Latest / Forking Around with Flavor South Florida / Virginia Sinicki: Life On and Off the Air with WRMF Radio Personality

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Virginia Sinicki: Life On and Off the Air with WRMF Radio Personality · Forking Around with Flavor South Florida

0:02
Thank you. Welcome to Forking Around with Flavor
0:06
South Florida. I'm Kerri Paizzi, CEO of Flavor
0:09
South Florida. We are sitting down with entrepreneurs,
0:12
business owners, and influential community partners
0:14
to talk growth, trials, tribulations, and more.
0:17
These conversations lead into Flavor South Florida,
0:20
the region's largest restaurant month, happening
0:22
every September from the 1st through the 30th.
0:24
If you're in hospitality or thinking about building
0:27
something meaningful in this industry, you're
0:29
in the right place. Pull up a chair and let's
0:31
get into it. This episode is sponsored by Altima
0:38
Caviar. Visit them at AltimaCaviar.com. Today
0:44
we are welcoming a guest that, in my opinion,
0:47
doesn't need an introduction. I'm going to let
0:49
her introduce herself without saying her name
0:52
because her voice is so iconic, especially here
0:56
in the South Florida area, that I'm going to
0:58
have you introduce yourself. anonymously to kick
1:02
this episode off. Oh, we hear the laugh already.
1:05
Well, hello, Keri. How's everybody doing out
1:09
there? I'm so excited for you. I'm so proud of
1:12
you. I think that you have taken this beautiful
1:16
brand and just made it more amazing and sparkly
1:21
and fantastic. I'm so proud of you. Well, thank
1:24
you. And if you didn't already recognize her
1:27
voice, this is Virginia Sinicki, our local legend,
1:31
radio host, personality, the fun, most amazing
1:36
woman. There's so much to unravel here. Oh, well,
1:39
you're very sweet. I appreciate all of that.
1:42
I feel like when people say, oh, you're a legend,
1:46
I feel like that person should be old. But I'm
1:49
so immature. Like, I don't feel old. But we've
1:53
been here 27 years now that we've been doing
1:57
the KVJ Show in South Florida. So I guess I am
2:00
old. So you're not old, first of all. Old is
2:04
so relative these days. It's just not even a
2:08
thing. But you are a legend. So it's funny because,
2:10
as you know, I grew up in New York. So I grew
2:12
up listening to Z100 on Long Island. And I know
2:16
my radio DJs and they were my celebrities in
2:20
my head. Well, fast forward. I move down here,
2:23
meet you. We become friends. We go out. People
2:27
are like, you're a celebrity. And they're like,
2:30
you know Virginia? You're friends with Virginia?
2:32
Now, I have no idea because I didn't grow up
2:35
here listening to you on the radio. I didn't
2:37
have the privilege, right? Everybody else did.
2:40
So I think it's... I think for me it's comical,
2:43
honestly. Right. Where we've gone out to dinner.
2:46
I remember there was one time and some guy was
2:48
at the bar staring at you. Was there ever a weird
2:52
moment you had with a fan? Everybody's really
2:55
cool. For the most part, people are very kind.
3:00
They just want to come up and tell you how much
3:02
they've enjoyed. your conversations because when
3:06
people meet you out in the wild you know they
3:10
know us so well because we talk about everything
3:13
you know marriages divorces kids personal lives
3:17
medical stuff like we talk about everything so
3:20
when people meet us they're like you're already
3:23
my friend right they feel like they already know
3:25
you yeah they're ready to take it to the next
3:27
level and so they're just like looking at me
3:30
like come on get on my level yeah It's a beautiful
3:34
compliment. You know, it says that we've done
3:37
our job correctly, that we've made people feel
3:40
like we're friends and we're hanging out already,
3:43
and now we're ready to go to the next level where
3:45
we're going out to dinner and chilling and going
3:49
to each other's kids' functions. It's a beautiful,
3:52
beautiful compliment, and we're very lucky to
3:54
have lasted this long because usually radio people
3:59
don't last 27 years. Yeah, but you guys aren't
4:01
going anywhere. I mean, I think we're about to
4:04
sign another contract that'll put us to year
4:06
30. Wow. Look at that. That's amazing. I know.
4:11
Isn't that crazy? That is amazing. So when people
4:15
like they already feel like they know you, what's
4:17
like a moment behind the scenes? What don't they
4:20
know about you? I know you're very open and honest
4:22
on air, but is there anything like surprising
4:25
that people would find out that you... Don't
4:28
talk. I feel like you're very transparent though.
4:30
We are. We're very transparent. And I think sometimes
4:33
I have to like, you know, calm down the stories
4:38
that I tell about how crazy we get because it's
4:41
the true stories about me and my girlfriends.
4:45
A lot of them couldn't even be on the radio.
4:47
Like we have to tone it down because the craziness
4:51
is insanity. Okay. I was going to bring this
4:54
up later in the show, but we're just here. So
4:55
we'll bring it up. One time you and I went to
4:59
a party and it was at a house in Palm Beach in
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which one of the it was a restaurant owner's
5:08
house. And presumably it's just a regular party.
5:13
So we go and you and I and a couple other people.
5:17
And I guess it was a swingers party later. But
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unbeknownst to us, we don't know this. We didn't
5:23
stay for that portion of it. We went to eat after.
5:27
Anyway, my mother the next day calls me, says,
5:30
did you go to a house party in Palm Beach last
5:31
night? I said, yeah. How'd you know that? Oh,
5:36
Virginia was talking about it on the radio. I
5:37
was like, God damn it, Virginia. So I always
5:40
laugh about that because everyone and other things
5:44
people have said to me when you and I've gone
5:45
out to a flavor dinner, they'll text me and say.
5:47
Oh, how was such and such restaurant? How did
5:49
you know that? Oh, Virginia said on the radio.
5:51
I was like, oh, man. I'm like, we can't do anything
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too crazy. Although I have yet to go to Mardi
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Gras with you. That one gets wild. We have to
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go. I have to go. You do. You have to go. It
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is so much fun. Mardi Gras is like, I tell everybody,
6:05
the best free party in any city in this nation.
6:10
Do you flash people? No, I don't. To get beads?
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I don't. To your friends? I have friends that
6:17
have. You never did? You've never done it? No.
