I wanted to bring you a short message today that lets you know how much I appreciate all of your support. Here are just a few of the things I am grateful for.
What am I grateful for? I’m grateful for waking up every morning with all my aches and pains and coming to my office to do the work that I love. I’m also grateful for my health, my friends, my family, my team, and of course, my fur babies. Thank you to all of my clients, past, present, and future, who have trusted us with their business. We appreciate and value each and every one of you.
Let me know what you’re grateful for.
Now I want you to think about what you’re grateful for today and let me know. We’d also love to hear about any great nonprofits you have worked with so we can do a future video with them.
If you have any questions for me about real estate or getting a home loan in the meantime, don’t hesitate to give me a call or send me an email.
I was delighted to be joined recently by Cate Hinkle, managing director of TheaterWorks at the Peoria Center for the Performing Arts. We had a great conversation about her nonprofit theatre company and everything that they’re up to. You can listen to our full conversation in the video above, but I also wanted to break down our discussion with timestamps so you can peruse at your leisure. Here’s what we talked about:
:35- Why TheaterWorks is more than just live entertainment.
1:20- Cate discusses her background in theatre, growing up in the performing arts scene here in Phoenix, and what brought her to TheaterWorks.
2:15- A brief history of the origin of TheaterWorks and The Peoria Center for the Performing Arts.
5:20- Exciting news from Cate about the upcoming theatre season that includes 14 different productions, including “The Little Mermaid” in July.
There are 14 productions slated to open this year.
7:30- The impact that theatre can have on the youth and a few exciting children’s shows that are coming up this season.
9:15- How to get in touch with TheaterWorks or get all the necessary info for the upcoming season.
10:00- Good news for those of you in Prescott this weekend.
If you have any questions for us in the meantime or any real estate needs we can assist with, don’t hesitate to reach out and give us a call or send us an email. We look forward to hearing from you.
We’d like to wish you a very happy holiday and a warm and healthy new year. We at Romero Real Estate are very grateful to know all of you, and we’re especially thankful for your support in our company.
Today I'm happy to be joined by Sara Matlin, who is the market manager of the Phoenix Public Market.
Sara is a Phoenix native and lives in the downtown community. She's always worked with small businesses and has always enjoyed helping them thrive in our community. "Working with the farmers market is definitely a dream," she says. "I love supporting local and shopping local, and that's exactly what we do at the farmers market."
As Sara points out, the Phoenix Public Market is actually one of the only nonprofit farmers markets in the Valley. They're focused on supporting local food systems and supporting small business. This month, they're celebrating 12 years, and many of their vendors and farmers have been with them the whole time. Currently, they host about 100 vendors each week, ranging from local growers to bakers all the way to artisans and specialty services.
The Phoenix Public Market is open year-round, rain or shine.
If you're not familiar with Phoenix and our history, we were agriculture-based in the beginning. Next to California and Florida, we were one of the largest producers of citrus. An abundance of agricultural products still exists.
Thanks to this great growing season, Sara says, the market is open every Saturday year-round, rain or shine (but mainly shine!) from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. during the high season. In the summer from about May to October, they are open from 8 a.m. to noon. You can learn more at their website, phxpublicmarket.com, or you can give them a call at 602-625-6736.
As always, if you have any questions about the Phoenix real estate market or you're looking to buy or sell a home, I'm always here. Just give me a call or send me an email!
Today I’m spotlighting the Children’s Museum of Phoenix, a non-profit organization committed to engaging the minds and muscles of both children and the adults who care for them.
Today I’m proud to welcome Kate Wells, the CEO of the Children’s Museum of Phoenix, to talk a little bit about her non-profit organization.
According to Kate, the Children’s Museum of Phoenix began all the way back in 1998 when she and a group of friends decided that a city as big as ours very much needed a children’s museum. Initially, they called themselves the “Phoenix Family Museum” but rebranded after a few years and opened the new museum in 2008 after acquiring the Monroe School building. In making this iconic, territorial-style building their home, they also saved it from certain demolition.
This museum’s mission is to engage the minds and muscles of both the children and the adults who care about them. They do this by focusing on the early development of kids ages 10 and under by emphasizing things that have to happen in their young lives for them to be ready to attend school, be productive members of society, and enjoy a lifelong love affair with learning.
