Cookin' Up A Story

Denis Dean had a circuitous route from Miami, Florida to Fayetteville, Arkansas, one involving a family of attorneys, crooked cops, cocaine dealers, and death threats. Now Chief Deputy Prosecutor for Washington and Madison Counties, Dean is looking to shed the "deputy" portion of his title and become the prosecutor. In this episode, he discusses his family history, growing up in Florida in the wildness of the 1980s, and w...

When Charles Kochel last visited us, he was preparing to begin treatments for cancer. Since that time, he's undergone a plethora of surgery, gotten blood transfusions, and been told there's now something wrong with his heart. That hasn't stopped him from spending time with his family and friends, getting out on his tractor, or l-i-v-i-n in general. In this episode, catch up with Charles as he discusses everything tha...

Elery Bush went from owning the largest club in the state of Louisiana, with stacks of cash in a drawer in his apartment, to finding himself broken down and broke on the side of the road, with an inoperable Toyota Camry and only 73 cents to his name. From there, he went on to become a hood tax expert before launching a t-shirt and printing company. Then he started his career as a journeyman carpenter, despite having no experience w...

Elery Bush has lived enough life for several people. From growing up in a house where an exorcism was performed to outlandish church outfits to renegade trick or treating to running the largest nightclub in Louisiana, he's got stories to spare of them. Fortunately for us, and for you, he stopped by the studio and shared more than a few. Give it a listen, it's a good one. 

#girbaudjeans #nightclub #louisiana #plumbing #hash...

What do heavy machines, haints, secrets, possums, and canned biscuits have to do with one another? Not much, but that's the winding path guest questioner Jamey Cooley took us down in this episode, one in which he turned the tables on the hosts and put us in the hot seat. From rabbit hole to rabbit hole, this one travels a winding road. Give it a listen, it's a good one. 

#georgejones #possums #opossums #biscuits #haints #g...

When Joshua Robinson was in college, he was planning to become an English teacher and football coach when an opportunity for grad school appeared. Rather than sticking with his original plan, he decided to go to law school in the Big Easy. There, with his wife and first child, he completed his degree, but then he had to figure out how to use it. After returning to Arkansas, he decided to forego private practice and instead entered ...

Melissa and Kerry Middleton have spent their lives giving with all their hearts. From raising their own children to fostering 50 others to their church to their extended families and even to animals, they are true servant leaders, working to improve the lives of everyone around them. In part two of our interview with the Middletons, they get into their motivations, their successes, and some of the crazier experiences they've h...

Melissa and Kerry Middleton met when they were little kids, but they didn't get to know one another until high school. Melissa was from what might be described as a dysfunctional family while Kerry was from a "normal" one, but together they found a passion for kids, service, and doing good. In this episode, listen to their story of romance, work, adventure, and searching for dead bodies. Give it a listen, it's a...

Nathan and Nicholas Harris have an interesting father/son dynamic in that Nicholas is the one who directs traffic, both on the track and in the shop. Between every race, he's in charge of making tweaks and adjustments to his car while Dad follows the orders. That didn't stop Nathan from making one attempt to show Nicholas how it's done on the track. In this episode, hear the duo discuss how that attempt went as well ...

When Nicholas Harris  was 10-years-old, he developed an interest in motocross. His father, Nathan, a former motocross rider himself -- one who had broken almost every bone in his body -- wanted to nurture his son's burgeoning love of competition and mechanics, but wanted to find a safer alternative. That's how they stumbled into the world of micro sprinting. While Nicholas might reach speeds upwards of 80 miles per hour i...

When Andrew Martin finally met his birth parents, not everything went as he'd hoped, though he learned valuable lessons in doing so. One of those lessons was how to say "no." But it also helped keep him focused on providing other young men with the tools they need to be successful in life, such as the calmness needed to keep fishing while the motor is on fire. In this one, we hear Andrew, his son Jayden, and Morgan H...

Andrew Martin was raised in a loving home in the suburbs of Texas with his mom, dad, and two older sisters. When he was 12-years-old, he discovered he was adopted. It would be another 13 years before he began to unravel the mystery of his origins. It wasn't that he wanted to replace his mom and dad, but that he was naturally curious about how he spent a few months in the foster system before arriving home. In this episode, wit...

When you travel to Alaska to hunt, you expect to see wildlife everywhere. Reality doesn't comport with that expectation. That's one of the things that makes hunting there a dream. In part two of our latest, Lance Nations and Keith Hull get into the details of hunting in the Last Frontier, from the importance of maintaining your equipment to tent etiquette, with a few rabbit holes along the way. Give it a listen, it's...