My company & title is….Rustic Café, owner

A typical day in my life includes…between work and family, I keep pretty busy. There is never a dull moment in my life. Between grocery shopping, pickup up my granddaughter from school, the daily business and paperwork, then home for homework – it’s an action-packed day.

My favorite thing about living/working in the Deer Valley area is…the people in the area are great. We meet so many kind people on a daily basis. The smiles we get regularly keep us going.

My favorite movie I could never get tired of watching and why…All of the Despicable Me movies. Also, the Grinch. My granddaughter and I watch them all year long – they hold unforgettable memories.

My family… has been very supportive. It has been a dream of mine to own a restaurant, and they were there to help and support me.

The business lesson I learned the hard way is…watch your nickels and dimes and dollars will take care of themselves. In business, things can change quickly. Equipment breaking, rising wages and summer time are all things that come around. If you are not prepared, it can get tight for a small business.

One thing I cannot live without is…the Good Lord above. This world can get a bit hectic. Philippians 4:4-13 basically says Rejoice in the Lord and know I can do all things through him who gives me strength. I’ll be the first one to tell you how hard this is to keep in mind sometimes, but all we can do is our best.

When I was younger, I wanted to be…a professional football player. But after a couple injuries and realizing that I really didn’t like getting hit that hard regularly, I settled for being a chef.

The song I would sing at Karaoke night is…”Sun Spot Baby” by Bob Segar or “You May Be Right” by Bill Joel. Both are tops in my book.

The one person who motivates me is…my staff. They seem to enjoy working here, which in turn gives me the ambition to do more myself.

The last thing that made me laugh out loud was…my granddaughter. It’s great to see her smile but even greater to hear her laughter. It’s kind of addicting.

The perfect day would be…a day off. Ha! My wife and I enjoyed a stay at a bed and breakfast called Full Circle Ranch recently. After that, we took a drive to Crown King then Prescott. That was kind of a perfect staycation. But laying around on the couch watching Criminal Minds all day wouldn’t be so bad either.

My first job was…when I was a kid I would shovel sidewalks, mow lawns or rake leaves. I guess my first real job was at 13, working on a farm. It was hard, gratifying work.

My life…consists of God, work and family. Not much more to say.

I’m currently working on…a couple of things. We are always trying to figure out ways to grow our business. I’m also doing some research on why there are so many diets out there, yet there is still so much obesity and so much sickness. Maybe someday, someone will be able to figure this out.

The best gift I’ve ever received was…actually the gift that I gave. Last year I gave my daughter an iPhone 7. To see the tears of joy and the hug I got was probably the best gift ever.

The actor I would want to play me in a movie of my life is…John Travolta. He can dance, sing and is a pretty good-looking guy. He seems to be a decent person and come on…Kelly Preston!

My dream vacation would be to…Hawaii in January. Whale season, perfect temperatures, great scenery on and off shores. I can’t imagine much better. I do hear great things about Alaskan Cruises though. That would be a close second. But again, time on the couch with Criminal Minds close behind.

My words of wisdom to aspiring business owners…Romans 15:13 “May the God of all hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit”. You are going to need. Chase that dream with all you have, but do not forget where you came from.