6:21
Really? I've never done it. Really? Never. I'm
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shocked. I'm actually shocked right now. I did
6:27
like, I mean, when I was in Key West, I got body
6:30
painted one time. But that's like, you know,
6:33
that's the most scandalous thing. That is fun
6:37
though. Yeah, that was fun. That was fun. I feel
6:40
like you need to put that on your list though
6:41
to get those beads. I mean, I'm a little. A little
6:45
shocked. So speaking of, well, we'll just say,
6:49
speaking of breasts, since we're on the topic
6:51
here, you also are very open with plastic surgery.
6:55
Yes. So I admire that. I admire all transparency.
7:01
I've never had plastic surgery aside from Botox
7:05
and a little filler, but that's not to say I'm
7:07
not going to because it's definitely on my list
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of things to do. So what did you have done? Okay.
7:13
So I've done lipo. I've done breast lift twice
7:19
because I breastfed two different kids that sucked
7:23
the life out of the boobies. Yeah, they do that.
7:25
And so got to put them back up where they were
7:27
twice. I had a reduction after Rocco, my second.
7:34
lift. I got a lift and a reduction that time
7:37
because it was just a little bit too much. I
7:40
also did a lower facelift most recently because
7:44
- Do you love that? Well, I was really hating
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the jowls. I was starting to get these jowls
7:50
because I'm a laugher. I'm a smiler. I'm a big
7:53
talker. I'm like, I always like this. So elasticity
7:57
in your skin is not something that we get the
8:00
- lovely gift of keeping forever. It goes. And
8:04
so the more you use it, the more it goes. And
8:07
so I'm a big smiler and I was getting these jowls
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and they just kind of, easy, right? Super easy.
8:17
You know, now there's amazing technology when
8:20
it comes to this stuff. They have nerve blocker
8:24
that they put in there. When they sew you all
8:27
up and they get everything perfect and you're
8:29
as aligned as you're going to be, they put this
8:33
nerve blocker in there and you don't feel any
8:38
pain at all. And the recovery was not so bad?
8:41
No. It was so easy. I would just say to anybody,
8:45
make sure you get the nerve blocker. Did you
8:47
want to shout out your doctor? Yes. So I love
8:50
Aqua Plastic Surgery. They did a great job. Dr.
8:54
Giselle, Dr. Rankin, they're both fabulous. So
8:58
I really do. I send everybody that way. I've
9:01
heard Rankin is great. So actually, this is a
9:05
quick little rapid fire. So can you tell me what
9:09
you think are the top five plastic surgery requests
9:12
in the country today? Oh, that's a good one.
9:16
It's got to be breasts, right? Yes. Breast augmentation
9:20
is number two. Okay. Rhinoplasty. Yep. Number
9:24
four. Liposuction. Number one. Mommy makeovers.
9:32
That would be, I think that's like an all encompassing.
9:35
Okay. So like two specifics left. Tummy tuck.
9:39
Tummy tuck number five. Yes. Number three is.
9:44
I think new and trending right now. Butt lift.
9:48
No. No? No. New and trending. I feel like a lot
9:51
of people are doing it right now. Oh, is it bleph?
9:53
Yeah. Yeah, the eyes. The bleph. Okay, you got
9:57
to be really careful with the eyes. Yeah. And
10:00
here's why I don't think I'll ever do anything
10:03
like that, because it changes the way you look
10:07
as a human so significantly. Be careful with
10:12
the bleph. Yeah, I don't think you need it, though.
10:15
I mean, we all have a little extra skin on top
10:19
of our eyes. I've got it. But sometimes you can
10:22
do the bleph and then look surprised for the
10:25
rest of your life. Is that what you want? Do
10:28
you want to walk into every room and look like
10:30
you just had a proctology exam? No, you do not.
10:35
So be careful with the bleph. It was funny when
10:38
I get Botox in my forehead and my girl's great
10:41
because I can always move my forehead. I had
10:44
it one time by a different girl and I couldn't
10:46
and I was annoyed because I was like, nobody's
10:49
going to know if I'm mad or sad or happy. I'm
10:51
just looking the same all the time. So now I
10:54
just do like, I don't know, 20 units or something
10:56
just to, I still can move. I still have like.
11:00
Wrinkles in my head. That's fine. Whatever. Less
11:02
is more. When it comes to facial anything, less
11:06
is more. You can always go back and do more.
11:09
So don't do too much. You don't want to look
11:12
like a different human and people don't recognize
11:15
you. That's weird. I want to go to Lindsay Lohan's
11:18
doctor. She looks great. This is so, so crazy.
11:22
All right. I have a question for you. What is
11:25
the most Virginia thing you do that drives your
11:29
family or your KVJ crew absolutely insane? I
11:35
mean, probably my love of binge drinking. I'll
11:42
just, I'll go, like, I can go from 10 a .m. to
11:45
midnight and just not stop and just from here
11:49
to there to there to there. Like, it's an all
11:53
-day affair. Which, what are you drinking, though?
11:56
I mean, you can't go with hard alcohol if you
11:59
do it that way. You've got to have either champagne,
12:02
bubbles, Prosecco, or I can also do beer that
12:08
way. I can't drink beer. You cannot do vodka
12:11
or tequila or any of the hard stuff. Fireball?
12:15
You can mix in a fireball or two, but you've
12:19
got to be very careful. So another KVJ related.
12:23
If KVJ became a reality show tomorrow, who would
12:28
be the breakout star? Who would be the villain?
12:30
And who would get canceled first? Oh, my. I think
12:34
you guys need a reality show, to be honest. I
12:36
did one way back in the day. No, like you three.
12:40
Oh, us three. Yeah. Yeah, that would require
12:43
us being together for way too much time. Could
12:47
you imagine? All morning and then all afternoon
12:50
and all night. Like, we would actually kill each
12:53
other. That would be—but you're family. We are.
12:56
We are. You know, and that's the thing that I
12:59
think is important. Everybody likes each other.
13:01
And if we are hanging out outside of the radio
13:05
station, we're having good laughs, good fun.
13:07
We enjoy it. Not all teams are like that. So
13:11
we're very lucky that we really do still enjoy
13:14
each other's company and would pick to hang out
13:16
with each other even if we weren't working together
13:19
and getting paid to do it. Do you have any fun
13:21
things you want to share about Kevin or Jaybird?