They don’t teach about any particular topic—they create educational playtime opportunities to cultivate life skills like sharing and fostering interpersonal relationships. These playtime opportunities feature hands-on exhibits that develop the concepts of cause and effect, trial and error, and risk-taking.
This museum helps kids embrace learning.
The last four years running, they’ve hosted the biggest gala in the city—the Moroccan Nights gala. This year, they will host it once more on April 1st in conjunction with Sandfest—their sand castle building festival. As one of their primary fundraisers, this gala features a weeklong schedule of activities. Out of the roughly 350,000 visits they get each year, around 50,000 kids come on free passes. All the money they raise at this gala then goes to their Every Child program.
Speaking for herself, Kate is happy to call the museum a part of her life’s work. As part of their Every Child program, they partner with about 125 other social service agencies around town and maintain partnerships with other kinds of corporations that help them serve as many children as possible.
In Kate’s words, “They play well in the sandbox with others.”
The Children’s Museum of Phoenix is located at 215 N 7th St., Phoenix, AZ 85034. They’re open Tuesday through Sunday from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. If you have any questions for them or want to learn more about them, you can visit them online at www.childrensmuseumofphoenix.org.
If you have any other questions about this organization or just want to talk about real estate, give me a call. Make it a great day!
There are many great Phoenix Area homes for sale.Click here to perform a full home search, or if you're thinking of selling your home, click here for a FREE Home Price Evaluationso you know what buyers will pay for your home in today's market. You may also call me at 602-252-4191 for a FREE home buying or selling consultation to answer any of your real estate questions.
Today, we speak with Becky Bell Ballard, the Artistic and Executive Director, of Rosie's House, a music academy for children!
Becky, can you tell us about yourself, the history of your organization, its mission, and how people can get involved?
"I like to tell our students here at Rosie's house to remember the three B's: Bach, Beethoven, and Brahms. That's how they remember my name! I'm an educator and a musician. I studied music education at Arizona State University and the first instrument I played was the piano. When I was in third grade growing up in Chicago, I had the opportunity to see the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, and I fell in love with the shiny, round horn in the back of the orchestra - I didn't even know what it was at the time. I eventually learned it was a French horn, ended up picking it up in the fourth grade, and have been playing it since."
How long have you been with the organization?
"I've been with Rosie's house for seven years. Previously, I served as Education and Community Engagement Manager with the Phoenix Symphony, so I've always been involved with youth, education, and trying to make our community vibrant through music education. I'm the Artistic and Executive Director with Rosie's House and in that world my main function is to oversee our faculty members, we have 21 part-time staff and a some full-time staff as well. We are a local success story as well as one of the largest free music academies nationwide. The purpose of our organization is to provide access to music education to students in low income families. As we bring students in, we provide them with free after school music instruction, a loan instrument, mentorship, and performance opportunities."
How long has Rosie's house been in existence?
"We were founded 19 years ago, so we will actually be celebrating our 20-year anniversary in March of 2016. Our founding story is really remarkable and inspiring. We were founded by Rosie, hence the name, in a small house in the Oakland neighborhood of Phoenix, which is a very economically depressed area of town. Rosie and her husband, Woody, made that home a safe place for neighborhood children to come after school and be involved in music. We started with 40 students coming after school to that small little house to have music lessons and cookies and milk, as a safe place for kids to meet after school."
I know you went from there to a church in South Phoenix, and you've been here for six or seven years now.
"Right. Rosie's House has been on the campus of Central United Methodist Church since 2006, which is about nine years."
Some of your students have been very successful. Where have some of your best students moved on to?
"That is one of the most rewarding parts of my job: keeping in touching with alumni students and seeing their success and their impact in the community. We just recently had one of our alums come back and talk to us about his path and his story. He graduated in 2004 and went on to pursue his love of the saxophone at U of A. He is now serving in his first year as the music director at the Rosa Linda Elementary School in the Roosevelt District in South Phoenix. So, he came back to his community to provide youth just like him with music. He's one of our success stories, and we've had a lot of students who have gone on to study music."
This is only a small part of my long conversation with Becky! If you want to hear more about Rosie's House and the amazing things they are doing in our community, watch the video above!
There are many great Phoenix Area homes for sale.Click here to perform a full home search, or if you're thinking of selling your home, click here for a FREE Home Price Evaluation so you know what buyers will pay for your home in today's market. You
may also call me at 602-252-4191 for a FREE home buying or selling
consultation to answer any of your real estate questions.
