Jesse Childress is the owner of The Baked Cafe, and spends his time creating masterpiece burgers and breakfast sandwiches. He is truly a master at his craft, so please enjoy!
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Key Points of Interest:
- Started with a degree in Business Management
- Jesse had always had an interest in the arts as well!
- He built his own real estate empire in Everett, until it all fell apart in 2008
- Then he worked with Penske as a store manager
- Next he went into insurance with State Farm and completed their training
- He ended up finding the spot here at Camano Commons Marketplace
- Jesse is not the sole owner of The Baked Cafe
- Why does Jesse keep the customization down on his burgers
- Hear the history of hamburgers in America
- Where is the Burger Belt located?
- They grind their burgers fresh every day and the buns are baked fresh daily!
- USA is going back to Smash Burgers
- The Baked Cafe started their main focus on Breakfast Sandwiches, which they still make and are fantastic!
- Hear the inspiration for the Bob’s Burger-Thon
- What is his favorite burger from the series?
Camano Island Locations Mentioned in this Episode:
Brian Hanson is the brains behind High on Tacos, a clothing brand. But that is just the tip of the iceberg, as we get into this conversation, we cover so many topics, and you hear just what this brand really represents!
Links to Things Mentioned in this Episode:
Key Points of Interest:
- What does Brian do for his “Day Job"
- How did Brian get started with High on Tacos?
- Where did the name come from?
- Madak created the actual logo
- Hear about Brian’s first event in 2018, and how he knew he was onto something
- How did Brian get involved with multiple events including the USA Today Food Truck Challenge
- What type of student was Brian in high school? And how has it affected his career?
- Brian has never been a structured person, but hear how he’s worked through that
- Brian’s describes the perfect taco, and his favorite taco place in this area
- Where are the tacos? And what does Brian hope to do about the lack of tacos?
- Brian tells us how he got High on Tacos on a Semi-truck that drives internationally
- Plus he has his logo on a sponsored Freestyle Motocross Rider
- Here about the motivation behind High on Tacos that most people don’t know
- What is Brian’s favorite dog type? And what does he hope to do for rescue dogs as well?
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Mike Nestor is a third generation Islander and is also a realtor at Windemere Realty. But this guy has some stories to tell and you will not want to miss out on his crazy history of Camano Island, and how his family moved to the island!
Links to Things Mentioned in this Episode:
Key Points of Interest:
- Here how Mike Nestor got his house on the island
- He also served during the Vietnam War
- Find out when Mike officially moved to Camano Island
- What was the first venture that Mike went into on Camano Island
- And why it no longer exists...
- What are the biggest changes that Mike has noticed since being here
- Mike sold the land for Camano Commons to Jeff Ericson but from whom?
- How did Freedom Park Get its name?
- When did schools start popping up on the island?
- Where did Mike get the recipe for his Famous Caesar Dressing!
- What disturbs Mike about Camano now...
- Hear about the first Chili Chowder Cook off and how they kept it going after blowing the circuit!
- Mike talks about aiming Camano in an artistic direction from the beginning
Camano Island Locations Mentioned in this Episode:
- Lover’s Leap (Same spot as Lauren Breum’s Podcast (https://camanocommons.com/ep8) But since it’s not public property, I cannot reveal the exact location, but it is on the south end of the island
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Key Points of Interest:
- Lauren went to Washington State University (WSU)
- After WSU, she got involved with...
- Where did Lauren get her inspiration for the name of the Instagram
- Hear how and why Lauren got started in fashion
- Good business advice on building her instagram following
- Why did Lauren choose to focus on Instagram instead of a standard blog
- Who was Lauren’s original photographer for her posts?
- Lauren uses filters to keep the brand cohesive
- Find out what the biggest struggle in starting Ava by the Bay?
- How does Lauren get the right size on Amazon Fashion?
- Lauren lists some great boutiques in Stanwood!
- What is the biggest misconception in the fashion industry?
- Lauren’s advice for non fashionable guys, such as myself
Camano Island Locations Mentioned in this Episode:
- The lookout on Camano is not technically public property, so I am unable to list exactly where it is ????, but I can tell you it’s on the south end of the island
Links to Things Mentioned in this Episode:
Key Points of Interest:
- Find out where Mike Dame got his start in accounting
- Why did he move away from the Aerospace industry?
- See how he transitioned into a small accounting firm
- How did Mike connect with Terry Greer, the previous owner of his firm?
- Hear about how the transition went.
- Both Terry and Mike committed to making the transition a win for their customers
- Mike purchased the accounting firm officially in April of 2018
- What was Mike’s biggest hurdle in the transition?
