The Miami Guide

The Executive Director of MOAD on the Freedom Tower's 100-year history and the exhibitions bringing it back to life.

This year marks 100 years of the Freedom Tower — from its start as home of The Miami Daily News, to its role processing tens of thousands of Cuban refugee families in the 1960s and 70s, to today, where it houses the Museum of Art and Design at Miami Dade College (MOAD).

We sat down with Dr. Amy Galpin, MOAD's Executive Director, to talk through the building's full story: what most people don't know about its history, what it meant to the Cuban families who passed through it, and how the museum is honoring the building's 100th anniversary — including a new window art installation and a collected oral history of the voices tied to this building.

Dr. Galpin holds a Ph.D. in art history from the University of Illinois-Chicago and spent the last six years as Chief Curator at the Patricia & Phillip Frost Art Museum at FIU before joining the Freedom Tower.

If you've driven past this building your whole life and never been inside — this episode (and a visit) will change that.

Topics covered:

• The Freedom Tower's origin story, from newsroom to National Historic Landmark
• What the building meant to Cuban refugee families in the 1960s–70s
• A little-known piece of the building's history
• What's on view today, including the 100th-anniversary window art installation
• The oral history project collecting community voices
• What Dr. Galpin hopes first-time visitors feel

Dr. Amy Galpin · Executive Director, Museum of Art and Design at MDC

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Get ready for some serious holiday cheer! In this episode of The Miami Guide, we dive deep into the festive magic of Christmas Cantina at the Decanter Bar in 601 Miami.

We had the pleasure of chatting with Michelle Artimez, Manager of Culinary Marketing, who gave us the inside scoop on all the dazzling details.

From dazzling holiday décor and signature sips like the Mistletoe Margarita and Holiday-Tini to vibrant bites like passionfruit slaw and teriyaki tofu skewers, Christmas Cantina is the ultimate holiday destination.

So, grab your favorite holiday beverage and get ready to experience the Miami Heat holiday vibes with us!

Key Takeaways:

• Discover the festive atmosphere of Christmas Cantina at Decanter Bar.
• Learn about the delicious food and drink offerings.
• Get insider tips from Michelle Artimez on how to make the most of your experience.

Connect with Us:

• Follow The Miami Guide on https://www.instagram.com/themiamiguide
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Shownotes:
https://themiamiguide.com/holidays-with-the-miami-heat/

#MiamiHeat #ChristmasCantina #MiamiGuide #HolidaySeason #Miami

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Miami-based Unitea is the only engage-to-earn music platform built to deepen connections between artists, brands, and fans.

The Miami Guide sat down with Unitea’s CEO Ketan Rahangdale, to talk about their  seed round, fan-focused vision and Miami operation.

Boasting a board of directors featuring industry titans like Pitbull (Armando Perez) and Claude VonStroke (Barclay Crenshaw), Unitea’s unique platform is innovating the way fans engage digitally within the music industry. By way of an in-app economy, Unitea encourages users to create content with music and branded filters from their favorite artists to earn rewards, creating actionable data for artists and brands and deepening their connections with fans.

Since 2020, Unitea has accomplished more than 2,000 reward activations, including more than 350 artists and 42 music festivals such as Vibra Urbana, North Beach Music Festival, and various promoter partnerships throughout Miami Music Week.

Unitea operates out of the FlaglerTech building, Miami’s emerging tech hub in the heart of Downtown. Miami was chosen as Unitea’s HQ thanks to the city’s cross-pollination of music and tech innovation, and because some of the company’s earliest investments came from Miami-based Fuel Venture Capital.

Podcast show notes available here:
https://themiamiguide.com/show28

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In this episode of the Miami Guide podcast, we sit down with the renowned food and wine expert Lee Brian Schrager.

Lee is the founder and director of both the Food Network South Beach and New York City Wine and Food Festivals, and has spent his career promoting culinary excellence and supporting local chefs and restaurants.

