What in East Dallas is Going On?!

Original Episode Date:
Sep. 18, 2024

In this episode of What In East Dallas Is Going On?!, Rich and Camille sit down with Ali Nazary, also known as “The Blind Comedian.” Ali shares his incredible story of resilience, taking listeners through his journey from running the beloved Cafe Izmir in Lower Greenville to facing the life-altering experience of losing his vision due to diabetes. Instead of letting the tragedy d...

What started as a chant at a Dallas Stars game became something much bigger. Camille and Rich sit down with Chad Davenport, founder and board chair of Tonight We Ride, to talk about how a simple idea rooted in friendship, community, and showing up for others evolved into a powerful movement helping people across Dallas.

From serving in the U.S. Navy during major humanitarian crises to spending the last 30 years feeding the homeless,...

This week on What In East Dallas Is Going On?!, Camille and Rich sit down with Kathleen M. LaValle, President and CEO of Dallas CASA, for a conversation that is emotional, eye opening, and incredibly important.

For more than four decades, Dallas CASA has been standing up for some of the most vulnerable children in our community. Children who have experienced abuse, neglect, and uncertainty. Through the power of trained volunteer adv...

If you love food, Dallas restaurants, hidden gems, chef stories, or just hearing passionate people talk about what makes a city’s food scene tick, this episode is for you.

Camille and Rich sat down with food journalist Sarah Blaskovich for a conversation that felt like hanging out with a fellow foodie who just happens to know everything happening in Dallas Fort Worth. Sarah reports on restaurants, bars, culture, openings, clos...

Some people perform. Ricki Derek entertains.

This week on What In East Dallas Is Going On?!, Camille and Rich sit down with a true local treasure. Ricki has been doing this his whole life, and you can feel it the second he starts talking. This isn’t just music for him. It’s a craft. It’s a responsibility. It’s about giving people a moment to forget everything else and just enjoy the show.

We get into where tha...

This week on What In East Dallas Is Going On?! we sit down with East Dallas resident and lead actor Matthew Pettigrew and producer Lindsey Barnes to talk about the powerful new film The Mantis Project, written and directed by Justice Hardy.

The story follows Rana, a detective in deep denial after the death of her husband, who finds herself pulled into a dangerous new partnership between her precinct and a tech company testing ground...

Rich and Camille sat down with Oliver Talley and got into something really interesting. This isn’t just about a film. It’s about everything behind it. The people, the experience, the level of talent, and what it actually takes to bring something meaningful to life.

When you start peeling it back, you realize pretty quickly this is not your typical project. You’re talking about a team with decades of experience in j...

This week on What In East Dallas Is Going On?!, Rich and Camille sit down with Skyler Colman and Shannon Ramirezto talk about something that’s become a staple in East Dallas, the White Rock Home Tour.

What started back in 2006 as a small idea from a group of Hexter Elementary PTA parents has grown into something much bigger. At its core, it was about two things. A love for mid century modern homes and a desire to support their...

Camille and Rich sat down with the people behind the Swiss Avenue Historic District Mother's Day Home Tour, and honestly… this one surprised us.

We always knew it was cool. Beautiful homes, history, all of that. But when you really get into the why behind it, it hits a little different.

This isn’t just a home tour.

It’s a look into one of the most unique neighborhoods in Dallas, going all the way back to Robert S. M...

Camille and Rich sit down with Jennifer Bushman, Development Manager at Hugs Cafe Inc., to talk about the incredible work this organization is doing to create meaningful, competitively paid employment opportunities for individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities. What started as a single café has grown into a powerful social enterprise that includes workforce training, culinary education, a greenhouse operation, an...

Camille and Rich sat down with Kyle Armstrong, President and CEO of Baylor Scott & White Medical Center, at the corporate offices for a conversation about leadership, responsibility and where healthcare is headed.

Kyle is leading one of the most respected academic medical centers in the country, while also serving as president of Baylor Scott & White’s North Texas Central Region. We talked about guiding a major health ...

Camille and Rich sit down with Dallas legend Liz Mikel to talk about her extraordinary career and her powerful new role as the lone performer inWhere We Stand at the Dallas Theater Center.

A Texas native, Liz has been performing since childhood. Trained from age six by Ann Williams of the Dallas Black Dance Theatre and later mentored by Curtis King of The Black Academy of Arts and Letters, she has built a career that spans loca...

What does it take to become a Master Sommelier? In this episode of What In East Dallas Is Going On?!, we sit down with James Tidwell, one of the few Master Sommeliers in the country—and he happens to live right here in East Dallas.

With fewer than 300 Master Sommeliers worldwide, earning this prestigious title requires years of dedication, deep expertise, and an extraordinary ability to understand and communicate the complexit...

What started with a couple Highland Park high school kids quietly putting boats in the water has grown into one of the most unique athletic communities in Dallas.

On this episode, Camille and Rich sit down with Austin Brooks, better known as AJ, Executive Director of Dallas United Crew. We talk about the surprising history of rowing in Dallas, how the sport found its home here, and why White Rock Lake became the backdrop for somethi...

For Part 2 of our field trip to Bonton Farms, Camille and Rich sit down with Melissa Metoyer, the Senior Director of Health Equity and Community Impact, to talk about what it really looks like when a neighborhood takes care of each other.

This conversation goes deep into health and wellness, but not in the abstract. We talk about real systems. Real people. And real outcomes. From medical and dental care to behavioral health, nutriti...

In this episode, we’re joined by director Vickie Washington to talk all things Fat Ham, the Pulitzer Prize winning comedy making its regional premiere at Dallas Theater Center.

We dig into Vickie’s journey as an artist, what drew her to this bold reinvention of Hamlet, and how Fat Ham uses humor, family tension, and truth to explore liberation and joy. Centered around a queer Black man caught between generational expecta...

Today on What In East Dallas Is Going On? we took a field trip to Bonton Farms and spent time with their CEO, Mark Jones. Mark is no ordinary CEO, and what’s happening at Bonton Farms is nothing short of remarkable.

This was our first time truly being on the ground out there, seeing the work, feeling the energy, and understanding just how powerful this model really is. What they’ve built should absolutely be duplicated a...

We’re kicking off the first episode of the year the right way. With purpose, heart, and community at the center of it all.

This episode was recorded live at Bonton Farms, a place that embodies what it means to lift people up and create real change. Our guest is Stormy Pecchioni, Director of Philanthropy, Engagement, and Business Development for Dallas Trinity FC.

Stormy’s story is one rooted in service. From leveraging sp...

On this episode of the East Dallas Podcast, Camille and Rich sit down withDr. Ashley Agan to talk about something simple, powerful, and surprisingly life changing. Walk with a Doc is a global movement that started with one frustrated cardiologist who just wanted his patients to get moving. What began as a Saturday stroll in an Ohio park has grown into more than 500 chapters around the world.

Dr. Agan shares how the East Dallas chapt...