13:25
I think Jaybird would be the breakout star. You
13:28
want to talk about a reality dream. If we were
13:33
able to talk him into putting cameras in his
13:35
house to record him and what he does, he is an
13:40
interesting character. Fascinating. Really? Yeah.
13:45
If we had cameras on Jay Bird, he would be the
13:47
breakout star, hands down, and it would go viral.
13:51
No doubt about it. Who's the villain? Oh, gosh.
13:54
There's not. No, I don't think there's a villain.
13:57
I mean, we all have our little twisted sense
14:00
of humor side and we can all poke at each other
14:03
and definitely enjoy, you know, the sibling rivalry
14:07
kind of energy. Yeah. But I don't think anybody
14:11
is truly the villain. So you guys, in addition
14:16
to obviously the KVG show and everything that
14:19
encompasses that. You also just started something
14:23
called KVJ Eats. Yes. So what is that about?
14:28
So we wanted to start doing more stuff. And we
14:31
noticed that there was just, there's so many
14:33
restaurants and places in South Florida that
14:36
people don't know about. And we all enjoy going
14:40
out. And we just thought it'd be neat to showcase
14:43
specific things that we enjoy. Like I enjoy my
14:48
the fancier stuff and the higher -end stuff.
14:51
Kevin likes the bar scene. Jay Bird loves anything
14:54
with pizza. So we kind of all have our little
14:58
niche marketing area that we do good in. Give
15:03
me a few favorite restaurants here in the area.
15:06
Okay, I knew you were going to ask me this, and
15:08
so I brought a cheat sheet. I hope it's okay
15:10
that I use this. I've got all my notes. Up by
15:14
where I am, you know, I'm Martin County. So I
15:17
love EVO Italian. We love Chef Eric. We love Melissa.
15:21
We love the whole team at EVO Italian. We've loved them
15:23
for many years. Also, LILA in Tequesta, new place,
15:27
relatively new. They've only been open a couple
15:30
of years. And Sunday and Vance and their chef,
15:33
Chef O, is phenomenal. such good food. I'm also
15:38
a big fan of Asian. So I love Blackbird Modern Asian, specifically
15:43
the female pastry chef, Denise. I love her so
15:46
much. She's so good. I love Hog Snappers Shack & Sushi in Tequesta.
15:50
They do great Asian stuff as well. But hands
15:54
down, my favorite Asian is the sushi at Ebisu.
15:58
It is so spot on, Japanese, authentic, amazing.
16:05
Ebisu, hands down, favorite Asian. Favorite pizza,
16:09
I would do Sicilian oven. Love them. And then
16:13
I'm a big fan of vibes. So I love the vibe at
16:17
The Circle at The Breakers Palm Beach for brunch at the Breakers.
16:21
Best vibe ever. I love the 1000 NORTH vibe. So
16:26
nice. So classy. Love Stage Kitchen & Bar. I love the vibe
16:29
there as well. You know, my friend Steven Spaspiratos
16:32
helped with a lot of those projects. And then
16:35
AquaGrille, love that place as well. And then last
16:40
but not least, Oriental Food Market in West Palm Beach.
16:43
Julie and Sam, they are from Thailand. Steven
16:47
Aspirinio turned me on to them actually, and
16:50
they are legit. from Thailand, legit food, Oriental
16:54
Market, right there on Dixie Highway. So good.
16:57
And then, Carrie, you turned me on to a great
16:59
place in Jupiter, RemBar, that I didn't even
17:02
know about. Eva was so nice to us. That... baked
17:07
brie that she brought out. I have dreams about
17:10
it. The truffle baked brie with the apples and
17:15
the gooeyness. I'm going back for that. I'm going
17:19
to think I'm going to order like five of them
17:20
and bring them to all my friends. So that's my
17:23
list. Thank you for letting me cheat. I love
17:26
finding new places. I really do. To me, it's
17:29
like an adventure. Yeah, I agree. And they're
17:32
opening up new every... Twist and turn. I know.
17:35
They just keep popping up. It's insane. Well,
17:38
how do you compare the culinary scene from South
17:41
Florida to New Orleans? I think New Orleans is,
17:46
it's better because it's a food city. You know,
17:53
Florida, we have tourism. We have recreation.
17:56
We have, of course, great restaurants. We have
17:58
all of this. But New Orleans, I mean, hangs its
18:00
hat. on being a cocktail and food city. And it
18:06
really does. It shines bright. And there are
18:09
so many fabulous places. Now, Michelin -recognized
18:13
places in New Orleans. So the food scene there
18:16
is spectacular. So I visited once, and I'm due
18:21
to go back, because I thought it was very cute
18:24
and really old. It's an interesting city. There's
18:30
nothing else like it. Right. Really, there's
18:32
not. And so what do you have? Okay, so you have
18:36
the gumbo and the crawfish, but... Am I saying
18:40
that? I feel like I'm saying it wrong. Is it
18:41
crayfish, crawfish? Crawfish. Crawfish. Yeah,
18:43
crawfish. Definitely crawfish, gumbo. You have
18:47
etouffee, which is one of our favorites. Which
18:50
one's that? It's like a seafood stew. I prefer
18:53
crawfish etouffee. So it's like a yummy, succulent
18:57
stew. It's really good. That sounds really good.
19:00
Of course, jambalaya. And of course, you've got
19:04
the oysters. So many different preparations on
19:07
those. po 'boys. You've got so many fun seafood
19:12
dishes. I mean, soft -shell crab. I just had
19:15
some of the most delicious soft -shell crab at
19:18
Galatoire's when I was there for Jazz Fest two
19:22
weekends ago. Are there any restaurants around
19:25
here that kind of... Hold a candle. You know,
19:28
I think Lucky Shuck does a good job. Okay. They're
19:31
doing a great job of their seafood stuff. I like
19:35
AquaGrille is really cute and it's got a good vibe
19:39
going on in there. But for like New Orleans food,
19:41
I feel like we have, well, I have to take you
19:44
up to Jensen Beach. Because there's a place called
19:46
Crawdaddy's there. I've been there. Have you
19:48
been? Yes. Oh, okay. I've been. I've been. I
19:50
like it. Good? I like it. It's good. You know?
