Name:
Amy

What part of town do you live in?
Technically Coral Gables, but it’s the Pinecrest area – called Pine Bay Estates.

How long have you lived in the area?
Six years.

Where are you originally from and what brought you to town?
Originally Boston. I moved here in 2003 after living in Lisbon, Portugal.  

What keeps you busy during the week?
I have three kids, 15, 14 and 6. I also own a business called Litus Music. We also do volunteer work with an organization called Techo that we’re very passionate about as a family. And, we have another project, in its infant stage, that is a music collective like ‘We-work’ for musicians.

What is Litus Music?
My husband, Pablo, is a professional saxophonist. He got his master’s degree in music therapy at the University of Miami and worked for many years at Jackson memorial as a music therapist. We’re a talent agency for musicians. We specialize in distinct, unusual, and high-quality music. Our passion is bringing music and art to our city and to give artists a platform to share their art and be compensated for it.

We design custom music landscaping for your special event. You want to have a chef’s table with locally sourced food on your farm – What would be the music? What would be the sound that would accompany that, to resonate with the food that you’re serving and the kind of people that are going to come. That’s what excites us.  

How do you find artists?
Most of the time, they find us. The musician community in Miami is very tight; it’s an interconnected web. When we started, Pablo would be my rolodex because he had been gigging for so many years.

What type of musician do you look for?
We’re always excited by the super creative. We’re looking for that ephemeral balance between punctuality, responsiveness, organization and beautiful artistic and creative expression.

Are there any events you’ve worked on that standout?
We just did an event that benefited the organization Techo that builds homes in slum communities all over Latin America. We just did a fundraising event at the Flamingo Theater on Brickell, where we had two of our local Litus bands, and they were followed by one of our favorite artists, Kevin Johanson, who came in from Argentina and donated his concert. We raised over $52,000. It was fun, exciting and contributed to the community. It was a beautiful event to be involved in.

The other one that comes to mind is a big fancy wedding at the hotel, Fina, a year ago.  We were hired to arrange a 25-person Gospel Choir. On the day of the event, we learned that the main band for the party was Diana Ross and Usher, and the after party was going to be DJ’d by Mark Ronson.  

Can you share more about your Music Collective?
It’s early, we are looking for a location. The idea is a brick and mortar space where musicians will be able to connect with other musicians. A co-working place for musicians and performance artists, because you can’t really join ‘we-work’ if you need to be jamming. We will have a recording studio, photographers and film editors, and at least one producer. It’s a one stop shop for musicians and performance artists to have a place to jam and get together.    

How often do you come to the Pinecrest market?
Almost every Sunday. It’s unusual to skip a Sunday.

What’s your Sunday ritual like?
We always get in the smoothie line with you guys. Each of our kids has their preferred flavor. We get your Turmeric Tonic and the Golden Coins. Now that they’re soft, I’m obsessed!

I can’t wait for your jackfruit. And your guacamole, are you kidding me? It’s the best guacamole anywhere, by far. You can’t compare.

What other stands do you like?
My son likes the ribs and pizza. We always hit Zak. We love Flap, the pickle guy, and Lemoy’s vegan foods. And, I love Fatima with her candles and the Ceramic League of Miami. Talk about undiscovered artists. I’m starting classes there in August.

(A+W) We took a class a few years ago at the Ceramic League. It was a lot of fun and we made bowls that we still use.

(Amy) It’s been on my bucket list! I’m taking guitar lessons and then want to learn to throw on a pottery wheel, and then French, and then Salsa!

What do you think our market is missing?
I’m excited that we have more shade for the community tables. I’d like organic arepas, organic yummy coffee with milk alternatives, organic (and real) acai bowls, and some homemade granola.

What’s a favorite activity you enjoy with your kids?
Playing and listening to music. Sharing a meal on a Sunday afternoon; my husband’s a passionate griller.

Where do you like to go out for food?
Lately we are more conscious about what we put in our bodies and being responsible for where we choose to eat. We love Cafe Pastis for our neighborhood haunt. The salad with goat cheese, the soups, and the mussels are to die for. And my son of course, gets the Steak au Poivre with extra French fries.

What about for a special occasion?
Mandolin for delicious, local, homemade food. The other is Mr. C in Coconut Grove. We were really impressed.

What’s the area’s best kept secret?
There’s an amazing place called Bunbury Miami. It’s owned by these young Argentine women. They have live music and some of the best food you’ll get in Miami. It used to be in this little shack in Wynwood that was semi illegal, not zoned. They recently moved to a big space. You walk in and it’s a total secret jam and they just opened three weeks ago. It’s amazing.  

Also, paddle boarding. You can get in right off Chapman field road and paddle out through the mangroves to the bay. That’s one of the coolest things I’ve done in Miami.

What is a worthy splurge for you?
A special hotel when traveling.

Are there any community events or philanthropic groups that you would like to promote or share?
I love the jazz series that goes on at Pinecrest Gardens. I love the music series at Deering Estates. I think a lot of people don’t know about that.  

Is there a question you would like to ask us?
Where do you guys see yourself in five years?

(A+W) That’s been a frequent question over the last many weeks. We’ve been working on many fronts, from developing ideas on the farm to a local indoor farmer’s market open all week. We’re focused on bringing local fruits to as many people as we can. We will see where that leads us.

Is there anything I haven’t asked that would like to share?
I’m so grateful that you were interested in talking. Thank you.