Morat's Bakery is launching unique donut features and introducing new concepts that have not been done before. Morat's continues to push the envelope with new ideas and flavors. Dan Castle, co-owner of Morat's Bakery stated that, "We have been reading that people are starting to look for unique and wild ideas. Today, we confirmed that we will be working with another locally owned business, and will create a mash up of donuts that Muskegon has not tasted before. This is a completely new approach to donuts." Dan also mentioned another project where Morat's will team up with a local brewery to bring a donut flavored beer. 

We're back in the Kitchen!  It's Kitchen 242 at the Muskegon Farmers Market with Chef LaKisha Harris of L'Soul Filled Catering and very soon, the Soul Filled Eatery in Muskegon Heights as she's out to answer the age old debate on how grits should be served...savory or sweet. 

When we think of cooler temperatures and fall weather, we typically think of football, sweater weather, and plaid shirts. However, for foodies like me, fall weather means pumpkin spice lattes, apple cider donuts, and comfort food. By definition, comfort food is "food that provides a nostalgic or sentimental value to someone, and may be characterized by its high carbohydrate level or simple preparation." Pasta came to mind when I thought of the perfect fall comfort food. I was able to sit down with Jeff Church, the Lead Chef and Owner of Nipote's Italian Kitchen, to highlight a couple of their comfort dishes.

Who wouldn't love to frolic a little?  Let's be honest, we could all use some frolic.  Well, one of the groups in Muskegon that's synonymous with the amazing ability we always show to make sure the needs of those a little less fortunate than us are met are inviting you to do just that with a fun, themed virtual fundraising event centered around the Orient Express and that organization we're talking about is the Women's Division Chamber of Commerce of Muskegon!

I had a chance to sit down with the founders of "Making Waves Muskegon" to highlight a goodie box that features locally sourced products.

You're in a pinch, you need to show up with dessert and you want to make a splash!!  It's a panic situation and this isn't one of those occasions when you can just be there with a cake from the store....you need creativity, beauty and delicious taste!  Chef LaKisha Harris from L'Soul Filled Catering is here to the rescue!  

"Unprecedented Times".  If we each had a nickle for every time we've heard that since March, we'd have the National Debt paid off, we'd all be driving Corvettes and lighting fat cigars with $20 bills.  Unprecedented times has meant a lot of things to a lot of people and generally, it's not been favorable however.  It has been a call to action however and a plea to all of us to come together to try and face an enemy we can't even see and that has left it mark on the lives of all of us in one way or another.  Some have been sidelined, some have gotten busier than they ever imagined.  Some, quarantined.  Some forced out into circumstances they would rather not be in.  The other phrase we've heard to ad nausea-um..."We're in this together".  But when isolated and pressed into situations that are so extreme, it sure feels like a one man ordeal.  Out of all of it, the importance of capturing what's happened...well, it's a thought that the artistic among us grabbed, and now, it's on display at City Center Arts in Muskegon. 

"Life is uncertain. Eat dessert first." Who else can relate to this quote? For those that know me, know that I have a sweet tooth. When a friend of mine tagged me in a social media post by Yummy Delights LLC, I knew I had to pay them a visit. The post featured one of their popular desserts, which was a fruity pebble covered New York style cheesecake slice. Yum!

We're back at Kitchen 242 in Downtown Muskegon with LaKisha Harris from L'Soul Filled Catering and she's about to put down something you can't imagine!  We're talking Vegan recipes and before you even think about clicking on another page or not watching this video, I am going to stop you right there and help you avoid a mistake.  Don't let the word vegan get you thinking you're in for some bland, tasteless bean filled protein something or another....you're about to get hit with flavor and texture you can't even imagine until you try it.

When we think of cotton candy, it brings childhood nostalgia to mind. When I was younger, going to the movies, the carnival, or the drive-in theater would always mean that my mom would purchase my favorite snack. Back then, we had the funky twist of two cotton flavors, or this pink fluff that was stuffed inside of a container. Thanks to Hey, Sugar Gourmet Cotton Candy, the nostalgic cotton candy flavor has just received a makeover. Hey, Sugar has revamped the old childhood favorite, and has given the new generation unique flavors to try. 