19:52
I mean, it's good. I think Voodoo Bayou does
19:55
a good job, too. Oh, with those beignets. Yep.
19:59
They do a great job with their beignets. So I
20:01
went. What is it? Cafe Du Monde, right? Cafe
20:04
Du Monde, yeah. So when I went there, of course,
20:05
there was a line a mile long. So my friends and
20:08
I got drunk. And then at 2 o 'clock in the morning,
20:10
went back. And we, there was no line. So if I'm
20:17
remembering correctly, it's cash only. Okay.
20:19
That sounds right. So I'm standing on line, this
20:23
short line. Now it's 10 people, not a hundred
20:25
people to get these beignets. And the girl in
20:28
front of me, she has no cash. She says, can I
20:32
Venmo you? You pay for my beignets. I said, yeah,
20:34
girl, no problem. So she does. Again, we're drinking.
20:38
We're all drinking. So I pay for her beignets
20:39
and that's it. Life goes on. Two days later,
20:43
I get a Venmo for like 20 bucks and it says.
20:46
For beignets. I'm like, what is this for? I'm
20:49
like, I'm so confused. I don't know when I did
20:52
this. But then this random girl sent me 20 bucks
20:55
for beignets. I was like, all right, cool, cool.
20:57
That's very New Orleans. You meet random people.
20:59
It was so funny. And you're just like, all right,
21:01
yeah, I trust you. I'll give you my Venmo. You
21:03
give me yours. Like, what could go wrong? Yeah,
21:05
it's fine. Whatever. It's great. We're hammered.
21:07
Crawfish Festival happened not too long ago
21:10
at Abacoa Amphitheater. And did you... How did
21:14
that start? Because it's a fairly new event.
21:17
Yeah. So this is the eighth year. And Jerry Somma,
21:21
who does the Italian festival in that same space,
21:24
you know, we were talking one night and his festival
21:27
is Italian because he's Italian. And it's all
21:29
about the culture and the music and the vibe.
21:32
And I was like, man, you know. I wish we had
21:35
a Cajun festival celebrating everything about
21:37
Louisiana. And he was like, well, if you give
21:41
me the infrastructure and the music and the food
21:46
and the ideas, like that part of it, I can give
21:49
you. The work parts. Right. The people, the tents,
21:53
the staffing, the permits, the police, the porta
21:57
-potties, all the stuff that I don't know how
21:59
to set up. Like, he sets up a small village,
22:02
basically, a town. Yeah, he really does. Puts
22:05
it up and then breaks it down. He's insane with
22:07
that stuff. I know. You know, I've been to Feast
22:09
of Little Italy so many years. And he is just
22:13
insane with his events. He does a great job and
22:16
brings thousands of people. Thousands and thousands
22:20
of people. And the great thing about, you know,
22:22
he does it right. You know, there's a lot of
22:24
people that have tried to do it and that maybe
22:26
don't last because it's not cheap. It's very
22:31
expensive to throw a festival. And it's gambling.
22:34
You're gambling because of the weather, too.
22:35
A hundred percent. I mean, that's scary. But
22:38
you guys had good, there was good weather this
22:40
year. We did. Knock on wood. We had beautiful
22:42
weather and it was a great turnout. So much fun.
22:47
The vibes were on point. We brought in Louisiana
22:50
artists. We had some great local artists and
22:53
the music was fantastic this year. I think some
22:56
of the best we've ever had. Food was great. The
22:59
weather was great. I'm just getting old. You're
23:03
not. How old's your son? He's 10. 10. You have
23:07
a 10 -year -old. So, like, you have enough energy
23:09
to, you know, you have to have energy to have
23:13
a 10 -year -old. My son is now 14 and I'm exhausted.
23:18
And I always, you know, tell people it's like
23:21
that work -mom balance, it's real. It's like,
23:26
you know, we have tomorrow night, I have orientation
23:30
for high school. which is insane to me. And I'm
23:35
sitting here doing my work calendar and I'm like,
23:38
oh, and we have to do orientation. And then he's
23:40
got a science state thing test on Wednesday.
23:43
And, you know, it's like, you have to do so many,
23:46
but you bring Rocco. I feel like Rocco is his
23:49
own, like Rocco, people know Rocco. Yeah. Rocco's
23:52
out and about. Rocco is like. This 10 -year -old
23:55
little boy in a man body, Rocco, is hilarious.
24:00
He's like a 40 -year -old man trapped in a 10
24:02
-year -old's body. So much. He drinks coffee.
24:05
He's our IT guy. He runs through the neighborhood
24:08
and he helps all our senior citizens hook up
24:11
their ring doorbell or their Wi -Fi. There's
24:14
a few of them on my Netflix. I can actually see
24:19
him giving out your Netflix password to everybody
24:22
because he's the sweetest little person. He really
24:25
is. He's a loving little guy. I love that kid.
24:28
But he's a 40 -year -old man. But you're such
24:31
a great mom. And Magnolia is in college, right?
24:35
She is, yes. So how old does that make her now?
24:38
She's about to be 21. Oh, my gosh. In a matter
24:41
of days. Wow. Yeah. And look, she's out doing
24:45
her thing. You see, you're such a great mom.
24:49
Oh, that's sweet. I feel like I never do anything
24:53
great. I just kind of do a bunch of stuff half
24:57
-assed. And I feel like— It all works out. I've
25:00
spread myself so thin that I don't know how much
25:04
more of this I can do. So I got to be a mom.
25:07
You know, you're not allowed to give your kids
25:09
back. Once you birth them, they're yours, I hear.
25:11
So I'm keeping the kids. I'm also keeping the
25:15
radio job. But I don't know if I'm going to keep
25:18
doing all the other stuff because I'm tired.
25:24
You know, and also Panda, that's a job too, right?
25:27
I have a husband and, you know, those are, they
25:31
need attention. They need to be taken out on
25:34
date nights. They need to be loved. And like,
25:37
I'm sure a lot of moms, I'm sure a lot of working
25:39
moms feel this too. I feel like I'm not really
25:42
great at anything. I'm just kind of mediocre
25:45
at everything. I kind of feel the same way. And
25:48
it sucks. It sucks. But I don't think when I
25:52
look at you, I don't think that's the case. And
25:53
I think when you look at me, you don't think
25:55
that's the case. But it's interesting that I
25:57
think we both feel that way. And I do. I do.
