DENNIS CALDIROLA has produced The Italian Festival, part of our Seattle Center Festál series, for the past 25 years.  Here, he speaks about the roots of the festival, and how it has grown. “It’s turned into a job, a lifestyle, an identity. In the beginning, it was just that– a job. I’ve always loved entertainment, […]

STEVE SOCIE has been gardening for 25 years, four of them at Seattle Center. He is from Michigan, where he got a degree in French “which was supposedly what I was going to do” and came to Seattle because “here you can garden year round.” “You feel that what you do is really part of […]

MICHAEL CARTER is the executive chef for Skillet:Counter in Seattle Center Armory.  Here, he talks about his culinary roots, as well as Skillet’s special brand of cuisine. “So my mom had a very eclectic sense of taste. She was born and raised in Israel, and her mother, my grandmother, was German, so a really wide […]

JULIO MORAN, Plumber.  Originally from Cuba, Julio has worked for Seattle Center’s Technical Facility Maintenance crew for 25 years. “When I left Cuba I left first [in my family]. I landed in Miami where one of my uncles lived. He took me in for a couple of weeks, but I was destined to go to […]

BARBARA BRYANT is in charge of the Customer Service unit at Seattle Center and markets our Festál series.  After 30++ years, Barbara is retiring this month, and shares below how her time here has inspired her and changed her, for the better.  We wish BB the best in her next chapter of life! “Seattle Center […]

SHARLESE METCALF is a DJ and event producer at KEXP, where she hosts the weekly radio show Audioasis.  For nearly a decade, Sharlese has also booked bands for Concerts at the Mural, presented by Seattle Center and KEXP. “I knew I wanted to work in music, I just really liked music a lot. And I […]

ANAPOLA and EDUARDO MENDONҪA started BrasilFest in 1999 and have been its producers ever since. They have a company called Show Brazil, which also brings Brazilian music and performances of all types to the greater Seattle area. Eduardo: “I found Seattle to be a place that embraces cultural diversity.  I’ve stayed here for twenty-plus years […]

MIKE WINTERS, an officer with the campus Emergency Services Unit, has worked security at the Seattle Center for the past 20 years.  He is a popular fixture on campus. “I come here with a smile on my face every day, and I always give a helping hand to those in need. All the vendors know […]

EBONY ARUNGA has been working at Seattle Center for eight months, bringing her baby Acello with her every day. She produced Festál’s 20th Anniversary Fete. “We moved here from Kenya when I was seven. In Kenya my mom designed clothes– she had a sewing studio in her garage with four or five tailors who would […]

JODY MAY has been working at Bite of Seattle since her father started it 35 years ago, and now runs an event company called Festivals Inc, which produces the Bite of Seattle.  Here, she speaks about the Festival’s origins. “Both of my parents were born and raised in New York. When they got married, they […]