Join us as we delve into Miami's vibrant food and wine scene with Lee, getting insider tips on this years festival in the city. This is an interview you won't want to miss!

South Beach Wine and Food Festival runs from February 23 – through Sunday, February 26, and will once again host the top celebrity chefs and culinary personalities—from Rachel Ray to Geoffrey Zakarian and Guy Fieri, on the sands of South Beach for Miami’s biggest and most famous annual food festival.

Visit sobewff.org for tickets and more information about SOBEWFF.

Interview Notes:

• Lee talks about what we can expect this year at Sobewff
• Some of the new events to check out this year
• Lee shares his favorite part of the festival
• How SOBEWFF has changed over the past 20 years
• How important the different Miami neighborhoods are for SobeWFF
• He talks about what's next for him and his work with the South Beach Wine & Food Festival
• What continues to motivate and inspire him to organize these events
• What people should remember most about the Festival
  
  

Quotes from the interview:
"When you create something, you want to see it grow and that it grows into something greater and more impactful is an incredibly fulfilling experience."

"Keeping it fresh and exciting motivates me"

"Our goal has always been to be diverse and inclusive long before it became a buzz word"

Who is Lee Brian Schrager
Lee Brian Schrager is the Vice President of Corporate Communications & National Events for Southern Wine & Spirits of America, Inc.  He is widely recognized for his creation of both the Food Network South Beach and New York City Wine & Food Festivals and released the Food Network South Beach Wine & Food Festival Cookbook (Clarkson Potter) in November 2010.  His second cookbook, Fried & True (Clarkson Potter), in May.  He serves as the Chief Lifestyle Advisor for Gilt City and is a current member of the Board of Trustees for the Pérez Art Museum Miami and Board of Directors for the Food Bank For New York City.

I loved this conversation with Lee, and I know you’re going to love hearing his wisdom! If you loved this episode, please share it on Instagram along with your biggest takeaways. And make sure to tag SOBEWFF, @sobewffest and @themiamiguide. We’d love to hear what you got from the episode!

Lastly, please subscribe to The Miami Guide over on the Apple Podcasts —leave us a rating and review to spread the message to even more people like you!

Podcast show notes available here:
https://themiamiguide.com/show27

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The Miami Guide talks with Brad Meltzer,  #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Lightning Rod, The Escape Artist, and eleven other bestselling thrillers. Raised in Brooklyn and Miami, Brad is a graduate of the University of Michigan and Columbia Law School. The Tenth Justice was his first published work and became an instant New York Times bestseller.

The Miami Guide has partnered with the Miami Book Fair and we are featuring interviews with well known Florida based authors talking about Florida…

Our guests this month; Craig Pittman, James Clark, and Brad Meltzer, Jim Kushlan, Kirsten Hinds, are just a few of the hundreds of authors from around the world gathering together in downtown Miami for Miami Book Fair 2022, nation’s largest gathering of writers and readers of all ages.

Miami Book Fair, runs from Sunday Nov. 13 – through Sunday, Nov. 20, and will once again host top authors, including music, theater, and sports celebrities.

visit miamibookfair.com for more information.

Interview Notes:

• Brad talks about what inspired him to become an author
• He shares what kept him going and being rejected by publishers 
• We talked about his writing process and the research he does for his stories 
• Brad shares he hopes will take the lead role if Zig and Nola would be released as a TV show
• We chat about if it's more fun or more difficult to write stories for children
• He shares his advice for emerging writers
• What's next? upcoming books?

Quotes from the interview:
"It only takes one person to change the course of your history. Your job is to find that great person"

Who is Brad Meltzer
Brad Meltzer is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of 12 thrillers, including The Escape Artist, and nonfiction books such as The Lincoln Conspiracy and the Ordinary People Change the World series. He also hosts the TV show Brad Meltzer’s Decoded on the History Channel. The Lightning Rod: A Zig & Nola Novel (William Morrow) reunites mortician “Zig” Zigarowski and artist Nola Brown in a murder mystery involving secrets and national security. Archie Mint – a man with a beautiful wife, two kids, and a successful military career – is killed while trying to stop a robbery in his home.

