly dad, and a newly entrepreneur. Five years ago, in April 2014, he started The Bend Magazine, Corpus Christi’s premier lifestyle magazine. In those five years, Jordan, his wife, Kaley, and their team at The Bend have chronicled the happenings here in Corpus Christi. They’ve also created Brunch by the Bay, the Locals List, and the Weekly Drop, all of which you’ll hear more about in this episode. Jordan also dives into the isolation new entrepreneurs can feel, and walks us through what tools and methods he used to guide him through that launch phase of The Bend. We recorded this episode in an extra room at The Bend’s headquarters in the Water Street Market in Downtown. Jordan is sold-out on Corpus Christi and the Coastal Bend, and it’s easy to get caught up in his excitement! 

Be sure to visit thebendmag.com to sign up for the Weekly Drop and to follow them on social media @thebendmag. Don’t forget to follow us on social too @hechocorpus. Thank you to our infrastructure partners the Sound Guys, Clint Tucker Homes, and Sawyer Audiology. And thank you for taking time to listen!

Welcome to Season One Episode Three of the HECHO Corpus Christi Podcast, the podcast featuring Corpus Christi’s Creators Makers Doers and Builders. Emily Veazey is our guest on today’s episode. Emily and her family are somewhat new residents of Corpus Christi, but she has jumped in with both feet. She and her co-blogger Courtney Rangel, are the creatives behind the Hacienda South Texas blog, which you can find at haciendasouthtexas.com and @haciendasouthtexas on social media.  In this episode, Emily takes us behind the scenes of Hacienda South Texas, and we learn about her passion for Corpus Christi, her inspiration and interests, and, an opportunity for us to support a movement to get Trader Joe’s to come to Corpus. Also, if you listen to the end, Emily makes a big announcement about a flavorful new venture she will be opening very soon in downtown Corpus Christi. We began our recording on the beautiful patio at Hester’s in Lamar Park but we were interrupted a bit by a leaf blower, so we finished the interview inside Hester’s. Emily is really plugged in to Corpus Christi, and her excitement about its future is contagious. Be sure to keep up with Hacienda South Texas at haciendasouthtexas.com and on social @haciendasouthtexas. Don’t forget to follow us on social too @hechocorpus. Thank you to our infrastructure partners Sound Guys, Clint Tucker Homes, and Sawyer Audiology. And thank you for taking time to listen!

Welcome to Season One Episode Two of the HECHO Corpus Christi Podcast, the podcast featuring Corpus Christi’s Creators Makers Doers and Builders. Steven Hansen is our guest on today’s episode. Steven is a local songwriter, musician, audio and sound engineer, worship leader, and venue promoter. Several years ago, Steven transformed the open-air courtyard of a local church into a music venue designed for audiences to have a true listening experience. The venue is appropriately named “The Churchyard” although in this interview I called it The Courtyard at least once. We recorded on the stage at The Churchyard, which is on busy Staples Street in Corpus. You’ll hear cars going by and birds chirping in the background and maybe some kids playing. But that’s the part of the beauty of what Steven created. He carved a music venue out of the rawness of a courtyard, and The Churchyard has since hosted some of the best local, regional, and national singer-song writers and bands. Steven lets us behind the curtain, and I know you’ll be excited to go experience a show at the Churchyard as its new season gets underway. Thanks for listening! Let’s visit with Steven!

Find The Churchyard @thechurchyardcc on Facebook and at www.thechurchyardcc.com 

Welcome to episode zero of the HECHO Corpus Christi Podcast. I’m your host Rob George. This podcast will feature interviews with Corpus Christi’s Creators, Makers, Doers, and Builders. We’ll record on-location, so you can expect to hear all kinds of interesting sounds throughout the interviews. One of our first conversations occurs at an outdoor music venue, so you’ll hear traffic passing and birds chirping in the background. Recording on-location gives a sense of realness, and captures our guests in comfortable environments, so you’ll get to know them on an unproduced, more raw level. Speaking of production, I’m a lawyer not a sound engineer, so there won’t be a lot of production or editing going on. I hope to bring you regular interviews with interesting Corpus Christians who are doing cool things here in our city. I’m always open to suggestions for guests, locations, topics, and constructive criticism. Our email is [email protected] and our social handle is @hechocorpus. Give us a follow and enjoy this adventure with us! 

Thank you for listening to the inaugural episode of the HECHO Corpus Christi podcast, the podcast that features Corpus Christi's creators, makers, doers, and builders! Our guest is Monica Sawyer. We recorded our visit on the stage in one of Corpus Christi’s landmarks, which Monica will talk about in more detail during the conversation. Monica co-founded the Que Bueno Taco Fest, and she’s the proprietor of McLeod Creative. She is the board president of CC PATCH, which is the non-profit in charge of revitalizing the Ritz Theatre in downtown. Monica publishes The One Bride Guide and she’s the developer of the VP Wedding Planner app. Monica is MonicaMSawyer on Facebook and KeepItEssential on Instagram. In this episode, Monica and I discuss an opportunity for the community to come alongside the Ritz Theatre by helping the Theatre earn a $100,000 matching grant from the Tax Increment Refinancing Zone (TIRZ) Board. I know you’ll enjoy hearing Monica talk about all the exciting things she’s involved in here in Corpus.