Episode 18: Connecting you with Chef Jim Richard
EPISODE EIGHTEEN
Buckle up, turn up the volume, and get ready to connect with a true local legend.
Search Hwy 331 wherever you stream music & podcasts.
It’s January in Walton County, and there’s no better time to talk about what keeps this place alive—live music. And while you may know Chef Jim Richard for his culinary brilliance, the locals know him as a driving force behind our thriving music scene.
As the founder of Stinky’s Fish Camp and Stinky’s Bait Shack, Jim has spent decades elevating local musicians, providing them with a stage, a steady gig—even in the slow seasons—and inspiring other businesses to make live music a way of life. The result? A culture where music is almost always free, making ticketed events a hard sell in a town that’s used to hearing world-class talent at no cost.
And let’s talk about Stinky’s Bait Shack—a one-of-a-kind music venue, live bait shop, breakfast spot, and full bar rolled into one. There’s nothing else like it in Walton County—or all of Northwest Florida, for that matter.
In this episode, Jim takes a detour from his crazy schedule to talk about the Swamp Writers Music Fest, the 15-year-old microfestival that runs alongside the 30A Songwriters Festival happening now. We get the inside story of how it all began, what fuels his passion, and what’s next for him now that he’s passed the torch to new owners.
Buckle up, turn up the volume, and get ready to connect with a true local legend.
Search Hwy 331 wherever you stream music & podcasts.