For the latest segment, we visited with Bethany Bauer and Brittany Meloche, owners of The Only Cannoli, Italian Pastry Bakery; located on Third Street, in Muskegon, Michigan. The Only Cannoli is an Italian started by two women who wanted to share their love their Italian heritage and the love and joy of Italian pastries with the West Michigan community. The Only Cannoli offers traditional recipes but also brings new perspectives to the classics, and while these tempting treats are delicious on their own, they’re even better with the age-old tradition of sharing with family and friends.

A short while ago, we got in on the push for the Taste of Muskegon event which was like anything else in 2020, shall we say a little "different"?    It was an awesome opportunity to not only be behind the camera as chef's of all different disciplines rolled out the presentation table for a couple of pictures, followed by the thought of "well, someone's gotta eat it" and if that someone just had to be the guy with the camera, so be it.  Not only did we get to meet some incredible people with great stories to tell, but we also got to help promote their business, show off their personality and share what goes into their creations most of which is love and passion for food!

Fruitport High School Graduation, Previously Live 7/30/20

We first met up with the Muskegon Railroad Historical Society a few years ago when they were tucked away upstairs Downtown in Muskegon.  It was a small but impressive space with incredible displays of different scale model trains, sets designed to look like Muskegon a huge area dedicated to the historical library and a curated feeling from the membership that embraces the rich history of rails and the importance of the railroad industry and the rich history of it. 

After a pause in the normal flow of things, Paranormal Muskegon is back reporting on things mysterious or unearthly; be it ghostly apparitions in the halls of old buildings and houses; shadowy figures drifting through graveyards; or silvery objects flying overhead and to kick it off we hit the ground running. I recently had the pleasure of being invited to be a guest on the Grand Rapids Ghost Hunter’s Podcast filmed at the WKTV studio in Wyoming, Michigan with hosts Wayne Thomas and Kim Kolean; where the discussion embraced all things paranormal; from top to bottom.  On their website; Grand Rapids Ghost Hunter’s Podcast is said to be; an “engaging program which delves deep into all things paranormal” Michigan leave no doubt that spirits do exist.” And delve we did.

We've been so very lucky to have Becky Biesiada with us since almost day one of the Muskegon Channel and here dedication and willingness to continue to innovate and entertain while providing an amazing workout that you don't have to pay a nickle for every week is to be commended and applauded.  

Oscar Osbo has been in broadcasting for a long, long time.  A career in radio that went for years led to his own enterprise of video production and freelance work.  One thing about Oscar, he's done a great job remaining friends with those he's worked with all along the way.

It may come as a complete shock!  Ok, no it won't.  But we tried for an eye popping first line!  Like most everything adapt and overcome had to be the mantra of one of Muskegon's biggest and best showcases every year which features all of our favorite things!  Let's list them.  Food.  Music.  Beverages.  Hackley Park.  Togetherness.  Helping small business.  Marveling at our growth.  Seeing new things.  Tasting new things. Inviting new people in.  Shall I go on?  If you are a fan of Taste of Muskegon, like anything, in 2020, it's going to have a different format, but don't think for a second that all of what you know and love about it is lost!  Far from it.  In fact, it might be a great way to get even MORE out of this event!  

It's an exciting event for us!!  We were honored to be asked a couple years ago to be the first ever to show the Mona Shores Singing Christmas Tree, live from the Frauenthal Center as it happened and as this year has unfolded, and left us all wondering what was next for some of our favorite events and school functions, when Shores asked if we'd be interested in debuting the Spring show too, we didn't even blink before we said "How do we help?"

