Matt Thompson
How I Got Here with Dave Fiore
Host Dave Fiore talks with Matt Thompson, co-founder of For the Table Hospitality, which includes the brands Charlie Park, Social Catering, Township, Social Kitchen and Madison Social—the heart and soul of College Town. Matt’s path from collecting baseball cards as a kid near Orlando to a restaurant entrepreneur has taken a number of unexpected turns. Matt came to Tallahassee on a trombone performance scholarship to Florida State, eventually earning a degree in public relations and then his master’s. He would teach public speaking back home before returning to Tallahassee to take a...
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5 Years Later – Rachel Pienta
How I Got Here with Dave Fiore
On this mini-episode of How I Got Here: 5 Years Later, host Dave Fiore catches up with Episode 15 Guest Rachel Pienta. At the end of each original episode, Dave asks his guests the same question: Where do you think “here” will be for you in three to five years? Rachel and Dave listen to her answer from 2020, and she thoughtfully shares how her predictions compare to life today. Spoiler alert: Things rarely go exactly as planned! If you have not already, please also listen to Rachel’s original episode. It will put some context to this conversation and add additional insight into...
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YP Summit: 3 Local Brewers
How I Got Here with Dave Fiore
Host Dave Fiore returned to Access Tallahassee’s Young Professionals Summit for a live recording of the podcast featuring three successful women entrepreneurs representing the local brewing scene. Dave spoke with: Shannon Smith from Ground Ops Roastery and Bakehouse; Michaela Teasley from Tally Kombucha; and Alison Denny from Amicus Brewing Ventures. Guests shared their unique journeys and the obstacles they overcame along the way and then gave some practical advice for women entrepreneurs pursuing their dreams.
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5 Years Later – Keith Bowers
How I Got Here with Dave Fiore
On this mini-episode of How I Got Here: 5 Years Later, host Dave Fiore catches up with Episode 13 Guest Keith Bowers. At the end of each original episode, Dave asks his guests the same question: Where do you think “here” will be for you in three to five years? Keith and Dave listen to his answer from 2020, and he thoughtfully shares how his predictions compare to life today. Spoiler alert: Things rarely go exactly as planned! If you have not already, please also listen to Keith’s original episode. It will put some context to this conversation and add additional insight into his...
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Darius (Doc D) Baker
How I Got Here with Dave Fiore
Host Dave Fiore speaks with Darius (Doc D) Baker, music producer and founder of Tallahassee Nights Live. Doc has been launching music careers since middle school, producing up-and-coming artists and creating a platform for local entertainers of all experience levels to hone their craft in front of grateful and enthusiastic audiences around the world. The Havana native is a married father of four boys who remains committed to providing opportunities for anyone with a love of music and a willingness to put in the work to achieve their dreams.
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5 Years Later – Elizabeth Emmanuel
How I Got Here with Dave Fiore
On this mini-episode of How I Got Here: 5 Years Later, host Dave Fiore catches up with Episode 12 Guest Elizabeth Emmanuel. At the end of each original episode, Dave asks his guests the same question: Where do you think “here” will be for you in three to five years? Elizabeth and Dave listen to her answer from 2020, and she thoughtfully shares how her predictions compare to life today. Spoiler alert: Things rarely go exactly as planned! If you have not already, please also listen to Elizabeth’s original episode. It will put some context to this conversation and add additional...
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Carrie Zimmerman
How I Got Here with Dave Fiore
Host Dave Fiore speaks with Carrie Zimmerman, co-founder and former CEO of The Zimmerman Agency. Carrie is a native Tallahassean whose family has been in the Capital City for more than 100 years. She grew up in a competitive, sports-oriented environment, but it was rolling on the mats of the Tallahassee Tumbling Tots that sparked a passion that would lead to exploring gymnastics, training full-time in Oregon at age 15 and earning a coveted spot on the 1976 U.S. Olympic team – a memory that still elicits great emotion. After graduating from the University of Georgia, Carrie worked with her...
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5 Years Later – Danny Shrine
How I Got Here with Dave Fiore
On this mini-episode of How I Got Here: 5 Years Later, host Dave Fiore catches up with Episode 9 guest Danny Shrine. At the end of each original episode, Dave asks his guests the same question: Where do you think “here” will be for you in three to five years? Danny and Dave listen to his answer from 2019, and he thoughtfully shares how his predictions compare to life today. Spoiler alert: Things rarely go exactly as planned! If you have not already, please also listen to Danny’s original episode. It will put some context to this conversation and add additional insight into his...
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Emily Saras
How I Got Here with Dave Fiore
Host Dave Fiore speaks with Emily Saras, CEO and data scientist with Knowli Data Science. The self-described overachiever with a nerd persona loved field hockey in high school and was her class valedictorian in her hometown of Hopedale, Massachusetts. Emily entered prestigious Wellesley College with plans to be a doctor, only to make a significant pivot to study anthropology and opera singing. Wanting to connect with her family heritage, she earned a scholarship to study ethnomusicology and opera performance in Lithuania under the nation’s top soprano. Emily spent two more years studying in...
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5 Years Later – Jami Coleman
How I Got Here with Dave Fiore
On this mini-episode of How I Got Here: 5 Years Later, host Dave Fiore catches up with Episode 8 Guest Jami Coleman. At the end of each original episode, Dave asks his guests the same question: Where do you think “here” will be for you in three to five years? Jami and Dave listen to her answer from 2019, and she thoughtfully shares how her predictions compare to life today. Spoiler alert: Things rarely go exactly as planned! If you have not already, please also listen to Jami’s original episode. It will put some context to this conversation and add additional insight into her...
info_outlineHost Dave Fiore speaks with Jeri Desloge, the owner of Jeri’s Midtown Café (now Jeri's Eventful Kitchen), Jeri’s Love on a Plate and Simply Entertaining by Jeri. And while that may seem like a lot for the popular restaurateur to keep up with, Jeri has spent a lifetime working hard, going the extra mile and doing whatever it takes to make people happy.
The native of Clewiston, Fla., was raised in the shadow of the area’s sugarcane mill, where she played sports, was class president and rocked the saxophone. She first fell in love with Tallahassee attending FSU band camps and was determined to one day return.
Jeri’s first food job was at a Shoney’s as a server before transferring to the Tallahassee Outback, enrolling at Kaiser and helping to open multiple Red Elephant locations. Eventually, all roads led to the popular Paisley Cafe in Midtown, where she would assume ownership just months before COVID would temporarily shut her down.
After first thinking she would lose everything, Jeri says it was the best thing to happen to the industry because it forced positive business decisions that are still paying off today.
It paid off personally as well, as she met her husband, Bryan Desloge, then a Leon County Commissioner, in a meeting with a group of colleagues to complain about the county’s COVID policies.
Jeri talks about her love for Tallahassee, the importance of her faith and her dreams for the future.