I loved this conversation with Brad, and I know you’re going to love hearing his wisdom! If you loved this episode, please share it on Instagram along with your biggest takeaways. And make sure to tag MiamiBookFair, @miamibookfair and @themiamiguide. We’d love to hear what you got from the episode!

Lastly, please subscribe to The Miami Guide over on the Apple Podcasts —leave us a rating and review to spread the message to even more people like you!

Podcast show notes available here:
https://themiamiguide.com/show26

Follow James A. Kushlan and Kirsten Hines
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https://www.youtube.com/user/meltzervideos
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Miami Book Fair
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The Miami Guide talks with James A. Kushlan and Kirsten Hines, authors of "75th anniversary of Everglades National Park", and "A History Lover's Guide to Florida".

The Miami Guide has partnered with the Miami Book Fair and we are featuring interviews with well known Florida based authors talking about Florida…

Our guests this month; Craig Pittman, James Clark, and Brad Meltzer, Jim Kushlan, Kirsten Hinds, are just a few of the hundreds of authors from around the world gathering together in downtown Miami for Miami Book Fair 2022, nation’s largest gathering of writers and readers of all ages.

Miami Book Fair, runs from Sunday Nov. 13 – through Sunday, Nov. 20, and will once again host top authors, including music, theater, and sports celebrities.

visit miamibookfair.com for more information.

In Everglades National Park (Images of America), co-authors James A. Kushlan – writer, ornithologist, educator, and conservationist – and Kirsten Hines, wildlife photographer, celebrate the park’s 75th anniversary. Every year, a million visitors experience its alligators, crocodiles, Florida panthers, anhingas, roseate spoonbills, and egrets.

Interview Notes:

• Jim and Kirsten talk about what inspired them to write about
• They shares the best places to visit in The Everglades
• Kirsten talks about the pioneer settlers in Florida
• They shares what kind of wildlife we can find in The Everglades
• Also they talk about the importance of The Everglades for Miami
• And they share about their  upcoming books and stories

Quotes from the interview:
"The Everglades is your backyard and consumes half of South Florida."

Who is James A. Kushlan
Writer, ornithologist, educator, and conservationist James A. Kushlan is a research associate at the Smithsonian Institution; director of Patuxent Wildlife Research Center; professor of biology at the University of Mississippi and Texas A&M, Commerce; and wildlife biologist with the U.S. National Park Service. He has published 10 books, most recently Seeking the American Tropics: South Florida’s Early Naturalists. For Everglades National Park.

Who is Kirsten Hines
Kirsten Hines is a Coconut Grove, Florida-based author and wildlife photographer with a master’s degree in biology and a background in environmental education. She has written six books on Florida’s nature and history, and her work also has appeared in several publications.

I loved this conversation with Jim and Kirsten, and I know you’re going to love hearing their wisdom! If you loved this episode, please share it on Instagram along with your biggest takeaways. And make sure to tag MiamiBookFair, @miamibookfair and @themiamiguide. We’d love to hear what you got from the episode!

Lastly, please subscribe to The Miami Guide over on the Apple Podcasts —leave us a rating and review to spread the message to even more people like you!

Podcast show notes available here:
https://themiamiguide.com/show25

Follow James A. Kushlan and Kirsten Hines
https://jamesakushlan.com/

https://kirstenhines.com/
https://www.instagram.com/kirstennaturetravel/

Miami Book Fair
https://www.miamibookfair.com/

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The Miami Guide sat down with Craig Pittman,  award-winning author of "Oh, Florida!" "The Scent of Scandal" and "Manatee Insanity," and co-author of "Paving Paradise."