26:01
And because I always feel like I could be doing
26:02
better or doing more. Yes. And maybe I can. But
26:07
it's like. I think that's just us being hard
26:11
on ourselves at the end of the day. Yeah, maybe.
26:14
I feel like I want to be better at the more important
26:17
things and stop doing the things that don't feed
26:21
my soul. Right, right. Well, here is another
26:25
project that you work on with, I think, with
26:28
Jerry Somma, Little Smiles. Yes. So tell me about
26:33
what you do for them and about the organization.
26:37
This episode is sponsored by Altima Caviar. Experience
26:41
exceptional. Visit them at AltimaCaviar.com.
26:45
So KVJ and Little Smiles have been together now
26:48
for 20 plus years. Little Smiles just turned
26:52
25, I think, right around the same as us. And
26:56
we've been affiliated since the very, very early
26:59
days when Chip Donohue, many moons ago, had the
27:04
idea to start this charity. He had gone into
27:07
a hospital to visit one of his friend's kids.
27:10
The kid was very sick in the hospital. And he
27:13
was looking in the rooms in the children's unit.
27:16
And they're like just kids in there by themselves
27:18
watching soap operas. And he's like, what's going
27:22
on? And the nurses told him like a lot of these
27:25
kids, their parent had to go to work. And so
27:29
the kid fighting cancer here in the hospital
27:31
by themselves, and they're watching soap operas.
27:34
And Chip was like, no, no, no, no, no. We've
27:36
got to do something. So he started by bringing
27:38
videos and VCRs and TVs to the hospitals. And
27:43
then that grew into bringing PlayStations and
27:46
gaming things, the PSs and the PS2s and 3s and
27:51
4s. It really developed into Little Smiles, how
27:56
we know it today. And it's like, whatever these
27:59
kids need in the hospital, the nurses help us
28:03
figure out what they need. If it's an iPad, if
28:06
it's a trip to Disney when they finish chemo,
28:09
if it's... clothes because they don't have any
28:12
clothes because they come from a poorer household
28:16
that can't afford back -to -school clothes. Whatever
28:19
it is, we find out from the nurses what we can
28:22
do, and then we do it. Chip started it by saying,
28:26
I want this charity to be the nurses' silent
28:29
checkbook, helping these kids and getting them
28:32
the things that they need. And now it's so much
28:35
more than just sick kids. We help abused kids.
28:39
We help, you know, kids in distress. We do a
28:42
whole Project Smile out west that works with
28:46
underserved communities, making sure that those
28:49
kids get resources and those police officers
28:52
get resources to help those kids in that community.
28:56
So it really has grown to helping so many kids,
29:00
but it started in the hospital and it's still
29:03
very much a hospital -based charity. And you
29:08
have a pretty big initiative at Christmastime,
29:11
too. Yes. So during Christmas, the mission is
29:14
even expanded more. And we work with local church
29:18
groups, at -risk youth. kids that have gone through
29:21
trauma, kids that have gone through house fires.
29:24
We had a family last year. They lost their home,
29:27
and all the Christmas presents burned. Everything
29:30
burned. So not only were we buying gifts for
29:33
them, we were replacing all of their old toys
29:36
that burned in the house fire at Christmastime.
29:39
We really love to expand the mission and make
29:42
it so that every child we can possibly put a
29:45
toy in the hands of at the holidays, we do. Yeah,
29:49
that's amazing. It's one of my favorite local
29:51
charities. We have a lot of really good local
29:54
charities here. We do. And I always recommend
29:57
Little Smiles. I have three favorites, and that's
30:00
one of my three favorites. Thank you. And I remember
30:04
taking my son one year. You had a bunch of toys
30:07
that needed to be sorted, and you had a little
30:09
staging area with the gifts and all that. And
30:12
it's just nice to... Because at the end of the
30:14
day, my son's spoiled. And, you know, so it's
30:17
like... Most of our kids are spoiled. And good
30:20
for them, right? It's good for them. But it's
30:22
also good to see. But I like them to be aware
30:24
that they're, you know... Other kids aren't as
30:27
fortunate as they are. Exactly. So it's nice
30:31
for the kids to give back. Sure. And get them
30:34
involved. So I think that's really sweet. I take
30:38
Rocco with me on deliveries, you know, and we
30:41
go into some pretty rough areas. We go into some
30:44
areas that not a lot of people are going into
30:47
to serve. At Christmastime, it's a beautiful
30:51
thing to see mom's face light up, dad's face
30:55
light up. The whole family is like just, oh my
30:58
gosh, these are for us? Like you've changed the
31:01
holiday for these people, for this family, for
31:04
their neighbors. Like the neighbors see it and
31:07
they share toys with each other. It's a beautiful
31:09
thing. But you're such a giving person just in
31:12
your like being, in your heart, your soul. Like
31:14
even at Halloween, like you give your neighbors
31:17
out. Candy. Yes. But food, drinks. It's like
31:23
a whole party. I will not drop your address on
31:27
the air because then you'll get inundated with
31:29
people. But it is so much fun. Like you just
31:34
you do things that like other people wouldn't
31:37
think to do. I think it just comes easily to
31:39
you, too. And I think. It's who you are. It's
31:42
fun too. You know, selfishly, I get a lot out
31:45
of it. It makes me happy too. I walk away with
31:49
that feeling, you know, when you help somebody,
31:51
you get joy. And that joy is a beautiful thing,
31:57
a gift to give yourself. Yeah. You know, especially
32:00
if you're feeling like, oh, sad about work, sad
32:03
about your relationship, sad about something.
32:06
crappy in your life that's got you down, go help
32:09
somebody and do something nice for somebody.
32:11
And you get that endorphin rush and you're like,
32:15
okay, this is, I'm a good human. I got to get
32:19
myself back on track here and not wallow in sadness.
