A conversation with Ruthie Landelius, a local chef, culinary educator, and the proprietor of Black Fig Food . She's also a food contributor to Brick & Elm Magazine and the Flavorillo email newsletter. A self-taught chef, Ruthie is known for her visual and artistic approach to food, for using food to build community, and for the elevated menus she creates for local events—from intimate weddings to enormous fundraising banquets. She shares with host Jason Boyett how her early failures helped m...
Nov 04, 2024•50 min•Season 8Ep. 45
A conversation with Andy Justus , a long-time broadcast journalist and the co-anchor of Studio 4 and KAMR Local 4 News at 5, 6, and 10. A graduate of West Texas A&M, Andy has been in local news since he first joined KAMR in 1997. In this episode, he tells host Jason Boyett about growing up in poverty, moving constantly during childhood due to evictions, and how he convinced his single mother that he needed to go to Boys Ranch. In fact, if not for the structure he found at Boys Ranch, Andy sa...
Oct 28, 2024•54 min•Season 8Ep. 44
A conversation with Naomi Vang, the owner/operator of S.E.A. Market Oriental Food in Amarillo. A refugee from Myanmar (Burma), Vang arrived in the area as a child after her family faced displacement due to political instability and oppression from the military regime that gained control over their country. Her family is part of the Chin ethnic group from the mountainous part of western Myanmar. She tells host Jason Boyett how she and her siblings made it to Texas, what it was like to grow up in ...
Oct 21, 2024•47 min•Season 8Ep. 43
A conversation with Jason Mays , Fire Chief of the Amarillo Fire Department. An Amarillo native, Mays grew up in the River Road community and has been with AFD since 1999. He is the 10th fire chief in the history of the fire department, which dates back to 1897. He succeeded Fire Chief Jeff Greenlee in April 2020, and prior to this position had served as Deputy Chief of Operations. Mays shares with host Jason Boyett how he found his way into his career after struggling in high school, what most ...
Oct 14, 2024•51 min•Season 8Ep. 42
A conversation with Maile Srader, the proprietor of Purposeful Play Busy Bags , an educational supply store near 34th & Georgia in Westhaven Village. This storefront offers sensory bins, learning binders and fidgets for families, teachers, therapists and more, based on materials Srader developed and used during her teaching career and then as a homeschooling parent. In this episode, she tells host Jason Boyett about her family's journey through foster care, how her business has introduced he...
Oct 07, 2024•44 min•Season 8Ep. 41
A conversation with Tom Martin, the CEO of Milo Insulation of Texas . His company manufactures an innovative home insulation product called MILEX, made from grain sorghum grown in the Panhandle and produced at a facility in Tulia. In this episode, Martin explains to host Jason Boyett his journey from south Texas to Iowa to Amarillo, his shift from a career in education to one in farm exports, how he developed a sorghum-based packing peanut that's now used around the world, and how that product b...
Sep 30, 2024•51 min•Season 8Ep. 40
A conversation with Tia Marie Hunt , a donor relations coordinator at West Texas A&M University and a singer-songwriter who'll be performing at this weekend's Hoodoo Mural Festival . Tia Marie shares with host Jason Boyett about her journey to the area after having grown up in Jasper, Texas, her transition from singing at church to performing for secular audiences, and what role Amarillo might play in the rest of her musical career. Her single, "Love," is available on these platforms . Tia M...
Sep 23, 2024•43 min•Season 8Ep. 39
A conversation with Will Krause, the festival director for HOODOO Mural Festival (Sept. 28, 2024) and a long-time promoter and producer. Will was a partner in Austin's Euphoria Music Festival for several years and continues to work as a production manager for SXSW. As a promoter, he recently brought Hayden Pedigo, Kristen Key and Charley Crockett to Amarillo for shows at the Globe News Center. Krause shares with host Jason Boyett about moving back to Amarillo from Austin, how HOODOO has built an...
Sep 16, 2024•53 min•Season 8Ep. 38
A conversation with Jim Wilson , the legendary piano technician, award-winning recording artist and author of Tuned In: Memoirs of a Piano Man . Wilson grew up in 1970s Amarillo before heading to Southern California to pursue a music career. He ended up becoming a "piano tuner for the stars" before helping develop the highly influential MIDI-adapter for the acoustic piano, and then composing and recording chart-topping piano works. Wilson tells host Jason Boyett about the journey into his multip...
Sep 09, 2024•55 min•Season 8Ep. 37
A conversation with Whitney Dowd, DNP, founder of Blumologie Health, Beauty & Wellness . A long-time nurse and now a nurse practitioner, this Amarillo native has worked in a variety of local healthcare settings, including a decade at the Northwest J.O. Wyatt Clinic. Now at Blumologie, Dowd combines direct primary care with women's health and hormone services—as well as aesthetics. She tells host Jason Boyett about her medical path, the challenges she has overcome, and why her presence as a w...
