Windsor-Essex, one conversation at a time.
YQG In Bloom follows Tracy Martins into Windsor-Essex restaurants, theatres, markets, shops, walks, and event rooms. The show suits curious locals who like practical details, friendly interviews, and the feeling of hearing what is happening around town before plans fill up.
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YQG In Bloom is a Windsor-Essex interview show with a very local sense of direction. Tracy Martins brings the mic into event rooms, breweries, theatres, restaurants, shops, and neighbourhood conversations, then asks the kind of direct questions that get people talking. The show is brisk but roomy. A guest might explain how Jane's Walk grew into free spring events, then widen the frame to Leamington's multicultural communities, Amherstburg Freedom Museum walks, Harrow history, and Indigenous stories. Another episode lands inside Kordazone Theatre's production of The Shark Is Broken. It gets into Jaws, the broken mechanical shark, the West End history of the play, the one-set boat build, and the practical problem of hiding stage bottles where actors can reach them. Food and drink are recurring anchors. Erie Street Gastropub appears as both a setting and a subject, with Graham Marco discussing Asian fusion, shared appetizers, pad thai, octopus, pork belly, shrimp tempura, and Lee's role in creating the food. Frozen Fusion adds a playful twist, with Chuck describing ice cream infused with spirits, beer, and liqueurs after years of trial and error. Walkerville is another major thread. Panel conversations at Walkerville Brewery bring in local food blogging, F&B Hospitality Group, Urban Art Market, radio, restaurants, handmade goods, and neighbourhood memory. The show also makes space for practical style and small-business curation, from Fashion Week Windsor's Canadian brands high tea to Mark Trudell's independent eyewear at The Walkerville Optical. Its strength is accumulation. Place names, menu items, venues, festivals, shop owners, and side comments stack up until Windsor-Essex starts to feel busy, lived-in, and specific. The tone stays casual. It is not trying to sound grand. It works best for people who want to know what is happening nearby, who is behind it, and what makes a local spot worth remembering.
Made for: For Windsor-Essex locals, returning visitors, and community-minded listeners who care about neighbourhood events, independent businesses, food, theatre, history, and local culture. It also suits anyone who likes interview shows that keep the practical details in the room.
What sets it apart: The show stands out by treating local specifics as the main event: streets, menus, venues, walks, shop shelves, theatre sets, and the people working behind them. Its charm comes from casual curiosity rather than polished promotion.
Tracy Martens takes you on a journey through the Windsor/Essex County area to introduce you to wonderful people, shops, markets. We will learn a lot about these inspiring people along the way, and show you everything that the YQG area has to offer. Make sure to shop local and shop Made in Canada 🇨🇦
Based on 5 episodes we listened to · September 2026
YQG In Bloom makes Windsor-Essex culture legible through practical, personable conversations with the people creating its food, comedy, books, walks, and theatre.
Tracy Martins treats Windsor-Essex as a place best understood through the people making things happen there. YQG In Bloom uses friendly, direct interviews to move among local comedy, food, books, community walks, and theatre without flattening those subjects into an events…
Tracy Martins turns Jaws sets, secret-menu dinners, and local ghost stories into your next Windsor night out.
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Short reviews from the PlayNext desk, based on the episodes we processed.
A warm tour of Windsor-Essex that makes local history feel walkable.
YQG in Bloom turns Jane's Walk into a clear, local map of Windsor-Essex, moving from Jane Jacobs' neighborhood-first activism to walks in Leamington, Amherstburg, Harrow, and the Indigenous stories walk.
A Windsor theatre chat that keeps the backstage chaos of Jaws close to home.
YQG in Bloom turns on a local theatre conversation about The Shark Is Broken, a play about the making of Jaws and the delays caused by the broken shark.
A local-author conversation that moves from books on shelves to a Halloween-night story.
YQG In Bloom stays with K.G. Miceli's book life and the plain fact that her copies keep disappearing from local shelves. It keeps the hometown feel intact by pointing listeners to the bookstores and local sellers where her titles turn up, and it treats those sellouts as proof of…
A supper club at Cookie Bar turns into a local food story about planning, pacing, and making dinner feel like an event.
Phil Octavian frames Black Magic Culinary as a supper club with a clear point of view. The first run is at Cookie Bar, and the draw is simple: guests show up for a private meal and do not know the menu ahead of time.
A warm Windsor-area comedy conversation grounded in everyday stories and craft.
