ThePhillyBlunt

Jonny Mac – He left it all for a truck and some beans.

August 26, 2019 Food & Drink 43:23

What do you do if you’re a chef and you open a restaurant that is named Best in Philly and your burger wins Best of Philly? You bail out and open a coffee truck, obviously. That’s exactly what Jonny Mac did. He’s the co-founder of Rival Bros Coffee and he’s our guest on this episode.

Jonny Mac stumbled into a job in the restaurant business. A little bit of luck and the perfect timing landed him in one of the best restaurants in Philadelphia, working as a bus boy. He worked his way into the kitchen and the rest is history. He travelled the world for his culinary training, opened his own short-lived spot, then helped to open Pub and Kitchen, which was named Best Bar in Philly and Best Burger.

Then, he suddenly decided to scratch an itch he had for some time and left it all to open a coffee truck in LOVE PARK. The truck was called Rival Bros. Coffee and it has since grown into three brick-and-mortar cafes around Philly.

We returned to Grace Tavern for this interview as Jonny has always been a fan of place and its owner, the legendary Fergie.

LINKS:
Rival Bros. Coffee
Grace Tavern

Ben Franklin – Philly’s Most Famous Citizen

August 12, 2019 Authors, History 37:36

This is Ben Franklin like you’ve never heard him, obviously. As part of the Philadelphia Podcast Festival, we sat down with Philly most famous and accomplished resident at the National Liberty Museum for our first-ever recording in front of a live audience.

Don’t be afraid. This isn’t a boring history lesson. This is Benjamin Franklin talking dirt on John Adams, discussing the use of your own children in dangerous experiments to avoid lawsuits, farting, public nudity, and why he advised young men in selecting older mistresses. He drank a beer and survived the Philly Blunt segment like a true Revolutionary, even letting us know what he’d be getting into on a typical Friday night.

You are guaranteed to learn something new about Ben and have an entirely new appreciation for him.

History should always be this fun.

Elijah Milligan – Cooking for Culture

July 29, 2019 Entertainment 37:47

Elijah Milligan is a chef on a mission. While running his restaurant Stove and Tap in Lansdale, PA, he’s also seeking to shine a light on the skills and accomplishments of African-American chefs in town. He runs a pop-up cooking event called Cooking for Culture, that features local African-American chefs showcasing their skills in various cuisines—just not Soul Food. He’s also hoping that the press and exposure from Cooking for Culture will be an inspiration for young African-Americans throughout the city to consider careers in the culinary world.

In this episode, we sat down with Elijah at Jose Pistola’s on 15th street in Center City. We discussed working with Georges Perrier, running his own kitchen, and life as an African-American in the kitchen of some of the most acclaimed restaurants in Philadelphia.

Elijah has grown up in kitchens. He started out working for his parents’ restaurant as a young boy. He used those skills to work his way into the kitchen at Le Bec Fin. From there, he’s cooked at Stateside, Laurel, and Vernick among others.

He’s looking to expand Stove and Tap into a second location in the near future.

LINKS:
Elijah Milligan: Instagram/Facebook

Stove & Tap

Jose Pistola’s: Instagram/Twitter/Facebook/www

Chris Schwartz: Co-Founder of Philly’s Legendary Ruffhouse Records

July 15, 2019 Entertainment, Music 00:34:46

He paved the way for rappers to tour Europe while managing Schoolly D and made Cypress Hill, Kris Kross, The Fugees, Wyclef Jean, and Lauryn Hill household names. He is Chris Schwartz, Co-Founder of Ruffhouse Records, which sold over one hundred million records worldwide throughout the 1990’s.

Chris has a new book out called, Ruffhouse: From the Streets of Philly to the Top of the ’90s Hip Hop Charts, and he sat down with us at The New Wave Cafe in Queen Village to discuss his early days of working with Schoolly D, the mind-boggling success of Ruffhouse Records, and some ups and downs in his personal life, as well as his new book.

Chris didn’t know it at the time, but he and Schoolly D set the blueprint for Gangsta Rap with the release of P.S.K. and paved the way for hip-hop artists to tour throughout Europe. Schoolly was the first U.S. rap act to tour Europe.

He also walks us through the uniqueness of Cypress Hill’s sound and the movie that jump-started their ascension into rap history. Chris talks about not liking Kris Kross’ mega-hit Jump at first and how Rosie Perez actually introduced Kris Kross to the world through a television appearance.

Chris reminisces about first seeing The Fugees and, ironically, not really noticing Lauryn Hill when he first saw the band perform.

This interview also covers the inspiration for the Ruffhouse name, how German music served as the foundation for many hip-hop classics, substance abuse, the end of the Ruffhouse label, and what Chris is up to these days.

This is an interview that any Philadelphian or music fan has to hear.

LINKS:

Chris Schwartz: Twitter/Instagram/Amazon/Barnes & Noble

New Wave Cafe: www/Facebook/Instagram/Twittey

John Bolaris: Part 1: Storm of the Century, South Beach, and Survival

July 1, 2019 Entertainment, TV/Radio 31:22

John Bolaris was a rock star in Philadelphia from 1990 through the early 2000’s. He wasn’t actually a rock star, but a meteorologist with rock star status. He ran in circles with professional athletes and dated models and playmates, all while being the 3rd highest paid meteorologist in the United States. John is currently a luxury realtor in the Philly and New Jersey markets.