Sep 02, 2024•43 min•Season 8Ep. 36
A conversation with J. Pat Hickman, the founder of Happy State Bank . In 1990, Hickman led a group of investors to purchase a very small bank in Happy, Texas, that had just $10 million in deposits. He then served for 32 years as the Chairman, President and CEO of Happy State Bank. When it sold in 2022, Happy had become one of the largest banks in the state. Hickman shares that origin story with host Jason Boyett. He also explains why he used the first years of his retirement to return to Texas T...
Aug 26, 2024•45 min•Season 8Ep. 35
A conversation with Chris Jackson, neighborhood planner for the City of Amarillo. An Amarillo native who grew up in the foster care system, Jackson now works within the city's Neighborhood Planning Initiative to help older and underserved parts of town "catch up" in terms of infrastructure and services. These neighborhoods include the North Heights, the Barrio, San Jacinto and Eastridge. Jackson works directly with neighborhood resident associations guiding them to implement a variety of project...
Aug 19, 2024•55 min•Season 8Ep. 34
A conversation with Dr. Amy Von Lintel, a professor of art history at West Texas A&M University and the director of WT's Gender Studies Program. Von Lintel also co-owns Old Tascosa Brewing Company with her husband, Matt Welch. She is the preeminent local expert on the legendary artist Georgia O'Keeffe's time in Amarillo and Canyon and has written multiple books—including next year's Art at the Crossroads —about the influence of the Texas Panhandle in the larger art world. She shares with hos...
Aug 12, 2024•59 min•Season 8Ep. 33
A conversation with Laura Street, a nonprofit consultant who has spent the past 25 years intimately involved in local leadership. She is the past executive director of the Laura W. Bush Institute for Women's Health at the Texas Tech Health Sciences Center in Amarillo, and served as the founding executive director of the Globe-News Center for the Performing Arts —where she led a campaign to raise more than $33 million and supervised the construction of that landmark building. By her count, she ha...
Aug 05, 2024•58 min•Season 8Ep. 32
A conversation with Angie Duncan, who describes herself as "The Amarillo Narcan Lady." She's the founder of the nonprofit Texas Panhandle Overdose Awareness . She has made it her mission to give out, as often as possible, the over-the-counter nasal spray Narcan®/naloxone, which can be used to reverse the effects of opioid overdose. In fact, she says several local people have been rapidly rescued from overdoses by this life-saving drug. Duncan shares her personal story with host Jason Boyett abou...
Jul 29, 2024•41 min•Season 8Ep. 31
A conversation with Tim Reid, the executive director of the Texas Panhandle War Memorial . The museum and memorial represent what he calls his "third career," following a stint in education at Ascension Academy and 30-plus years as an FBI agent. Reid shares with host Jason Boyett about growing up in the foster care system, his unsuccessful 2022 political campaign for Texas Senate 31, why he chose Amarillo for his "retirement," and why he believes the War Memorial to be one of the city's premier ...
Jul 22, 2024•53 min•Season 8Ep. 30
A conversation with Brittani Sullivan, the owner/operator of Sips & Giggles Mobile Bar . Sullivan was born in Amarillo but moved to Colorado when she was 10, and lived there until returning to Amarillo in 2021. A former teacher, she used the move to become an entrepreneur, launching her mobile bartending service in Amarillo. She shares with host Jason Boyett about the reasons for her return, how she builds relationships through her business, and what it's like to be such a big part of local ...
Jul 15, 2024•38 min•Season 8Ep. 29
A conversation with Jeff Whelchel, M.D., of the Healthy Hormones clinic in Amarillo and a financial advisor at Wood Financial . He's also the author of The New Thyroid Handbook . A native of Claude, Whelchel served as a family doctor in Amarillo for more than 23 years before pivoting to financial services, a transition triggered by a personal health crisis. Whelchel tells host Jason Boyett about the joys and frustrations of his medical career, why he made a midlife career change, and how helping...
Jul 08, 2024•42 min•Season 8Ep. 28
A conversation with Sharla Valdez, president of the Crown of Texas Hospice Foundation. As a young hospice nurse and entrepreneur, she became one of the founders of Crown of Texas Hospice, which operated in Amarillo from 1991 to 2004. Then in 2000, she launched Valmed Home Health & Pharmacy and served as its CEO and founder before exiting that business last year. Valdez shares with host Jason Boyett about her passion for hospice care, how her family's farm-and-ranch background prepared her fo...
Jul 01, 2024•47 min•Season 8Ep. 27
A conversation with Toby Giddens, the president and co-founder of Run Business Solutions (RunBiz) , which provides technology services for local companies. He tells host Jason Boyett how RunBiz grew from a small team in a local accounting firm into a firm that offers IT support for small to mid-size business across the High Plains. Giddens grew up in Canyon as the son of the Canyon football coach Ted Giddens and WT's Terri Giddens, Ph.D., who introduced Toby to computer science. They also discus...
