Gene: We’re back for our second appearance at VU Bistro in Fountain Hills. Once again, if you haven’t been to this place you need to come see it. It is definitely well-named and I am happy to once again have the honor of introducing the owner of VU Bistro, Heidi Hake.
Heidi, welcome to the show, again.
Heidi: Thank you
Gene: you came out here between, like, fourth and fifth grade, right?
Heidi: Yes, correct
Gene: And that was because your mom got a job. What school did she teach at?
Heidi:We started in Florence Arizona –
Gene: Florence
Heidi: – first year teaching.
Gene: In a public school, though…
Heidi: In a public school.
Gene: not in the other place… (Laughter)
Heidi: Visiting relatives. (More Laughter)
Heidi: But yeah , that was really fun; interesting. Big change from Wisconsin.
Gene: Yeah, well, it is kind of a change from Wisconsin. So how long did she teach there?
Heidi: One year. A year and then we moved up to Phoenix and she got a job in the Peoria District
Gene: Well Peoria wasn’t much more urban at that time at that
point in time than Florence.
Heidi: That’s true.
Gene: It was still kind of out there.
Heidi: It was out there.
Gene: And, so how long was she at the Peoria district?
Heidi: I think she retired after 30 plus years.
Gene: Now, wow, 30 years… teaching…
Heidi: She’s only 49 so I don’t know that works (laughing) She’s listening, so I have to be careful (laughing)
Gene: So, were you a good kid or were you normal?
Heidi: I was wise. I was wise.
Gene: Ah!
I don’t know if I was good but…
Gene: Acre? Ass?
Heidi: What was that?
Gene: Were you a wise acre?
Heidi: (laughing) Yeah.
Gene: Or just smart enough not to say it out loud?
Heidi: Yeah just not enough.
Gene: What started you dreaming, thinking about being in the restaurant business?
Heidi: That was an accident. That was… I actually went to school for aesthetics and that’s how I opened up the salon so it actually it was more intended to be a full-service salon spa here and accidentally turned into a restaurant.
Gene: I thought you had mentioned when you went to California when you graduated high school, you were in a restaurant industry there too.
Heidi: I’ve always been in the restaurant industry as extra side work type of a thing. Worked in Tahoe and LA and Honolulu and San Francisco and traveled and worked in the industry.
I see. You didn’t tell us about Tahoe before.
Heidi: Lake Tahoe? Yeah. I was banned. (Laughter) Can’t talk about it.
(More laughter)
Gene: So much for me askin’ “Well, how’d that happen?”
Heidi: Tahoe was too fun (still laughing).
Gene: Apparently, you weren’t always wise… Yes that’s that’s pretty good. that’s a story in itself…
Heidi: It’s another show. Thank God there’s no cell phones back then, no.
Gene: What years were you in Honolulu?
Heidi: Oh gosh, 93 94 in that time.
Gene: So how did you like Honolulu?
Heidi:I loved it and I loved it it was it’s beautiful. I don’t think I’d want to live there forever; the island fever kind of kicked in but when I was there I loved it
Gene: Okay how long were you there
Heidi: About six, seven months, not long
Gene: I lived there seven years, never got island fever
Heidi: No?
Gene: So can you… now, I’ve gotta ask this, given that you can’t talk about Tahoe, can you talk about where you worked in Honolulu?
Heidi: I actually worked in restaurants in Honolulu.
Gene: In Honolulu proper or Waikiki
Heidi: Waikiki
Gene: That was even before all the Trump stuff, too…
Heidi: Yep and like I said it was really fun and I stayed there and I thought okay I’m ready to move someplace else and I came back here and ended up staying. So that I had a daughter, Sophia, she’s 23 now, and so we kind of stayed planted, with family and friends
Gene: So we’re gonna talk more, you know, in a later segment and you’re gonna talk more in a later segment with you know plans that you’ve got for the future and everything
Heidi: Yeah.
Gene: But you had a garage sale here today
Heidi: Yes, we did. We did okay.
Gene: I’m really enjoying this because now we get to delve into each other see we get to kind of “ooh, that’s a scab!” That left a mark!” (Laughter) So, tell us more.
Heidi: So we’re just excited. The summer is here and of course in our you know area it does slow down a little bit which is gonna give us a little time to get our Gardens put up and get this restaurant going and get some new things happening for fall so we’re really excited about .it
Gene: yeah Kenny was telling me some stuff that’s gonna be a lot of fun to talk about when he does a segment later on but you guys you guys this this is so unique.
Heidi: Yes
Gene: You got to try this place out because this is a different Arizona experience, I will tell you that. I will tell you that beyond a shadow of a doubt. It’s a sincerely marvelous marvelous experience something that you don’t expect but you can’t help but love,
Heidi, thank you, darlin’. Okay?
Heidi: thank you
Gene: we’ll see you in a little bit.
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