32:23
And it really is a selfish thing too. I wish
32:26
more people would think like that though, to
32:28
just give back. I don't know, pay it forward
32:32
more. I like, I love paying it forward. I think
32:34
paying it forward is very important. And I think
32:37
if everybody did, just think of the whole how
32:40
that would really play out. Yeah, well, I think
32:42
it's up to us. We got to teach our kids, you
32:45
know, and you're doing it and I'm doing it and
32:47
we're showing our kids through example. Okay,
32:50
here's what you have to do to help other people
32:53
around you and lift them up. You know, I know.
32:56
It's so sweet though. Okay. Let's ask. I have
32:59
a couple of fun questions. Oh, I have a lot of
33:02
fun questions. Okay. How fast can we do them?
33:04
Let's do it. Okay. We're going to run right through.
33:09
What is your toxic trait? Toxic traits, probably,
33:16
you know, thinking that I can still party like
33:21
I did when I was 21. You know, I'm 53. It's not
33:26
really cute, but it doesn't stop me. Fair enough.
33:31
Fair enough. What is the most embarrassing? I
33:34
just saw something the other day on your page,
33:37
so I don't even know where you're going to go
33:39
with this. What is the most embarrassing thing
33:41
you've ever done in public? Oh, my. I know. How
33:45
do you choose? I mean, I've fallen down flights
33:49
of stairs. Gosh, I mean. I'm not really embarrassed.
33:55
You know, even the times that I've fallen down
33:57
flights of stairs, get up at the end and like,
33:59
yeah. I mean, I saw you twerking the other day
34:02
at a port -a -potty. That's a tradition. That
34:05
might not have been embarrassing to you, but
34:07
I wouldn't twerk in front of a port -a -potty.
34:09
We do this every year at Jazz Fest in New Orleans.
34:13
It's either me or my sister or somebody in our
34:15
group. This year, me and my sister did it, and
34:18
we twerk. On the port -a -potties at Jazz Fest,
34:23
right during Big Frida. If you don't know who
34:25
Big Frida is, look up Big Frida. You will be
34:29
moved to twerk yourself. If you can stand still
34:33
and listen to Big Frida, you are a more powerful
34:36
individual. I don't even know how to twerk. Oh,
34:38
everybody can twerk. Let alone, you did it upside
34:40
down. Like, I was like, whoo! If you were a stripper
34:45
at a dance club, I would have given you all my
34:48
dollars. I love it. All the dollars. What is
34:51
one food you absolutely refuse to eat? My mom.
34:55
Okay. When we were growing up, you know, she's
34:58
Mexican. And she would make us this soup. And
35:03
we just thought it was a delicious soup. It was
35:05
called menudo. We didn't know what was in it,
35:08
but we drank it and ate it and loved it. And
35:10
then now as an adult, she tells us, you know,
35:13
what's in it. The inside of a cow's stomach and
35:17
bits of cow tongue. Yeah. So we ate that as...
35:22
And I'm just, I'm good. That doesn't sound good.
35:26
It doesn't sound good. But we ate it as kids.
35:28
Oh, why? We didn't know any different. Where
35:30
are you even getting that from? It's a Mexican
35:33
thing. Oh, man. Oh, yeah. It's a thing. How old
35:35
is your mom? So she is in her mid -70s. How old
35:40
is your grandma? My grandma is 102. Your grandma
35:44
is 102. I just talked to her yesterday on video
35:48
call. Sharp as a tack. That is unbelievable.
35:52
If I can have even a quarter of her mental capacity
35:56
at her age, I'll be doing great. I can't believe
35:59
she's 100. I mean, she's 102. 102 and still on
36:02
it. Like, she can tell you names, dates, places,
36:07
things she did, tell you memories. Is she her
36:09
boyfriend? She's outlived everybody. She outlived
36:14
her husband. She outlived her boyfriend. She's
36:17
outlived all of her siblings. She's outlived
36:20
everybody, all of her friends. Unbelievable.
36:24
Yeah. Unbelievable. She's like, there's nobody
36:25
left. They're all dead. Oh, man. Get her a new
36:29
boyfriend. Find some younger guy, like 85. I
36:32
know, right? Maybe get her young in. She's also
36:35
got no patience for stupidity or ridiculousness.
36:38
So I don't know. I don't know if she'd put up
36:41
with all that. All right. All right. We'll keep
36:43
a lookout for her. If anyone has any... Where
36:47
does she live? She's now by my dad, so they're
36:50
in Bowling Green, Kentucky. Okay, we're looking
36:52
for an 85 -year -old man, single, real nice,
36:56
in Bowling Green, Kentucky. Preferably wealthy,
36:59
because we're not here to take care of no man.
37:01
True, true. What is your favorite curse word?
37:06
Oh, man, this is tough, because I love them all.
37:10
Gosh. Is it bullshit? I think I love bullshit.
37:16
Because I love to call bullshit. Yeah, you do.
37:19
I do. You do. I really do. So I think I'm going
37:22
bullshit. Okay. Bullshit for the win. Yeah. My
37:26
mom will be mad to hear me say this, but my favorite's
37:29
fuck. I say it a lot. Like, I try not to, obviously,
37:34
but it's just, it could be an adjective. It could
37:37
be a verb, a noun. It's a great word because
37:40
I can use it in so many different ways. Yes.
37:43
And I, I don't try to curse. I really don't try
37:46
to curse a lot. But I was on the call with a
37:49
client. I say shit, like shit. I'm like, I don't
37:52
give a shit, you know. And I'll just say that
37:54
in a normal sentence. But I was on the phone
37:56
with a client, a potential client this morning.
37:59
And I'm like, I said, really, what we have to
38:01
do is just clean up your shit and you'll be fine.
38:03
I don't want to ever present myself in a way
38:06
that I'm not. Sure. So I feel like if I'm coming
38:11
out the gate to you and I'm showing up in a tank
38:13
top and jeans to our first meeting and I'm saying,
38:15
we're going to clean up your shit. That's what
38:18
that's what that's what it is. And I think it's
38:21
funny because I think that's a common misconception
38:22
of me. I think people think I'm a little bit
38:26
bougier than I am. I like the nice things. And
38:29
so do you. I think you and I both are on the
38:31
same page with that. But like, it's funny to
38:33
me sometimes when I when my New York comes through.
38:37
Sure. really a bougie pump. I don't think I am.
