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So THIS Happened...

So THIS Happened...

Written by: Jen Cole and Rachel Chappelle
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“So THIS Happened…” is the podcast version of catching up with your most unfiltered friend over wine. Each week, Jen and Rachel dive into personal mishaps, past memories, local happenings, weird habits, and whatever else pops up — including the occasional celebrity headline we just have to talk about. It’s casual, it’s chaotic, and it’s all real.

© 2026 So THIS Happened... Social Sciences
Episodes
  • Episode 63 : Turn Your Burner Down

    Episode 63 : Turn Your Burner Down
    Oct 8 2026
    Send us Fan MailChef Audra Bell of NICHE, the National Institute for Culinary and Hospitality Education at WSU Tech, joins Jen Cole and Rachel Chappelle on So THIS Happened, the Wichita podcast for real talk and local culture. Her hands-on evening cooking classes in downtown Wichita are open to anyone. No application, no culinary background, nothing to prove.Recorded inside the brand-new WSU Tech Multimedia Studio, this episode covers the five French mother sauces, the knife mistakes Chef Audra spots in the first ten minutes of every class, and the one kitchen tip that would save most failed dinners: turn your burner down.🎲 THIS OR THAT: KITCHEN EDITIONFresh blood in the This or That chair! A few highlights:- Follow the recipe or wing it? Chef Audra: "Recipes are suggestions." (Baking is a different story.)- Sweet or savory? Savory all around. Chef Audra measures with her heart, Jen brought up buffalo sauce and Chiefs game-day chili, and Rachel would rather have a glass of wine for dessert.- Cooking for a crowd or for one? The chef feeds everyone, including the random teenagers at the door. Rachel champions girl dinner (pickled okra, goat cheese, Project Runway).- Cooking show binge or in-person class? Chef Audra can't watch without critiquing ("there's no way that cooked in 45 minutes"), but Nailed It gets a pass.🏛️ INSIDE NICHE: CULINARY SCHOOL BOOT CAMPNICHE lives in the historic Henry's building at 124 S. Broadway in downtown Wichita, with a student-run restaurant, a food hall and a coffee spot. The public classes run like a culinary school boot camp: you get an apron, tie your hair back, set up your station and learn the how and why behind every step, just like the full-time students do.Chef Audra also talked about "chaos management": staying calm when your skillet is literally on fire, and why the skills you learn in a kitchen carry over into the rest of your life. Plus, the husband-and-wife class that turned into marriage counseling. 😂🔥 CHEF AUDRA'S HOT TIP"Eight times out of 10, on the stovetop, a dish fails because their burner's too hot. Just turn it down."Your knob has 10 settings. Use them.🥄 THE FIVE MOTHER SAUCES, DEMYSTIFIEDMaster these five bases and you can make almost anything:- Béchamel: your white sauce, the start of mac and cheese and white gravy- Tomato: we all know this one- Espagnole: not tomato! A rich brown sauce, think brown gravy- Hollandaise: egg tempering and all the butter- Velouté: "a white sauce and a brown sauce had a baby" (another chef would kill her for saying that)If you only learn one, make it béchamel. Biscuits and gravy, mac and cheese, lasagna: "there's 100,000 different ways you can spin it." The class dish that surprises people most is the humble vinaigrette. Four pantry ingredients, impossible to mess up, and "champagne vinaigrette" sounds very fancy. 🥂🔪 KNIFE SKILLS: JUST ENOUGH CONFIDENCE TO BE DANGEROUSThe first thing Chef Audra notices in any class is how people hold a knife. Grip it with your knuckles wrapped and your thumb in the groove, no finger on top of the blade, and definitely no choking up on it like a bat. (Yes, there's a red Sharpie involved.)Her advice if you only take one class this fall: start with Knife Skills. "That's half the reason people won't cook." Once you know how to hold a knife and which one to use, cooking stops feeling intimidating. And you still cook and eat a full dish in class.👩‍🍳 OPEN TO ANYONE. SERIOUSLY.Chef Audra has taught 12-year-olds alongside their parents and an 80-something guest who was "chopping circles around everybody." Skill levels get paired up, from home cooks to people who "use their oven to store sweaters."The twist: no recipes during class. Everything is prepped mise en place style, the whole room cooks at the same pace by sight, smell and sound, and you get the recipes at the end to take home.📅 UPCOMING CLASSES AT NICHEThursdays, 6:30–8:30 PM | 124 S. Broadway, downtown Wichita- Knife Skills ($80): Thursday, October 15 and Thursday, November 19- Culinary Foundations: Kitchen Mastery & Modern Sauces ($85): Thursday, November 5Register at gettrained.wsutech.edu. No application, just pick a date.Seasonal classes run through December, with pies, French pastry and a holiday beef Wellington.👯 PLANNING A GROUP NIGHT?NICHE also builds custom classes for girls' nights, date nights, coworker outings or a houseful of visiting family, from chicken fingers and mac and cheese all the way to beef Wellington and duchess potatoes. Reach out to NICHE with your dates, ideas and budget, and they'll build a class around your group.⏱️ CHAPTERS00:00 Welcome to the ShockStarter studio + sponsors02:00 This or That: Kitchen Edition13:50 Walking into NICHE16:30 Chaos management in a teaching kitchen19:20 The marriage counseling cooking class21:00 Why Chef Audra teaches22:00 Hot tip: turn your burner down23:15 What she notices in the first 10 minutes25:15 The five mother sauces27:20 Why ...
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    51 mins
  • Episode 62 : A Place Where the Misfits Fit