Florida-grown author Craig Pittman is coming to the Miami Book Fair, where they'll promote their newly released books exploring some bizarre facet of the Sunshine State. Miami Book Fair, Nov. 13 – 20, will once again host top authors, including music, theater, and sports celebrities.

Interview Notes:

• Craig talks about how he got started as an author
• He shares what inspires him and where he finds his creativity to write
• Craig talks about manatees and what he likes about them
• He shares the best places to find Manatees
• We talked about his favorite all-time authors
• Craig shares his advice for emerging writers
• And he talks about his exciting upcoming book

Quotes from the interview:
"Florida is an inexhaustible source of stories," Pittman tells The Miami Guide. "It's a storyteller's paradise. It's been that way for decades."

Who is Craig Pittman
Craig Pittman is a native Floridian. Born in Pensacola, he graduated from Troy State University in Alabama, where his muckraking work for the student paper prompted an agitated dean to label him "the most destructive force on campus." Since then he has covered a variety of newspaper beats and quite a few natural disasters, including hurricanes, wildfires and the Florida Legislature. Since 1998, he has covered environmental issues for Florida's largest newspaper, the Tampa Bay Times. He has won the Waldo Proffitt Award for Distinguished Environmental Journalism in Florida four times, and twice won the top investigative reporting award from the Society of Environmental Journalists.

I loved this conversation with Craig, and I know you’re going to love hearing his wisdom! If you loved this episode, please share it on Instagram along with your biggest takeaways. And make sure to tag Craig, @craigpittman78 and @themiamiguide. We’d love to hear what you got from the episode!

Lastly, please subscribe to The Miami Guide over on the Apple Podcasts —leave us a rating and review to spread the message to even more people like you!

Podcast show notes available here:
https://themiamiguide.com/show24

Follow Craig Pittman
https://craigpittman.com
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/craigpittman78/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/craigtimes
Podcast: https://www.buzzsprout.com/1169570

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The Miami Guide sat down with Phoebe Powell  New World Symphony harpist, to talk about what inspired her to become a musician and the upcoming season opener on Oct 15-16 in Miami Beach.

Interview Notes:

• Phoebe talks about how she got started in music, and what led her to the harp.
• She shares what inspires her and where she finds creativity.
• What was your first big break as a musician?
• Phoebe shares her advice for emerging artists.
• What excites her the most about what's happening in the music industry right now?

Quotes from the interview:
Music is one of the most universal ways of expression in human life.
Surround yourself with people you aspire to be

Who is Phoebe Powell
Canadian harpist, Phoebe Powell, is a second-year Fellow at the New World Symphony. She has been praised for her breadth of expression ranging from “mature and virtuosic to gorgeously musical and sweet.”

Second prize winner of the 2018 OSM Manulife Competition in Montreal, Ms. Powell was also awarded the Aspen Summer Music Festival scholarship.

An avid orchestral musician, Ms. Powell has performed extensively with orchestras such as the Chicago Symphony, National Arts Centre Orchestra, Toronto Symphony and Calgary Philharmonic.

Ms. Powell has been the recipient of the Ihnatowycz Emerging Artist Scholarship, Aspen Summer Music Festival Fellowship, NYO Canada Award of Excellence and an Alberta Foundation for the Arts Career Development Grant. She holds a bachelor of music degree and an artist diploma from The Glenn Gould School of The Royal Conservatory of Music in Toronto, where she studied with world-renowned harpist, Judy Loman.

Outside of orchestral rehearsals and practicing, she enjoys paddle boarding around Sunset harbor, running on the beach and when not in Miami, hiking or skiing in the mountains.

I loved this conversation with Phoebe, and I know you’re going to love hearing her wisdom! If you loved this episode, please share it on Instagram along with your biggest takeaways. And make sure to tag Phoebe, @phoebepowell.official and, @themiamiguide. We’d love to hear what you got from the episode!

Lastly, please subscribe to The Miami Guide over on the Apple Podcasts —leave us a rating and review to spread the message to even more people like you!