Today we're here with Jana Smith, the Executive Director of the Phoenix Community Toolbank.This is a great organization that lends tools to other charitable organizations, schools, non-profits, or neighborhood associations for mission-related impact.
The Phoenix Community Toolbank is part of a national Toolbank organization.The concept of Toolbanks has been around for 25 years. A group of churches in Atlanta had folks get together and put their tools in a shared space so more people had access to them. In 2008, a parent company formed with the goal to replicate Toolbanks throughout the United States.
An interesting aspect of the Toolbank model is that Toolbank will not open in a city that doesn't want or support it.First we gauge if there is interest and support in a community. We first started looking at Phoenix in 2011, and when it was determined that there was a community need, we started fundraising to open one in 2013.
At the Phoenix Community Toolbank,we have a 10,000 square foot warehouse filled with everything from power tools to rakes.To qualify to borrow tools from Toolbank, you simply need charitable intent. If you are out there doing good work, Toolbank will work with you so you can use their tools.
Toolbank is located at 3801 East Alioney Street.Although their business hours are 8:00 am to 5:00 pm Monday through Friday, Jana says they will work with organizations who need to pick up tools on the weekend. If you have any questions, you can contact Toolbank at (602) 692-2473, or visit http://www.phoenixtoolbank.org/for more information.
As always, if you have any real estate questions, please do not hesitate to give me a call or send me an email. I look forward to hearing from you!
There are many great Phoenix Area homes for sale.Click here to perform a full home search, or if you're thinking of selling your home, click here for a FREE Home Price Evaluation so you know what buyers will pay for your home in today's market. You
may also call me at 602-252-4191 for a FREE home buying or selling
consultation to answer any of your real estate questions.
Today we are joined by Richie Ressel, the co-founder of Heroes for Students, a local non-profit organization working to inspire and empower children in Phoenix. First we’ll tell you a little about Richie and his background, and how his organization is working to brighten our future.
Richie has been in education for 5 years and was a teacher in the classroom for three of them while pursuing his master’s degree in elementary education. He noticed a big divide between the community and his classroom, so he wanted to bridge that gap. He saw his students weren’t benefitting from the community, so that’s when he decided to start bringing in guest speakers to his classroom.
One particular guest speaker he brought in was a bi-lingual female doctor. Richie recalls a young girl being so inspired by this speaker and her message, that she ended up raising over $1000 for children with cancer.
Seeing this kind of inspiration occur while continuing to see the gap between the students and the community widen, Richie and his co-founder decided to put together an organization that would have a database of guest speakers for people who want to rally around their local schools. So far, they have been able to get over 100 guest speakers in classrooms, impacting over 500 students.
In addition to working on bringing more guest speakers into the classroom, they are also planning some community events as well. Richie wants to close that gap between the high-performing and low-performing schools by inspiring and empowering his students to take advantage of the opportunities presented to them. It’s not just about what they learn in the classroom, it’s about what they learn outside of it as well.
If you have any questions for Richie about Heroes for Students, feel free to give him a call at (760)703-3404 or visit the organization’s website online here. If you have any real estate questions, you can obviously contact us and we will be with you shortly.
There are many great Phoenix Area homes for sale.Click here to perform a full home search, or if you're thinking of selling your home, click here for a FREE Home Price Evaluation so you know what buyers will pay for your home in today's market. You
may also call me at 602-252-4191 for a FREE home buying or selling
consultation to answer any of your real estate questions.
Today I have the honor and the privilege to be sitting with Andre St. Pierre. He is a graduate of the Valley Leadership class, and Arizona 2030 was a project that he started in order to complete the class.
His team had lots of different issues and ideas that they wanted to solve, so Arizona 2030 (www.Arizona2030.org) gave them a platform for them to solve their individual problems while also allowing people to pursue their other goals.
Community organizations, nonprofit organizations, businesses, and members of the community can all come together and tackle these goals together. They have partnered with the Center for the Future of Arizona in order to merge mutual ideas and accomplish shared goals.
Some of the goals set forth by Arizona 2030 include:
Connecting organizations, businesses, and individuals who are working toward similar objectives.
Providing an online platform for organizations to share their vision, short and long-term strategies, and opportunities for others to engage.
Sharing creative goals and new ideas to inspire Arizonans.
Providing resources to democratize access to information, knowledge banks, and human capital.