    Episode 62 : A Place Where the Misfits Fit
    Oct 1 2026
    Send us Fan MailSo THIS Happened is Wichita's podcast for real talk, local culture, and the occasional Taylor Swift spiral — and this week, hosts Jen Cole and Rachel Chappelle traded their usual couch for a live audience at the B-29 DOC Hangar in Wichita, Kansas, for a special episode behind the curtain of Richard O'Brien's Rocky Horror Show Wichita. Joining them: Jesse Bourque, Ryan Schafer, and Brent McNulty, the team bringing Rocky Horror Wichita to life this October — plus a surprise appearance from cast member Justin Noel Hall.This wasn't just an episode — it was a full Sip Squad takeover, recorded live in front of a crowd, with a lot of wine, a lot of laughs, and a genuine love letter to Tim Curry along the way.🍷 This or That: Backstage EditionBefore diving into the good stuff, the group played a few rounds of This or That, Rocky Horror style — and the answers said a lot about who's who on this production.- Opening night jitters or closing night nostalgia? Brent and Jesse both landed on closing night nostalgia; Ryan and Rachel went with opening night energy- Start from scratch or revive something beloved? A near-unanimous vote for reviving something beloved — with Rocky Horror as the obvious exception to Brent's usual "give me a blank slate" instinct- Behind-the-scenes chaos or front-of-house polish? Everyone on this stage is, by their own admission, a chaos lover — "chaos is my love language," according to Brent📖 Jesse Bourque: The Origin StoryJesse Bourque is the person at the center of how Rocky Horror Wichita came to be. His Rocky Horror origin story starts at the Crown Uptown Theatre, where he saw his first production as a very confused Rocky Horror virgin (his words). What followed was years of costume contests, a viewing on Broadway, and a realization in 2026 that no one in Wichita was producing the show that year.So he called Brent McNulty. Brent's response? "Do you have the rights?" Jesse didn't yet — but that conversation is what got Rocky Horror Wichita moving. (He also may have forgotten to mention the commitment to his now-wife Annika for a few weeks. She found out, got on board anyway, and has since designed the entire Rocky Horror Wichita digital presence by hand — no AI involved.)Jesse's advice for first-timers going into the show: don't take yourself too seriously, dress in costume, get the after-party ticket, and remember you have exactly one job for the night — have a good time.🎬 Ryan Schafer: The Director's VisionRyan Schafer is directing this production — and he's played Brad himself, twice, at the Crown Uptown. That performer's-eye view is shaping how he directs now, from the comedy to the show's more heartfelt, unexpectedly sincere moments in the second act.Ryan's vision for the show: sexy, grungy, campy, funny, and welcoming — a space where people can be their truest selves without judgment. And this year's production carries an extra layer of meaning: it's a love letter to Tim Curry, whose performance made Rocky Horror what it is, following his passing this year.🏗️ Brent McNulty: Turning a Hangar into a TheaterBrent McNulty is running tech and production — which means turning the B-29 DOC Hangar (built to house a bomber, not a Broadway-style production) into a full immersive theater experience, complete with atmospheric lighting, cocktails, food, and a live band with zero prerecorded music or AI involved.Brent's also thinking long-term: this isn't a one-off. The goal is for the B-29 DOC Hangar to become the permanent home of Rocky Horror Wichita, growing bigger and bolder every year.Asked whether the show's motto — "Don't Dream It, Be It" — lands differently for him on the production side, Brent didn't hesitate: this has genuinely been a dream come true, and a chance to bring live theater into a hangar built to educate people about aviation history.🎉 Surprise Guest: Justin Noel HallPartway through the episode, cast member Justin Noel Hall — who plays Rocky himself — got pulled up for an impromptu chat. This is his first musical theater role (he's usually a musician in the pit), and he has Jesse Bourque to thank (or blame) for talking him into auditioning. His audition included a dance call cold-reading the Time Warp choreography with almost no prep. He survived. He's thriving. He plans to keep the gold shorts.🎟️ Tickets, Dates & How to Go- Richard O'Brien's Rocky Horror Show Wichita runs seven performances over six nights this October at the B-29 DOC Hangar- Snag 15% off Tier 1 and Tier 2 opening night tickets when you use code SPOOKYSIPSQUAD at checkout- A special midnight show is happening on Halloween night — perfect for parents who want to trick-or-treat first, then come see the show- The after-party "Haunted Hangar" dance party with the cast is happening October 30th- Blue Moon Catering is providing food, so guests can grab dinner, a drink, and a show all in one nightTickets and full show info: ...
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    50 mins
  • Episode 61 : Fair Words