- Everyone beside Terry stayed on with Mike
- What are the biggest misconceptions about accounting?
- Mike also talks about the interesting trends he sees in this area
- What is Mike’s biggest failure, and how did he turn it around into a success?
- We talk about the #1 priority as business owners working with out team
- What is the difference between bookkeeping and accounting?
- Great advice on bookkeeping and accounting conversations
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Brian is one the owners of Tapped Public House at Camano Commons, and he will be managing the day to day operations. He recently became an Islander after living in Seattle for more of his life. He has had extensive experience in scratch food restaurants and is ecstatic to bring his craft to Camano Commons at Tapped.
Links to Things Mentioned in this Episode:
Key Points of Interest:
- Where did Brian start his restaurant career?
- Find out Brian’s first management job
- Hear about his very short stint at WSU, and bounced around many colleges
- Finally graduated from Western and then moved to Hawaii
- Much of his experience came from his work within the Nordstrom Restaurant
- Brian explains his viewpoint on management vs leadership
- Here how he was able to take a trip from Mexico to French Polynesia on a sailboat!
- After starting with Nordstrom again, he eventually left for FareStart
- Farestart works with people who come disadvantage pasts, and teaches then culinary skills
- Discover what Brian is so excited to get Tapped open!
- Get a sneak peak of what Tapped will have on the menu!
Camano Island Locations Mentioned in this Episode:
TJ Fittis owns Camano Island Coffee Roasters, which he purchased from my father, and the founder Jeff Ericson. He started as a copywriter for Camano Island Coffee Roasters, but slowly worked his way up in the company, until he purchased the company from Jeff in April of 2019.
Links to Things Mentioned in this Episode:
Key Points of Interest:
- Find out where TJ hails from...
- Hear how TJ got started in Camano Island Coffee Roasters
- Learn what relative job experience helped TJ succeed in the company
- How has TJ continued to grow the company
- What makes Camano Island Coffee Roasters different as a company as well as it’s coffee
- Why Camano Island Coffee can’t be found in grocery stores (except locally in Stanwood and Camano)
- Find out TJ’s favorite coffee that he carries, and also what his favorite brew method is.
- What are the standards that Camano Island Coffee Roasters hold their coffee to?
- What is one of Camano Island Coffee Roasters best kept secret blend?
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Leslie Moore has spent her entire career, minus a short stint as a chemist, in the Library field. And she is a wealth of knowledge of the entire Library system. She is passionate about helping youth get their hands on books, and community building.
Links to Things Mentioned in this Episode:
Key Points of Interest:
- Leslie was working in the library back when card catalogs were a thing!
- Learn about her journey through many different libraries
- Hear what it was like being a librarian as the age of information took hold
- Discover how Sno-Isle Library has going on here on Camano Island
- Find out how many books a month that Leslie goes through a month
- How does Leslie judge books, and decide what to read next?
- Leslie has a fantastic answer to what makes a book great!
Camano Island Locations Mentioned in this Episode:
Evan Caldwell is a photographer and reporter for Stanwood Camano News. Being a reporter, he gets the inside scoop on the happenings around the Stanwood Camano area. Our conversation starts with how Evan got involved in news, and why he stayed with it. We also dive into some of the trends he has noticed in the Camano area.
Links to Things Mentioned in this Episode:
Key Points of Interest:
- Find out how Evan got involved in news reporting, and why he stuck with it
- We also jump into what it was like to be part of newspaper industry at the turn of the industry
- Hear how the Newspaper scene has changed since the recession
- Evan's advice on why you have to become "Backpack" Journalist to survive in News
- How Evan got involved with Stanwood Camano News
- We talk about why Stanwood and Camano School systems aren't growing as fast as locals think
- I also ask Evan what are his interview tips to help me perform better interviews 🙂
Camano Island Locations Mentioned in this Episode:
Dan Ericson is the Owner of Brand Shouter, a local marketing company. He moved to Camano Island to help Jeff Ericson with the starting Camano Island Coffee Roasters. Here the beginnings of Camano Island Coffee Roasters, and how that experience helped him create a successful marketing company in the Stanwood/Camano Area.
Links to Things Mentioned in this Episode:
Key Points of Interest:
- Why did Dan Ericson came to Camano Island
- Hear what it was like in the beginnings of Camano Island Coffee Roasters
- What is Dan's favorite thing about Brand Shouter?
- Find out the biggest challenges that Brand Shouter faced in the beginning
- Dan speaks on letting customers go when you are not the right fit, even if that means leaving money on the table
- Where is Brand Shouter going now?
- What is Dan and his family's favorite thing to do around the island?
- Why did Dan start Podcasting?
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