Turmoil and scandals, however, seemed to follow Bolaris at every turn during his time as a meteorologist. His wife informed him that she wanted a divorce on the day he made his debut in Philadelphia. Colleagues in Philly did not welcome John with open arms, in fact, someone threw dog feces on his car.

While at WCAU in Philadelphia, John was regularly disciplined by the station for a variety of behaviors that were said to harm his credibility such as wearing a turtleneck, having bangs, or getting a tattoo on his derriere.

In Part 1 of this two-part interview we discuss how a weather-obsessed child from Long Island, who drew up his own weather forecasts, ended up on television in the Philadelphia market. John discusses how his wife informed him of her desire for a divorce on the day of his Philadelphia debut.

We also cover, in detail, the days leading up for the infamous Philadelphia “Storm of the Century” that never came. John walks us through the decisions and interactions leading up to this alleged storm and claims that the “Storm of the Century” was never his idea or in his forecasts and that he even hit the airwaves on the Sunday night before the alleged storms arrival and said it wasn’t happening.

In Part 2, we get in-depth into the infamous Miami South Beach scandal that found John drugged and scammed out of over $40,000 by the Russian Mob through the use of seductive and attractive women.

John talks about the impact coming forward and pressing charges had on his career, ultimately leading to its end. Bolaris walks us through the darkest days of his life following the end of his meteorology TV career and about his daughter being his saving light.  

We also put John through the Philly Blunt round.

This is Bolaris like you’ve never heard him. 

LINKS:

JOHN BOLARIS: twitter

Bolaris’ Black Label Realty: www

The Post Bar: www/Facebook

John Bolaris: Part 2: Storm of the Century, South Beach, and Survival.

July 1, 2019 Entertainment, TV/Radio 0:40:15

John Bolaris was a rock star in Philadelphia from 1990 through the early 2000’s. He wasn’t actually a rock star, but a meteorologist with rock star status. He ran in circles with professional athletes and dated models and playmates, all while being the 3rd highest paid meteorologist in the United States. John is currently a luxury realtor in the Philly and New Jersey markets.

Turmoil and scandals, however, seemed to follow Bolaris at every turn during his time as a meteorologist. His wife informed him that she wanted a divorce on the day he made his debut in Philadelphia. Colleagues in Philly did not welcome John with open arms, in fact, someone threw dog feces on his car.

While at WCAU in Philadelphia, John was regularly disciplined by the station for a variety of behaviors that were said to harm his credibility such as wearing a turtleneck, having bangs, or getting a tattoo on his derriere.

In Part 1 of this two-part interview we discuss how a weather-obsessed child from Long Island, who drew up his own weather forecasts, ended up on television in the Philadelphia market. John discusses how his wife informed him of her desire for a divorce on the day of his Philadelphia debut.

We also cover, in detail, the days leading up for the infamous Philadelphia “Storm of the Century” that never came. John walks us through the decisions and interactions leading up to this alleged storm and claims that the “Storm of the Century” was never his idea or in his forecasts and that he even hit the airwaves on the Sunday night before the alleged storms arrival and said it wasn’t happening.

In Part 2, we get in-depth into the infamous Miami South Beach scandal that found John drugged and scammed out of over $40,000 by the Russian Mob through the use of seductive and attractive women.

John talks about the impact coming forward and pressing charges had on his career, ultimately leading to its end. Bolaris walks us through the darkest days of his life following the end of his meteorology TV career and about his daughter being his saving light.  

We also put John through the Philly Blunt round.

This is Bolaris like you’ve never heard him. 

LINKS:

JOHN BOLARIS: twitter

Bolaris’ Black Label Realty: www

The Post Bar: www/Facebook

Marissa the Total Stranger: California, Comedy, and Camming,

June 17, 2019 Artist, Comedy 34:40

This episode is quite unique. We were set up to record on the third floor at The Raven Lounge on Sansom Street. Our guest never showed. Just as we were about to call it a night, in walked a woman who said they double-booked the third floor and she was there to take some photographs. Basically, she was kicking us out.

We asked her if she wanted to be on a podcast. She asked when. We said now. She said okay. It was as if the universe sent her to us to save our asses.

None of us knew her or had ever heard of her. We knew nothing about her other than she was a photographer. Johnny started to do a Google search, but we quickly decided it would be much more interesting to go in completely cold.

Everything you hear is exactly as the interview happened. It’s unedited, except for the addition of our traditional transition beats, so you can listen as everything unfolded just as we did.

Her name is Marissa. She’s originally from the Fox Chase area of Philly. She’s a former stand-up comedian and she’s has had quite a few interesting jobs, including Wawa and camming, one of which may have led to the most outrageous story ever told on The Philly Blunt. You wouldn’t believe it if we didn’t capture the audio as proof.

Thanks to Raven Lounge for giving us a space to tell these great stories of interesting Philadelphians.