38:40
No, you're not. People might beg to differ. You
38:43
give it honest. Yeah. And you give it real. And
38:46
I think sometimes people don't know what to do
38:50
with that. Yeah. Because they expect you to sugarcoat
38:53
it or flour it up for them. And you're like,
38:56
no, I'm just going to tell you how it is. And
38:58
I appreciate that because I like that quality.
39:01
Well, my demeanor is pretty consistent. Yeah.
39:04
Like if I'm mad, if I'm happy, if I'm sad, I'm
39:06
usually right there in the middle. Right. And
39:08
I don't divert too much. So it's like no matter
39:11
what I'm saying and delivering it, whether it's
39:13
positive, negative, angry, whatever, I just say
39:17
it. It's fact. It just comes out. Right. It's
39:19
fact. It's fact. I like stating fact. Yeah. What
39:22
is something that you're bougie about? That was
39:24
actually one of the questions. Oh, I mean, you
39:27
know, I love bougie food. I love bougie restaurants.
39:33
I love bougie transportation. I love the idea
39:38
of, you know, flying first class. I rarely do,
39:42
but I would love to. I love the idea of bougie
39:46
amenities. Yeah. Spa. I love spa. What's your
39:52
favorite local spa? Gosh, that's tough. So I've
39:55
enjoyed a lot. Pure Bliss, I love. The Lane Spa
40:00
is fabulous. I've been to the one at the Jupiter
40:05
Beach Resort. Jupiter Beach Resort's a good one.
40:07
That's a great hotel. If you don't know about
40:09
the Jupiter Beach Resort, they really did a fantastic
40:12
job. Sorry, I'm having a menopausal hot flash.
40:16
They did a great job with their restaurant. She's
40:19
stripping. She was just stripping for us. Their
40:23
restaurant, their spa, the whole hotel. Jupiter
40:26
Beach Resort is looking good. I love Jupiter
40:29
Beach Resort. I love the O. I love PGA National.
40:33
PGA National I do love as well. So cute. So Instagrammable.
40:39
There's so many good ones. There really are.
40:42
And that's what even this summer, everyone's
40:44
asking me what I'm doing this summer. I'm clearly
40:46
preparing for Flavor South Florida, which is
40:48
the restaurant month every September 1st through
40:49
30th. Flavorsouthflorida .com. Plug, plug. Plug,
40:53
plug. So I do that in the summer. But I also
40:57
do a lot of staycations with my son because why
40:59
would I leave here? Right. We have really awesome
41:02
places that people travel from all over the country
41:05
or the world or whatever to come to. And we have
41:08
them right here. So, I mean, you know. 30 -minute
41:11
drive. You had 100 restaurants last year. What
41:15
are you aiming for this year? Well, we had 107.
41:18
And this year, we already have 50, 60. Wow. Yeah.
41:25
And we're... Early right now. You haven't even
41:29
gone full court press yet. No. That's crazy.
41:33
It's really great because a lot of new restaurants
41:35
have been reaching out to us. Good. And people
41:39
just talking and referring the program. I had
41:41
three emails this morning saying, oh, I know
41:43
a restaurant that I want to introduce you to.
41:45
And so it's really, really lovely that that's
41:48
the case. I think we'll most certainly exceed
41:52
100 this season. Good. Yeah, it'll definitely.
41:56
be the biggest year yet. Nice. And next year
42:00
is our 20th, Flavor's 20th anniversary. Nice.
42:03
So yeah, every year it just keeps growing. It
42:05
started at 12 restaurants in 2007 in Palm Beach.
42:09
That's amazing. And it just keeps growing like
42:13
this little snowball. I love it. Well, since
42:16
you've had it, I feel like it's going. boom.
42:19
And really like you put the love into it. Yeah,
42:23
no, I do. I try. I really enjoy doing it. And
42:26
I love meeting people. I love being able to help
42:31
the restaurants. I love that the community gets
42:33
to really truly enjoy these great dining deals
42:36
because I'll tell you, every time I go out to
42:38
restaurants, it's, it's almost spending a hundred
42:41
dollars. If I get an appetizer, an entree and
42:43
a drink, cause I'm not a big dessert girly. I'm
42:47
spending a hundred dollars. Right. But during
42:49
flavor, you get three courses for 35, 45 to 65
42:52
dollars. And that's hard for a restaurant to
42:57
sustain these days because of food costs and
43:00
overhead and insurance rates. So the fact that
43:02
they're actually giving this is a gift they're
43:04
giving back to the community, in my opinion,
43:06
because that's a hard number to hit with the
43:09
price of everything. Absolutely. So the fact
43:12
that they're doing it and actually giving you
43:13
quality, great stuff like. I have to approve
43:17
every menu that comes in. And I would say 95
43:21
% of them I don't have to kick back. There's
43:23
a small percentage I'll kick back in because
43:25
I know the numbers. I know the cost. Right. And
43:27
I'll say this is not a deal. This is not going
43:29
to excite the community. This is not going to
43:31
work. You'll have to revisit this. And if they
43:33
can't, maybe it's not the right fit for you.
43:36
That's okay. But it's tricky. It's tricky. But
43:40
it does bring in. Last year, the total revenue
43:44
for all the restaurants combined was $2 .3 million.
43:46
Dang. In September, just on flavor menus, no
43:49
alcohol. Who won your contest? I know you did
43:51
a contest last year. Oh, my gosh. And the person
43:53
that had the most receipts got like $1 ,000 or
43:57
something. It was our Eat, Check, Repeat contest,
44:00
which we are doing again this year. And Alex
44:03
Ordonez, he is a realtor for Meyer Lucas Real
44:07
Estate. Okay, okay. He was on a mission. He had
44:09
28. Good for him. In 30 days. Wow. And the runner
44:15
up was 27. Okay. Runner up after that was 26.
44:19
And so everyone emailed, rather mailed me their
44:23
receipts. They physically mailed them to me.
44:26
And they were like competing. These people were
44:29
competing hard. And they all won prizes. They
44:32
won a Palm Beach Food and Wine Festival tickets.
44:34
Nice. University Food Festival tickets. Yeah,
44:37
we had some good prizes. And we're going to do
44:38
that again this year. did pop up really, really
44:41
enjoyed it. It was fun. Yeah. I was kind of wanted
44:43
to do a bingo card, but this is where that went
44:47
instead. Cause my creative brain one night was
44:49
just like, Oh, she do a checklist. That's what
44:53
we're doing. So you can find it on the website
44:56
and it'll also be printed in Jupiter magazine.
