HECHO

Welcome to HECHO—the show about what's now and what's next in the Coastal Bend! I'm your host, Rob George, and today we're diving into the heart of Port Aransas with the co-owners of the South Jetty newspaper, Kelli Hartig and Dan Parker. Kelli and Dan are not only neighbors and longtime residents, they're dedicated storytellers and champions of local news. From Kelli's journey starting in Flour Bluff and discovering her love for community through the South Jetty, to Dan's decades in journalism and his return home to Port A, this episode explores the vital role of a locally owned newspaper in a town that's always changing. We'll talk hurricanes, city meetings, big events like Sand Fest, and the importance of covering the stories—big or small—that shape life here. Ready to hear some real behind-the-scenes insights into Port Aransas journalism? Kelli, Dan, thank you for sharing your stories and giving us a look inside the South Jetty's past, present, and bright future. Your dedication to local reporting and community connection keeps Port Aransas informed, inspired, and united. For listeners who want to follow the pulse of what's happening in Port A—from city policies to festivals, to surf reports—subscribe to the South Jetty or check out their digital edition. If you want more of what's now and what's next, in business and entertainment across the Coastal Bend, subscribe to the HECHO newsletter at hecho.cc and follow us at hechocorpus on Instagram. Special thanks to Clint Tucker Homes and Sawyer Audiology for their support. And thank you, listener, for taking the time to tune in—your engagement is what keeps these local stories alive!Outro

Welcome to HECHO! The show about what’s now and what’s next in the Coastal Bend! I’m your host Rob George, and our guest is Michaelah Maddelone. Michaelah is a locally trained chef who decided to share her culinary skills with the community through the Corpus Christi Cooking Club. Sheand her family built out a space in London Town Square, and she teaches cooking classes for all ages. She’s taught kids themes, like meals inspired by Bluey. She hosts date nights. And she inspires with classes featuring styles andflavors from around the world. But what you may find particularly inspiring is that Michaelah is her passion for helping others building confidence in their own cooking.  Michaelah’s energy is inspiring and her passion for helpingothers find joy through cooking is contagious! Please follow the Corpus Christi Cooking Club on Instagram @corpuschristicookingclub and sign up for your ownclasses soon!   If you want more of what’s now, and what’s next, in businessand entertainment in Corpus Christi and the Coastal Bend, subscribe to the HECHO newsletter at hecho.cc and follow us @hechocorpus on Instagram. 

Welcome to HECHO! The show about what’s now and what’s next in the Coastal Bend! I’m your host Rob George, and our guest is Lydia Garza.Did you know that Corpus Christi has a Film & Music Commission whose goal is to bring film production and more music to Corpus Christi and the CoastalBend? Visit Corpus Christi recently started the commission, and wisely hired Lydia to be its Commissioner. Lydia is an actress, agent, and casting director, with decades of experience in front of and around the camera, here in Texas and in California. After she decided to move home to Corpus from California, sheran her own casting company until the opportunity to lead the Commission presented itself. She has been sprinting a marathon ever since, including meetings with local film and music experts, helping to host local events, and traveling to South x Southwest in Austin to promote Corpus Christi and theCoastal Bend. The work Lydia is doing will help expand our local music scene and also create opportunities for local actors and actresses, producers, directors and others involved in, or aspiring to be involved in, the film industry to be able to grow and thrive here at home. Lydia’s energy is inspiring and her passion for building athriving film community here is contagious! Please follow the Film & Music Commission on Instagram @filmandmusiccorpuschristi and keep an eye out forlocal productions!  If you want more of what’s now, and what’s next, in businessand entertainment in Corpus Christi and the Coastal Bend, subscribe to theHECHO newsletter at hecho.cc and follow us @hechocorpus on Instagram.  Thank you Lydia for coming on the show. Thank you to ourinfrastructure partners, Clint Tucker Homes and Sawyer Audiology. And thank youfor taking time to listen!

Welcome to HECHO! The show about what’s now and what’s nextin the Coastal Bend! I’m your host Rob George, and our guest is Dr. DhavalPatel. For this episode, we ventured to Beeville the homebase Uncommon Marketand its Uncommon Junior Chefs program. Uncommon Market grew out of Dr. Patel’spurchase of Coffee Barrel, a well-loved gathering hub for coffee lovers andepicureans who stopped by for camaraderie and locally-sourced gourmet food,some of which was grown at Coffee Barrel. Dr. Patel brought his background ininternational community building to the meals and gatherings at Coffee Barreland now into Uncommon Market and the Uncommon Junior Chefs program. Formultiple decades, Dr. Patel served all around the world in areas in desperateneed of basic resources, and his job was to coordinate international groupslike NGOs with local community members so that the locals could learn how tobuild or create the resources they needed. His passion for community buildingmanifested in Coffee Barrel after he and his family moved to the Beeville areaa handful of years ago. Sensing a need for students and families to have accessto higher quality food sources and preparation skills, he started a communitygarden and began hosting dinners at Coffee Barrel. Those events fueled hispassion to expand the program into schools and other communities which he doesthrough the Uncommon Junior Chefs program. He has lofty goals for the UncommonJunior Chefs and for Uncommon Market in general.  Dhaval and the Uncommon Junior Chefs program have some veryexciting events coming up and some other news that is super secret right now.To stay up to date, to see if there’s a program near you, or to reach out tosponsor a program or to request one, following Uncommon Market on Instagram@uncommonmkt   If you want more of what’s now, and what’s next, in businessand entertainment in Corpus Christi and the Coastal Bend, subscribe to theHECHO newsletter at hecho.cc and follow us @hechocorpus on Instagram.   Thank you Dhaval for coming on the show. Thank you to ourinfrastructure partners, Clint Tucker Homes and Sawyer Audiology. And thank youfor taking time to listen!

Welcome to Episode 27 of the HECHO Podcast, the podcast about what’s now, and what’s next in Corpus Christi and the Costal Bend. I’m your host Rob George, and our guest is Jeannette Del Angel, and if you ordered from Sucre during Covid (or since), or eaten at Central Kitchen, you’ve likely experienced her magic in the oven. Jeannette is a Corpus raised, Le Cordon Bleu trained, deeply experienced chef. Her primary expertise is pastry, and she created the menu for Central Kitchen. She is now starting her own adventure, Fika, an experience where one can relax with a pastry and espresso. “Fika” is a Swedish term that describes taking a break with friends, old and new. On this episode, we discuss Jeannette’s journey away from and back to Corpus Christi with anecdotes from impressive stops along the way. We learn about how she impressed her French professor at UT with macaroons crafted in her dorm’s basement kitchen, her delight in being called “chef” by her mentor at Southerleigh, and her passion for building a business around her family. Jeannette and Fika offer a unique vibe to the Coastal Bend—a Swedish twist on relaxing with friends. Please follow Fika on Instagram at @fika_microbakery and be sure to seize a moment for your own Fika at Jeannette’s bakery on Alameda between the Quad Fitness Studio and Lavender & Lee.    If you want more of what’s now, and what’s next, in business and entertainment in Corpus Christi and the Coastal Bend, subscribe to the HECHO newsletter at hecho.cc and follow us @hechocorpus on Instagram.    Thank you Jeannette for coming on the show. Thank you to our infrastructure partners, Clint Tucker Homes and Sawyer Audiology. Thank you to Lucy George for her editing assistance. And thank you for taking time to listen!