Creating an online venue to foster community dialogues, civic engagement, and economic development.
Continuously evolve and expand to provide new ways to track your pledge progress and engage with the community.
Becoming a statewide resource for all Arizonans committed to creating the Arizona we want.
Arizona 2030 is a non-partisan organization that aims to make Arizona stand out as a place that people want to live and grow.
If you would like to learn more about Arizona 2030, you can visit www.Arizona2030.org.
We encourage you to investigate this wonderful organization and take the pledge!
There are many great Phoenix Area homes for sale.Click here to perform a full home search, or if you're thinking of selling your home, click here for a FREE Home Price Evaluation so you know what buyers will pay for your home in today's market. You
may also call me at 602-252-4191 for a FREE home buying or selling
consultation to answer any of your real estate questions.
Today we're here with Tom Egan from the Foundation for
Senior Living. Tom has been in non-profit management for about 20 years and
recently started working with this 40-year-old establishment.
The Foundation for Senior Living provides a continuum of
services for seniors, adults with disabilities, and caregivers. There are
multiple facilities: 21 different affordable housing complexes, 17 group homes,
and 3 adult day health centers. The Foundation offers assistance to people in
their own homes in order to help aging Baby Boomers maintain their
independence.
Tom and his team work with you to identify the correct
service for your situation. Home care is a service that generally helps someone
maintain their independence by providing housekeeping services. Home health
also provides medical assistance to people living in their own homes.
The adult day health centers offer the caregivers a respite,
the person gets a change of environment, and there is medical support staff to
assist them.
It's important to keep in mind that while it's called the
Foundation for Senior Living, they also assist adults with disabilities.
The Foundation for Senior Living's main offices is located
at 1201 E Thomas Rd, Phoenix, AZ 85014. If you have any questions for Tom or
are interested in their services, you can call 602-285-1800, or visit their
website, www.fsl.org.
As always, if you have any questions for me, give me a call
or send me an email. We'd be happy to help you!
There are many great Phoenix Area homes for sale.Click here to perform a full home search, or if you're thinking of selling your home, click here for a FREE Home Price Evaluation
so you know what buyers will pay for your home in today's market. You
may also call me at 602-252-4191 for a FREE home buying or selling
consultation to answer any of your real estate questions.
Today I have the honor and the pleasure to be speaking with Robert Booker, the Executive Director of the Arizona Commission of the Arts. He's going to be filling us in on the purpose and mission of the organization.
After graduating from Augustana College in South Dakota, Robert had the chance to work for the South Dakota Art Council. Art councils were established in the mid-60's, and every state has one. They are funded by the national endowment for the arts. The Arizona Commission of the Arts provides resources for non-profit arts projects.
Their mission is a simple one: they want everyone in Arizona to experience and participate in the arts. Their focus is on working with non-profit art companies to make them healthy, as well as helping to further the careers of local artists.
The arts industry in Arizona generates $500 million a year. This does not include ticket prices for events, and that is why art is a significant factor in the economic recovery. When a small town has an art show, the restaurants fill up and the hotels sell out. Art really does drive other businesses.
Another important reason for the arts is that they educate children to succeed in the 21st century workplace, which values creativity over many other skills. Art education has been proven to enhance other learning, and so Robert thinks it's vital that people both learn about and experience more art.
If you'd like to learn more about the arts movement in Arizona, you can reach Robert Booker at (602) 771-6501 or go to www.azarts.gov.
As always, if you need assistance with Phoenix real estate, please don't hesitate to contact my team. We're always willing to help you!
There are many great Phoenix Area homes for sale.Click here to perform a full home search, or if you're thinking of selling your home, click here for a FREE Home Price Evaluation so you know what buyers will pay for your home in today's market. You may also call me at 602-252-4191 for a FREE home buying or selling consultation to answer any of your real estate questions.
Today, we're going to talk about the nine simple things you can be grateful for, even when times are tough. Some days are great - things go as planned, and sometimes even better. Then, of course, there are days that aren't so great, days where you're not motivated at all and the best laid plans don't go the way you would like them to.
When something important goes wrong and you get that sinking feeling in your stomach, the simplest and quickest way to turn a bad day or week around is to turn your focus to gratitude. There's always something you can feel grateful for in your life. I'll share my top 9 things I'm thankful for to give you an example:
My warm and safe home
Plenty of drinking water
Plenty of food
Enjoying the little things
Access to the internet
Friends and family
Health
Kindness of strangers
The fact that I'm alive!
