In this guest episode, Alia Moore interviews Mark Baratto on the Blame it on Buffett Podcast.

This is an exclusive "role reversal" where Alia has me on as a guest on her podcast. If you ever wanted to know who the guy was behind the Backyards of Key West podcast, this is your chance!

In this episode, Mark Baratto sits down with the artists and creators of Sacred Space: Lucy Hawk, Barbara Sage, Emily Shipman and Cristina Velardi.

We talk about how this group of powerhouse ladies found each other, how they support each other, and how Sacred Space was formed.

In this episode, Mark Baratto sits down with Carol Hill, the owner of the Yankee Freedom III Ferry to the Dry Tortugas.

This episode was recorded at the beginning of 2020 and Carol has a little cold, but don't worry, it wasn't COVID-19 :)

We talk about how Carol got into the business, all the hoops she needed to jump through to be the exclusive free to the Dry Tortugas, and how having a positive attitude always wins out.

In this episode, Mark Baratto sits down with Tom Carbone, the owner of Carbone's Custom Firearms.

We discuss how Tom got into the business and his passion for bringing firearm safety and understanding to the Florida Keys.

Whether you are a gun lover or not, this is a great episode to get the understand from someone who has been in the business for decades.

In this episode, Mark Baratto sits down with Key West City Manager Greg Veliz (before the Covid-19 pandemic).

We talked about Greg's journey from Conch to elected official, and all the bumps in-between.

I love and admire Greg's tenacity and hope this episode teaches you that anything can happen with the right attitude.

In this episode, Mark Baratto sits down with Hillary to talk about how she became a stylist, how she made her way down to Key West, and why she decided to open her own Beauty Lounge right in the middle of the Covid-19 crisis.

This episode is loaded with inspiration and is worth listening to (whether you are into hair or not :).

In this episode, Mark Baratto sits down with Analise Andrews, the owner of Key West Food Tours.

We talk about how she was raised in her Cuban grandmother’s Key West kitchen and how Analise Smith pursued a career in the food industry by starting Key West Food Tours in 2014.

Combining a love for food with her hometown of Key West, Analise created a 3-hour, highly entertaining narrative weaving the island’s history on a tasting walking tour, visiting five local mom-and-pop restaurants.

Today, Key West Food Tours offers its signature Southernmost Food Tasting & Cultural Walking Tour, Seafood Lover’s Walking Tour, and the Key West Craft Cocktail Crawl, consistently receiving #1 in TripAdvisor’s Food and Drink category for Key West, as well as TripAdvisor’s Certificate of Excellence.

In this episode Mark Baratto sits down with Ben Teague of Ben Teague Design.

We talk about how Ben took a leap of faith and went from working in a bank to doing what he loves.

This episode has a ton of gems for those of you out there looking to escape the corporate world to work in a business you love to do.

In this episode, Mark Baratto sits down with Jess Forsythe and Mike Kenna of Kenna Construction.

We talk about how Mike got into the business, how he went from a classically trained chef to an expert contractor. We also learn how Jess acts as the glue to keep everything together and is the businesswoman that keeps the ship moving in the right direction.

In this episode, Mark Baratto sits down with Grant Portier, the owner and chef of Poké In the Rear, an Asian-themed restaurant in its open-air backside bar in the famed Aquaplex.

We talk about where he came up with the idea for the restaurant, and how he is taking a grassroots word of mouth approach to marketing.

In this episode, Mark Baratto sits down with Johnna, one of the owners of Cruisin' Tikis, and Captain Ryan.

Johnna tells her story of going from the retired life to the Tiki life while actually on one of their famed Tikis.

In this episode, Mark Baratto sits down with artists Marianne van den Broek to talk about her amazing sand sculptures found around town in Key West.

We talk about how Marianne began her journey as a sand sculptor, and how she turned a "summer job" into a passion project with a full-time residence at Casa Marina, A Waldorf Astoria Resort.

In this episode, Mark Baratto sits down with Nance Frank, the director of the Gallery on Greene.

This is perfect for all you Key West history buffs out there.  We dive deep into the history of Key West homes, the people and the art.

We recorded this episode in the fall, before COVID-19 lockdown happened.  I am pleased to say that The Gallery on Green is fully operational and taking visitors on a daily basis.

In this episode, Mark Baratto sits down with the owner of Salt Island Provisions, Laura Richardson.

We talk about the origin story or Salt Island Provisions, how this island favorite is a hub for everything local; from salt to wine to honey to art.

This spot is a MUST for every tourist and local alike!

In this episode, Mark Baratto sits down with Chief TuTu wearer, Jenn Stefanacci.

We talk about how this Jersey girl made her way down to the Conch Republic and how she created her cult-classic bar, 22&Co.

This was one of my favorite episodes I did, not only because of how cool 22&Co is but how cool Jenn is... bringing that NJ flavor all the way south.

Yachts & Sailing Academy.

We talk about how he made the shift from working in Chicago to running a full-time business in Key West and what happened to his business when the Corona Virus struck.

In this episode, Mark Baratto sings down with musician Joal Rush to talk about his musical origin story (more than 20 years ago), the time he puts into his music, and where he is headed.

We recorded this podcast for the Songwriters Podcast many months before the COVID-19 lockdown.

In this episode, Mark Baratto sits down with the co-owner of The Green Pineapple at the Perry Hotel, Rebecca Schwab-Talpas.

We talk about her career start in retail, why she decided to open up the shop at the Perry, her yoga teachings, and her cookbook club :).

In this episode, Mark Baratto sits down with local artist Jasmine Jones.

We talk about how she got started and how she is making a life for herself as an extremely talented artist.

This interview was recorded before the March 2020 shutdown, so Jasmine's classes are on hold for right now, but all her amazing art is for sale!

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