Jen Richardson's route into comedy runs through a long-running observational humor blog, a coworker who told her to write her stories down, and a knack for turning everyday awkwardness into material.
Hope, attention, and the responsibilities of shared life.
WIFF's 2026 slate has 232 films from 55 countries, with 51% Canadian titles after a deliberate programming shift.
Robbie Derling says RAD Sports Card and TCG Show grew from about 50 attendees in 2022 to more than 100 vendor tables planned for its October 25 event.
Director and producer Joey Wright and actor Avery McMillan Thomas describe Cortasone Theater’s Halloween-season production of Evil Dead the Musical.
Tracy Martins sits down with Sarah Morris to talk about Jane's Walk in Windsor-Essex.
Tracy Martins sits down with Rachel Hillis and Joey Wright from Cortisone Theaters to talk about The Shark Is Broken.
This episode features an interview with Graham Marco, owner of Erie Street Gastropub in Windsor, discussing the restaurant's Asian fusion cuisine, event space, and menu highlights.
This episode features a panel of local business owners and community champions discussing the vibrant neighborhood of Walkerville in Windsor, highlighting its history, culture, and local establishments.
This episode discusses Fashion Week Windsor, its expansion from three to seven days, and features an interview with the lead fashion stylist who shares details about events like the Canadian Brands High Tea.
An interview with an optician about curating unique, high-quality eyewear collections at a local optical shop.
Host Tracy Martens interviews Chuck, creator of Frozen Fusion, about his alcohol-infused ice cream business at Erie Street Gastropub.
Tracy Martens interviews Jake from Made in YQG about local businesses, community, and life in the Windsor/Essex area.
Host Tracy Martens interviews Marlena Alaga, new owner of Lotus and Lattes cafe, about her dream and the cafe's opening.
Interview with Brianna Presley, owner of Evermore Princess Parties, discussing her 94+ character options for children's parties.
Host Tracy Martens interviews Albert Dumichel of Wind City Pizza Review about Windsor-style pizza, sampling three donated pizzas from local pizzerias.
Host Tracy Martens interviews radio host Kyle Horner about his career and love for the Windsor-Essex community.
Tracy Martens interviews Chesley Zamit about her baking journey, closing her bake shop, and exploring matcha spots in Windsor-Essex.
Tracy Martins catches up with K.G.
Tracy Martens interviews music teacher Kara Kaufman about her work teaching music to babies, toddlers, and young children in the Windsor/Essex area.
An interview with Kim Babb, director of the play The Woman in Black, discussing the story and production.
Interview with Vincent Giorgi, Executive Director of the Windsor International Film Festival, discussing the festival's history, growth, and impact.
Host Tracy Martens interviews Erin Paredos, founder of the Joy Tribe, about her journey from living for others to becoming a self-discovery coach for women.
Tracy talks with Phil Octavian, the force behind Black Magic Culinary.
Host Tracy Martens interviews playwright and performer Abby Lee Hallett about their new show Love and Redemption for the Windsor Fringe Festival.
Tracy Martens interviews Laura Kaybird about the revival of the Windsor Fringe Festival and what fringe theatre entails.
An interview with Steve Jakadis about his book 'Humanism from the Heart', exploring humanism as a non-religious worldview emphasizing compassion and understanding between believers and non-believers.
Tracy Martens interviews the owners of Villa 92 Eatery and Cultural House about their family history and reopening the restaurant.
Tracy Martens interviews Bethany McLaughlin, owner of Beck's Design Co., about her journey in landscaping and crochet, highlighting local creativity and small business.
This episode features an interview with Jen from Tailgate Takeout discussing the vibrant local food scene in Windsor-Essex County, including restaurants, food trucks, and events.
Tracy Martins sits down with Windsor County comedian Jen Richardson and kicks things off with a simple question about how comedy got started for her.
This episode features an interview with Sarah's Oracle discussing her early spiritual connection to her deceased father and how everyone can develop psychic abilities.
This episode features an interview with Jacqueline Cheng, an empowered parenting coach and family law attorney, discussing transformative coaching for parents to break cycles of harsh parenting and lead by example.
An interview with the director and lead actor of a local theater production of Murder on the Orient Express, discussing their creative choices.
Tracy Martens interviews film director Gavin Michael Booth about his career and an upcoming TV series with a $100,000 prize.
Host Tracy Martins interviews Carlos Anthony about his new play 'The Price of Freedom' and Elise Harding-Davis about Canadian Black history during Black History Month.