    Episode 61 : Fair Words
    Sep 24 2026

    Send us Fan Mail

    Episode 61 Show Notes — Fair Words
    Featuring Katy Munden Hays of Alegria Fair — recorded live at GROW Plant Bar

    So THIS Happened, Wichita's podcast for real talk and local culture, welcomed Katy Munden Hays of Alegria Fair to the mic for a live Sip Squad Session at GROW Plant Bar in downtown Wichita. Hosted by Jen Cole and Rachel Chappelle, this episode covers Katy's rebrand — bringing her fair trade business and her cause-marketing, ethical storytelling work together under one name — and what it looks like to build a more intentional life right here in Wichita, Kansas.

    LIVE AT GROW: A SIP SQUAD SESSION

    This one was recorded live in front of a Sip Squad audience at GROW Plant Bar's beautiful lounge space in downtown Wichita. Big thanks to everyone who came out to sip, cheer, and be part of the conversation in person — and to everyone tuning in from home.

    MEET KATY MUNDEN HAYS OF ALEGRIA FAIR

    Katy Munden Hays has spent the last year rebranding, bringing her fair trade business and her marketing-for-good work together under one name: Alegria Fair — Global Goods + Cause Marketing. Here's what that means:

    - Fair trade global goods: ethically sourced home goods and gifts, including pieces made from upcycled sari fabric, sold through regular pop-ups and market booths around Wichita
    - Marketing, branding, and content writing for nonprofits and good causes
    - Ethical Storytelling Labs — teaching trauma-informed, dignity-centered storytelling to nonprofits and organizations around Wichita
    - Marketing for Good, a conference she hosted in April bringing together people doing similar work in the community
    - Event planning including the Women Empowered Market (March) and a Nonprofit Party in the spring

    On the personal side, Katy talked about what intentional living looks like day to day — purposeful spending, food choices, getting outside, and biking with her husband Rob on Wichita's trails and new Douglas Avenue bike lanes.

    FAIR WORDS: THE BIG IDEA

    The episode's title comes straight from the conversation: fair trade means people are treated and paid fairly — so Katy believes we owe people fair words too. That's the thread connecting her fair trade work and her push for ethical, dignity-centered storytelling in Wichita's nonprofit and cause-marketing spaces.

    WHERE TO FIND ALEGRIA FAIR

    Instagram & Facebook: @alegriafair
    Katy's personal account: @katymundenhays
    Website: https://www.createalegria.com/
    Old Town Farm and Art Market — Saturdays, 8:00 AM–1:00 PM (10:00 AM–1:00 PM in November & December)
    Paramount Marketplace — Franklin & Woodlawn
    The Workroom — Ballroom Collective (upstairs)
    Alternative Gift Market — November 14

    JOIN US FOR THE NEXT SIP SQUAD SESSION!

    Sip Squad Sessions: Featuring Jovana & Tony of Vu Events
    Bubbles Champagne Bar | November 30 | 6:30 PM | Free — just show up!

    Come sip with us! Our next Sip Squad Session heads to Bubbles Champagne Bar to sit down with Jovana and Tony of Vu Events, our longtime Sip Squad sponsor. Wichita, mark your calendars.

    THANK YOU TO OUR SPONSORS

    This episode's Sip Squad Session was brought to you by Vu Events (it had to be Vu!), Colour Thairapy Salon, and Backspace Media — with a huge thank-you to GROW Plant Bar for hosting us in downtown Wichita.

    So THIS Happened is Wichita's podcast for real talk, local culture, and the occasional Taylor Swift spiral. Hosted by Jen Cole and Rachel Chappelle. New episodes drop weekly — find us on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and YouTube.

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    56 mins
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