We've been very fortunate in our working relationship with our area schools!  Two years ago, we had the first chance ever to show the world the spectacle of the Mona Shores Singing Christmas Tree live as the final performance of the season happened and at it's peak during that first year, there were 10,000 plus streams open on every corner of the Earth watching America's Tallest Singing Christmas Tree happen from the beautiful and historic Frauenthal Center in Downtown Muskegon.  It was easily the biggest undertaking we ever went after and we took our end of things as serious as the preparation that went in to the performance of the Tree it self, and it sure paid off. 

Long ago, there was this kid who walked into a radio station one day and wanted a job.  He was willing to do anything and settled on an internship figuring that it was a foot in the door, and that at bare minimum, at least he'd be around radio people to go along with all the weekend dances he dj'd at schools or clubs or wherever he could find a place to play his records and tapes.  CD's were just starting to be a "thing".  He wouldn't leave and after a while, they figured if they gave him $6 bucks an hour for handing out bumper stickers after concerts and staying behind and running the music while the real DJ was doing a live broadcast at some appliance store, well, maybe he'd quit begging for food.  That was 1989 and 1990.

On the staff at the Muskegon Channel you see quite a few of us in front of the camera.  You also hear some of us on the radio.  But as we work to grow and continue to follow our belief that "We've Got a New Story To Tell" about Muskegon, there are some who shy away from the spotlight most of the time.  There are occasional photos that pop up, but like most true artists, and perfectionists our own Derek Wong is generally his happiest making things look awesome and adding the special touches that us "content creators" are kinda busy worrying about other things to notice. 

In West Michigan, we are remarkably fortunate to have the Celebration Cinema Theaters as a spot for gathering to see the movies that make up our lives.  It's a company that recently celebrated 75 years of bringing a premium movie going experience to audiences in our area and they are an industry leader when it comes to technology, amenities and offering programming past just what's on the "now playing marquee.  In Muskegon specifically we're lucky to have Cinema Carousel but we have the sacred grounds of the Getty 4 Drive In which is something that's hard to find anywhere in the country anymore.  We've had an awesome partner in the Loeks family for a long time.

Not long ago, a friend of mine an I were taunting back and forth on Facebook and he called me a "washed up old dj."  It was totally in good fun, but it got me to thinking about some of the stuff that "washed up old dj's have that no one else does.  You know, those things that people seem to love, but somehow got lost in time and as things change, well, those things that made us comfortable and fun...they just fade away.  Well, we hang on to some of that stuff.

Last year, we had our eyes opened up to the world of competitive robotics when the MARS 4004 Rovers team invited us out to do a story on their team and highlight the work and effort the young people from different area schools put in to battle it out in a local, state and regional and national level to see who can build the most competitive machine piloted by the most talented team.  It's all part of STEM learning and the hands on approach for these young people is AMAZING!

Today Paranormal Muskegon sat down with Darren Dykhouse and Jamie Rae of Lakeshore Paranormal, a ghost-hunting team and Paranormal Youtubers in Muskegon. Ghost-hunting has become quite popular and it seems there is no shortage of them in Michigan. Most use a variety of instruments in their search for them but Lakeshore Paranormal is one of the few that rely on their abilities to sense and communicate with the spirit world in their pursuit of the unknown in addition to using devices that pick up ghostly manifestations. Darren Dykhouse is an empath and Jamie Rae is a psychic medium. They agreed to talk with us about their work and shared a few hair-raising stories of the spirits they encountered while on the hunt. 

The advice week in and week out is the same - "Warm up, stretch out and consult your Dr. to make sure if you're ready for this or any other workout".  It's the boiler plate line for any workout program but what is proper stretching?  Becky will show you in episode 135 of Fit and Healthy With Becky on The Muskegon Channel. 

It was a splendid night again at Smash Wine Bar and Bistro in Downtown Muskegon as we rolled out the 14th episode of Muskegon Tonight Live!!  A cold February night didn't keep a decent crowd away as Restaurant Week was kicking off in Muskegon and everyone enjoyed the great food and drink that Smash is known for.