LINKS:
The Raven Lounge: Facebook/Instagram
Marissa’s Photography: Facebook/Instagram

Jennifer Weiner: Philly’s NY Times #1 Bestselling Author: Part 1

June 4, 2019 Authors 33:52

She’s sold over 13 MILLION BOOKS. She’s had a book turned into a movie starring Cameron Diaz. She has championed for women authors to receive the same attention as their male counterparts, and she’s stood for her beliefs, almost to the detriment of her young career. She is the New York Times #1 Bestselling Author Jennifer Weiner.

Jen came to Philly via a stop in central Pennsylvania, where she worked as a local journalist before getting a job at the Philadelphia Inquirer. She’s never left Philly since arriving and has no plans of doing so.

We sat with Jen at Queen Village’s Hungry Pigeon restaurant. In our time with her, she provided fabulous insight into her life, her thoughts about the world around her, the world of publishing, as well as her loves and struggles with social media. She shares a story of hating a cover of one her books because it looks like a “douche ad,” but because buyers at a retail outlet loved the cover they stuck with it. It went on to become her first #1 Bestseller.

Jen’s new book, Mrs. Everything, come out on June 11th. The book chronicles the lives of two sisters over the span of seventy years. She discussed the inspiration for the ambitious project and the historical research that went into the project.

In The Philly Blunt round, we learn Jen’s musical aspirations, her spitting pet peeve, and her favorite Hooters song, among other interesting tidbits.

Jen is a woman who is comfortable in her own skin and not afraid to speak her mind. That’s what makes this such a good interview. It’s so good we had to break it up into two parts.

With Reef still on tour in Europe, Danya Henninger sat in with us as a guest host. 

We hope you enjoy Part 1.

LINKS:
Jennifer Weiner: FB/Twitter/Instagram

Hungry Pigeon: FB/Twitter/Instagram

Jennifer Weiner: Philly’s NY Times #1 Bestselling Author: Part 2

June 4, 2019 Authors, Entertainment 32:22

She’s sold over 13 MILLION BOOKS. She’s had a book turned into a movie starring Cameron Diaz. She has championed for women authors to receive the same attention as their male counterparts, and she’s stood for her beliefs, almost to the detriment of her young career. She is the New York Times #1 Bestselling Author Jennifer Weiner.

Jen came to Philly via a stop in central Pennsylvania, where she worked as a local journalist before getting a job at the Philadelphia Inquirer. She’s never left Philly since arriving and has no plans of doing so.

We sat with Jen at Queen Village’s Hungry Pigeon restaurant. In our time with her, she provided fabulous insight into her life, her thoughts about the world around her, the world of publishing, as well as her loves and struggles with social media. She shares a story of hating a cover of one her books because it looks like a “douche ad,” but because buyers at a retail outlet loved the cover they stuck with it. It went on to become her first #1 Bestseller.

Jen’s new book, Mrs. Everything, come out on June 11th. The book chronicles the lives of two sisters over the span of seventy years. She discussed the inspiration for the ambitious project and the historical research that went into the project.

In The Philly Blunt round, we learn Jen’s musical aspirations, her spitting pet peeve, and her favorite Hooters song, among other interesting tidbits.

Jen is a woman who is comfortable in her own skin and not afraid to speak her mind. That’s what makes this such a good interview. It’s so good we had to break it up into two parts.

With Reef still on tour in Europe, Danya Henninger sat in with us as a guest host. 

We hope you enjoy Part 2.

LINKS:
Jennifer Weiner: FB/Twitter/Instagram

Hungry Pigeon: FB/Twitter/Instagram

TOM KEHOE – The Man Behind Yards, Philly’s Most Successful Brewery

May 13, 2019 Business, Food & Drink 35:15

When one thinks of the face of Philly beer, Tom Kehoe’s large, happy, face usually comes to mind. He’s the owner and face of Yards Brewing Company, Philadelphia largest brewery.

A Haddonfield native, Tom started brewing beers with a hot-plate in his dorm room at Western Maryland University—now known as McDaniel College. While in college, he started volunteering and then working at a local brewery. Upon graduation, he moved to Philly’s Manayunk neighborhood and started brewing Yards beers out of his garage.

The rest is history.

Yards now has a 70,000-square-foot facility at 5th & Spring Garden containing a tasting room, brewery, canning line, and private event room. They currently produce over 100,000 barrels of beer each year. And, they have the Brew Unto Others campaign in which they donate three tractor trailers of beer each year to local non-profits to help support their fundraising events.

Tom sat with us at the Yards tasting room, of course. Reef couldn’t make this episode as he’s currently on tour throughout Europe. We discussed the early days of Yards, bringing new products to market, how Philly can make things easier for businesses starting up, Yuengling, and Tom’s early acting career.

This episode’s Philly Blunt segment has listener questions, including one from Philly Mag’s Victor Fiorillo and one from 97.5 Fanatic Morning Show producer Jamie Lynch. In the Blunt, we find out Tom’s finishing move while being a college wrestler and a most surprising song that he’d like played if he was in a movie and kicked in a door during the scene.

Links:

Yards Brewing Company: www/FB/Instagram/Twitter