Jun 24, 2024•47 min•Season 8Ep. 26
A conversation with Kristin Key , a nationally headlining musical comedian who performs in sold-out shows across North America, appeared in Last Comic Standing and Bring the Funny , and got her start in Amarillo. She's bringing her Lesbian Army Tour back home to Amarillo on June 27 at the Globe-News Center for the Performing Arts. In this episode, Kristin tells host Jason Boyett about her upbringing as the daughter of a Church of Christ preacher, how she came out in high school only to "take it ...
Jun 17, 2024•46 min•Season 8Ep. 25
A conversation with Jamie Fleck, the travel photographer, writer and custom fine art baker behind Flecks of Love . While living in Oklahoma, Fleck spent a weekend in Amarillo, stayed in a charming Airbnb, loved the local vibe, saved the house on Zillow and then—after getting an alert that it was on the market—decided to buy it and move here. Her baked items have since become a fixture at local markets and pop-up events. She's also been researching and writing her newest book, Best Lake Hikes Tex...
Jun 10, 2024•53 min•Season 8Ep. 24
A conversation with Chris Israel, the executive director of Homeless Heroes , an organization serving homeless veterans in Amarillo. Chris is a formerly homeless veteran himself. He grew up in New York City and Florida before joining the U.S. Navy. After serving as a submarine sailor, he spent several years traveling across the United States for work, but never put down roots. Israel shares with host Jason Boyett how a crisis of homelessness in New Mexico brought him to Amarillo and the VA, wher...
Jun 03, 2024•53 min•Season 8Ep. 23
A conversation with Kashion Smith, the executive director of the Amarillo Convention & Visitors Bureau . After several years in the hotel industry—including a stint as wedding specialist at the old Ambassador Hotel in Amarillo—Smith has spent the past decade with the CVB. She took over leadership of that organization in 2020. In this role, she is responsible for promoting and supporting tourism, conventions and events in Amarillo. The CVB "sells" Amarillo as a destination for people who don'...
May 27, 2024•55 min•Season 8Ep. 22
A conversation with Dirk van Reenen, the founder of Merus Adventure Park in the Texas Panhandle. Born and raised in South Africa, Dirk moved to Texas during his teen years. While attending WTAMU, he became the owner/manager of the former Lifts West ski shop at Western Plaza, launched Caprock Auctions in Amarillo, and worked in real estate before moving away in 2014. He tells host Jason Boyett about his Amarillo career, his subsequent move to the Houston area—followed by a stint in Columbia, Mary...
May 20, 2024•57 min•Season 8Ep. 21
A conversation with Vanessa Fiaud , Ph.D., an associate professor of sports and exercise science at the WTAMU College of Nursing & Health Sciences. Fiaud was born in France, where she studied business law, and continued her education in Oklahoma and Texas. She arrived in the Texas Panhandle and at WT in 2009, and tells host Jason Boyett about her work on sports biomechanics, as well as her recent approval by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) to serve as an official volunteer at this ...
May 13, 2024•41 min•Season 8Ep. 20
A conversation with Devin Barnett, owner of Renu Painting , which recently was awarded the 2024 Torch Award for Ethics (Medium Business) by the Better Business Bureau of Amarillo. Barnett grew up in Abilene and has worked in a variety of industries, from petroleum to nursing to self-employed retailing. Despite that meandering career path, he's found success with Renu Painting. He and host Jason Boyett discuss Devin's various career stops before coming to Amarillo, why he chose not to go to colle...
May 06, 2024•49 min•Season 8Ep. 19
A conversation with Megan Reed, the communications and public affairs manager at Bell , and a former communications manager for Make-a-Wish North Texas. Reed, an Amarillo native who played Division II soccer for WTAMU, tells host Jason Boyett how she found her way into a career at the manufacturer's Amarillo Assembly Plant, what Bell's new U.S. Army assault aircraft contract means for the area, and how she and her employer are already looking 10 years into the future as they prepare a workforce ...
Apr 29, 2024•52 min•Season 8Ep. 18
A return conversation with Jason Crespin for Hey Amarillo 's 350th episode. Crespin was the guest in this podcast's second episode ever (October 9, 2017) and returns to share about his role as Managing/Artistic Director at Amarillo Little Theatre and the legacy of the late Allen Shankles, who passed away March 20, 2024. Crespin also turns the tables on host Jason Boyett to ask about Boyett's upcoming ALT debut in the cast of the musical Spamalot , which opens May 2. Tickets are on sale now for S...
Apr 22, 2024•1 hr 12 min•Season 8Ep. 17
A conversation with Cindi Bulla, the broker/owner behind Realty Central Services and a recent primary candidate for Texas House District 87 . Bulla shares the story of how she ran away from home at age 15 and ended up in Amarillo, how she found her way into careers in banking and construction before getting into real estate, and why she decided to run for office. (Her campaign was ultimately unsuccessful.) Bulla also speaks with host Jason Boyett about the local real estate market and her decade...
Apr 15, 2024•59 min•Season 8Ep. 16