Podcast show notes available here:
https://themiamiguide.com/show23

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New World Symphony
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KOPU strives to deliver the best tasting water in the world while minimizing impact on the Earth.

The Miami Guide sat down with Mindy Mahy founder of The KOPU Water Company, to talk about how she and her husband launched KOPU, building a brand founded on love and respect for the planet and each other.

Interview Notes:
- What inspired you to start KOPU?
- Why did you choose Oregon?
- Why is sustainability so important for your brand?
- Why aluminum? recycle reusable?
- How dit the partnership with Forbes Travel Guide come about.
- What can we expect from you in the future?
- Where can listeners learn more about you?

Quotes from the interview:
You can not be luxury if you don't take sustainability into account

As consumer values shift with climate change and mindfulness of environmental impact, KOPU Water uniquely bridges luxury and sustainability by harmonizing with the health of guests and diners as well as the Earth. 

KOPU spring water is exceptionally smooth in taste and naturally alkaline with a pH of 8.0. KOPU Sparkling water has award-winning fine champagne-like bubbles that elegantly hydrate. Body-fortifying minerals include calcium, magnesium and potassium as well as naturally occurring silica, which is known as the “beauty mineral” and is a building block of collagen.

The company exclusively packages within beautiful, lightweight aluminum bottles. Due to the value and ease of recycling aluminum, 75% of all aluminum ever created is still in use today. Recycled KOPU bottles will re-emerge on average within 60 days and be reformed into electric cars, airplane frames or beverage cans and bottles.

KOPU is a thoughtful alternative to imported bottled water brands and is exclusively sold within fine dining restaurants and other dining venues within luxury hotels. 

Podcast show notes available here:
https://themiamiguide.com/show22

Follow KOPU Water
https://kopuwater.com/
https://www.instagram.com/kopuwater/


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LiquorSplit’s innovative model brings wholesale prices to consumers at an incredibly fast speed in a move to transform the future of e-commerce

The Miami Guide sat down with Russ Bruce founder and CEO of LiquorSplit, to talk about how  their innovative model brings wholesale prices to consumers at an incredibly fast speed in a move to transform the future of e-commerce.

Interview Notes:

• Russ talks about what inspired him to start LiquorSplit
• We talked about how they are an tech company with in-house development
• What has been a major challenge that LiquorSplit had to overcome?
• Russ shares  how the Tampa crowd compares to Miamians
• What's the favorite drink is in Florida?
• We chat about the importance of giving back to the community
• She talks about what she wished she'd had known before she started out
• What we can  expect from LiquorSplit in the future

LiquorSplit is a South Florida startup dedicated to bringing the most amazing delivery experience of liquor, beer, wine, and more to your door at great prices.  LiquorSplit released an all-new mobile app and opened shop in Tampa.

Since the pandemic, Miamians have followed the national trend of continuing to shop online for food and essentials. However, consumers everywhere are facing surging markups, service and hidden fees that put a heavy toll on convenience. 

LiquorSplit presents the only liquor app that allows consumers to buy fast liquor online while saving them time and money.

How? LiquorSplit is both the delivery app and the liquor store; it controls the inventory, the technology and the gig force all together in one superior model. Now, Miamians can order directly from one of the business’ micro-distribution hubs or “distys” –as the company has coined them –and have it delivered to their homes cheaper than going to the liquor store.   

By downloading the app, customers will be able to see the same inventory that exists in the distys and at the same price, have it delivered by a trained LiquorSplit employee and pay only a $2.99 flat delivery fee. Being a young local startup, LiquorSplit feels very strongly about giving back to the community. Hence, together with the launch of its new app the company has taken the “Every delivery makes a difference” pledge.

LiquorSplit has a special offer for the Miami Guide listeners and is now offering an alluring discount of 15% OFF with the code: MIAGUIDE at checkout! 

Podcast show notes available here:
https://themiamiguide.com/show21

Follow LiquorSplit
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https://twitter.com/LiquorSplit

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