44:59
And you'll also be able to pick up hard copies
45:02
at the mothership in Tequesta. Nice. So there'll
45:05
be a few places you'll be able to grab your physical
45:07
copy and run with it and play the game. I love
45:10
it. I want Rocco to enter this year. He is definitely...
45:15
I feel like he's so competitive. He is. And he's
45:18
a foodie. He's a foodie. He's competitive. He's
45:20
all the things. He loves caviar. Me too. That's
45:23
his favorite. That is his favorite, hands down.
45:26
He is a caviar man. Did you ever take him to
45:29
Sushi By Bou? No, but we talked about this. Let's
45:32
take them. Let's take the boys. So quick, quick
45:35
story. So I'm at Sushi By Bou in New York City,
45:38
took Jack with me and my girlfriend. And we didn't
45:41
want, I don't like to divert. And I know you,
45:42
you're the same way. We don't like baby our children
45:45
when we go out to eat. Right. Right. So, so I
45:47
said, we're going for sushi. And Jack said, well,
45:49
I don't eat. I don't like sushi. I said, well,
45:52
I'll figure it out. And I texted my friend, Erica,
45:55
who's the owner of Sushi By Bou. And I said, can
45:58
you make Jack a little rice bowl or have them?
46:01
She wasn't there. Make a little rice bowl with
46:03
some like torched Wagyu or whatever on top. Like
46:07
just little pieces, you know. He eats this Wagyu
46:11
bowl right up. And he's like, that's the best
46:13
thing I ever ate. Then he proceeded to try. He
46:16
looks at me. He says, all right. Sits back and
46:19
he says. I'm ready to try the 15 courses. I said,
46:24
like, hell you are. It's not happening right
46:26
now. I gave him a couple of my pieces to try.
46:28
But so now he's like dipping into the world of
46:30
the sushi, which is making me very happy. That's
46:33
awesome. But problem. We go to the butcher's
46:36
club a couple of weeks later. And normally he
46:40
would get a filet and he sees Wagyu on the menu.
46:44
Oh, gosh. And he says, can I get the Wagyu? I
46:47
said, no. He goes, but I really enjoyed it. I
46:50
said, right, but you're never going to have it
46:53
again. Until you get a job. Until you get a job.
46:57
And then you can buy me Wagyu. Yeah. So now I've
47:01
created some little Wagyu monster. And every
47:04
time he sees it on the menu, he just looks at
47:06
me very like simply and goes, oh, that's what
47:09
I like, right? I'm like, nope, that's not what
47:12
you like. You don't like that. Even the filet
47:14
is pricey, much less the Wagyu. I know, I know.
47:17
But, you know, he doesn't ask for much, so. That's
47:20
good. What are you going to do? So I have a picture
47:26
of this girl. I want to show you and I want you
47:32
to tell me, just based on her photo, just her
47:36
photo, what advice you would give to her. Let's
47:40
see if I can get it clear here. Oh, that's me
47:47
from high school. But that's probably freshman
47:52
year. Maybe even, ooh, eighth grade. What about
47:57
that one? Ooh, that's even less. That's sixth
48:00
grade. Ooh. She hadn't had braces yet, so them
48:05
were summer teeth. Some are here, some are there,
48:08
some are going this way, some are going that
48:10
way. I feel like I have a whole mess load of...
48:16
Oh, wait, what about this one? Oh, wow. That's
48:20
even younger. That's like fifth grade. What would
48:24
you tell her? Where'd you get all these? Oh,
48:26
don't you worry about that. We'll have to thank
48:29
Magnolia for these. Oh, she dug up some old pictures.
48:33
I have 10 more. Oh, gosh. I have your whole youth
48:37
in my phone. I would just tell that girl to maybe
48:41
tweeze the brows in the middle because the unibrow
48:45
was a lot. Did you give her any life advice otherwise?
48:51
I would be like, Don't focus so much on what
48:56
other people think. You know, it's so hard to
48:59
tell a teenager that because we were all teenagers
49:02
once and you were so worried about fitting in
49:05
and having people like you. And I think once
49:09
I got like a little older, I realized it doesn't
49:11
matter if people like you or not. It doesn't.
49:14
Who actually gives a shit what anybody's opinion
49:17
of you is? Do you like you? Because that's really
49:22
all that matters. And if you don't, then you
49:26
got to fix some shit, girl. You got to get it
49:28
together. And you need to like you. Like, you
49:31
need to date you. You need to go on trips with
49:33
you and nobody else. And you need to figure out
49:37
how to become your favorite company, your best
49:41
friend. And if you're not there, I would just
49:44
do the work. Because you can get there. Do the
49:47
work. Don't care about what everybody else thinks
49:49
or says or opinions of you. People can shove
49:55
their opinion right up their ass. Do what makes
49:58
you happy. And at the end of the day, if you
50:02
live your life for you and you try to be a good
50:05
person, then that's really all that you need
50:08
to worry about. I couldn't agree more. Don't
50:13
care what the other people think. I can't fit
50:15
that all stitched on a pillow. I may take that
50:18
and stitch a blanket. It's kind of a run -on
50:20
sentence. It was a good, it was a great sentence.
50:22
Great sentence. We may have to close with that
50:25
because I don't think we could top that word,
50:26
those words of advice. I think you're fantastic.
50:31
And I thank you for coming on the show. Get ready
50:35
to make some reservations. Flavor is right around
50:37
the corner. I'm very excited. You always invite
50:41
me to all the flavor stuff. Thank you for including
50:44
me. I really appreciate it. Absolutely. Thanks
50:47
for joining me on Forking Around with Flavor
50:49
South Florida. If you're in the industry, a business
50:51
owner, or just want a better understanding of
50:53
what goes into keeping restaurants alive and
50:55
thriving, make sure you subscribe and share this
50:58
episode with someone who should hear it. Flavor
51:00
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51:02
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51:05
and the Treasure Coast. You can find all the
51:07
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51:09
at flavorsouthflorida .com. Until next time,
51:12
keep supporting local and keep forking around.