Pickles & Pasta with Steph and Jay
Welcome to Pickles & Pasta—a podcast about living creatively, loving boldly, and staying grounded in a world that often feels anything but.
Steph and Jay met (or as Jay says “reconnected”) just before the pandemic and have been building a life—and a creative partnership—ever since. Together, they live, work, and support each other’s ventures while navigating the messy, beautiful chaos of modern life.
No agendas. No sides. Just real conversations—sometimes deep, sometimes hilarious, always honest.
This is their space to talk about creativity, connection, relationships, and everything in between.
Pull up a chair. Let’s dig in.
About Steph
Stephanie Rado Taormina is the CEO and founder of Have Some Fun Today, a lifestyle brand inspired by her late father's mantra to live boldly and joyfully. With over 25 years of experience in branding, fashion, interiors, and entrepreneurship, she brings a sharp creative vision to everything she touches.
A graduate of Parsons School of Design, Stephanie has reignited her fine art career since 2021—creating emotionally driven abstract work and building a growing marketplace for contemporary art. While integrating her artistic voice into the evolution of HSFT, she also maintains an independent studio practice focused on exhibitions, fine art prints, and creative collaborations.
As co-host of the podcast Pickles & Pasta with Steph & Jay, she brings thoughtful, unscripted insight to conversations about creativity, culture, and navigating modern life.
About Jay
Jay Schweid is a native New Yorker, creative entrepreneur, and cultural shapeshifter with a career that’s anything but conventional. From launching JCS, a bespoke racket service trusted by tennis icons like McEnroe and Agassi, to co-founding The Spot—a legendary South Beach lounge with Mickey Rourke—Jay has always lived at the intersection of bold ideas and real-world impact.
He went on to create high-touch concierge and event services for celebrity and HNWI clients, and in 2012, launched ephelants, a media company focused on streamlining film and commercial production. Built to challenge industry inefficiencies, ephelants fuses creativity with technology to empower storytellers at every level.
Now, Jay is building Village—a visionary entertainment platform that will revolutionize how projects move from concept to distribution. By bringing together creators, fans, and investors,Village is designed to democratize the entire entertainment ecosystem and give everyone a seat at the table.
On Pickles & Pasta, Jay brings sharp insight, unapologetic creativity, and a relentless curiosity for what’s next.
Pickles & Pasta with Steph and Jay
Pickles & Pasta EP31 - Perceived Value, Pricing & Respecting Creative Work
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Pickles & Pasta EP31 - Perceived Value, Pricing & Respecting Creative Work
In Episode 31 of Pickles and Pasta, Jay and Steph kick things off with playful creative momentum, riffing on a “Cherish” t-shirt concept in real time and reflecting on the closing of iconic New York spaces, what it signals about shifting culture, and how change reshapes creative communities.
From there, the conversation moves into something many creatives experience but don’t always talk about openly: being asked to work for free.
From influencers requesting original artwork in exchange for “exposure” to people casually asking producers to “just read a script” or weigh in on a project, Jay and Steph unpack the deeper issue beneath those moments, the perceived value of creative work. Why are artists, designers, and producers so often expected to donate their time and expertise when other professions aren’t? And how do you respond without burning bridges or underselling yourself?
It’s an honest conversation about boundaries, confidence, and what it really means to respect the work, both your own and other people’s.
Topics Covered:
- The creative spark and staying open to ideas
- The closing of cultural institutions and city evolution
- Why creatives are often asked to work for free
- Influencer culture and the “free product” mindset
- Educating clients about professional value
- How to price art and creative services
- Balancing confidence with market reality
- The importance of paying people fairly
- Rapid fire: shopping habits, minimalism, and food decisions
If this conversation resonated, let it be a reminder: Know your value, protect your work, and don’t be afraid to charge what you’re worth.