As the great Ralph Waldo Emerson said, "Cultivate the habit of being grateful for every good thing that comes to you, and to give thanks continuously. And because all things have contributed to your advancement, you should include all things in your gratitude."
What do you feel grateful for?
Until next time, friends - have a happy Thanksgiving, and thanks for being apart of my life.
As always, if you have any questions about the market, or need real estate help of any kind, give me a call or shoot me an email. I would be honored to assist you.
There are many great Phoenix Area homes for sale.Click here to perform a full home search, or if you're thinking of selling your home, click here for a FREE Home Price Evaluation so you know what buyers will pay for your home in today's market. You may also call me at 602-252-4191 for a FREE home buying or selling consultation to answer any of your real estate questions.
Thanks for taking the time to visit our blog. Today we want to help you take the fear out of the mortgage process and let you know what you need to to do qualify in today's market.
First off, your down payment will need to be somewhere in the range of 5-20% of the purchasing price, depending on the type of mortgage you get. A lender will also look at your income, credit history, and other financial documentation.
A 3rd party appraisal will need to be done as well. This will allow your lender to verify the value of the home you are planning to purchase.
Before starting the process of getting a loan, the following steps should be taken:
Find out your current credit history and FICO score
Start gathering all of your financial documents, including W-2's, pay stubs, bank statements, etc.
Talk to your lender about getting a pre-approval letter
If you have any questions, please give us a call. We can meet with you, explain the process, and together we can come up with a plan to help you find the perfect house and become a good homeowner.
There are many great Phoenix Area homes for sale.Click here to perform a full home search, or if you're thinking of selling your home, click here for a FREE Home Price Evaluation so you know what buyers will pay for your home in today's market. You may also call me at 602-252-4191 for a FREE home buying or selling consultation to answer any of your real estate questions.
With interest rates at all time lows and prices low as well, it's no wonder buyers are lining up trying to take advantage of all the great deals out there. If you are a buyer, and competing with tough competition like this, we have a few tips for you to help you stand out from the rest of the pack. Here they are:
1. You need to be prepared in advance
Too often when homeowners fall in love with a property, they do not take into consideration how much they can really afford. Pre-approval is a key step and you are taken far more seriously as a buyer with a pre-approval letter.
2. Study the Market
Many times, the buyer will not study market trends and the result ends with you losing money. Being prepared for a bidding war is sometimes what is necessary to get your new home. Sometimes you may need to offer a bit above asking price to make sure you get the home.
3. Add a personal touch to appeal to sellers
The transaction process can be very impersonal, but it doesn't have to be! One way that agents set their clients apart is by adding a personal touch, like a handwritten letter or email. When sellers come across this type of thing, it gives them a warm glimpse of the people who will be buying their home and makes them more likely to accept your offer.
At the end of the day, if the house is meant for you, it can become yours. You just have to put in the work and gain the knowledge to make it happen.
If you have any questions about the market or want more tips on buying homes, give us a call or send us an email. We'd be glad to help!
There are many great Phoenix Area homes for sale.Click here to perform a full home search, or if you're thinking of selling your home, click here for a FREE Home Price Evaluation so you know what buyers will pay for your home in today's market. You may also call me at 602-252-4191 for a FREE home buying or selling consultation to answer any of your real estate questions.
If your home has been on the market for a while and hasn't sold yet, there could be a number of contributing factors causing this. Today we are going to give you 4 of the most common areas where a home sale goes wrong and we will tell you how to fix them as well. When selling your home, always pay attention to:
Price
If your home isn't selling at its current price and other homes in your area are, you are being outpriced by the market. You need to look at what your neighbor's houses and other similar houses are selling for and price competitively.
Condition
You need to determine what work, if any, your home needs. Buyers have more options than they have had in the past and they are going to be more picky about the home they choose.
Marketing
Your home needs to have superior marketing to succeed. Hiring an agent with a team of professionals is key. 90% of home buyers start online, and your agent needs to have a strong team and strong online presence to make sure your home is sold fast.
Location
This is tough because it's a factor you don't have control over. Being on a premium lot is fantastic, but if you are on a busy street or rural area, it will be a little bit more difficult to sell your home.
If you have any more questions about selling your home, or have any other real estate questions, give us a call. We would love to be your go-to source for all the latest real estate information in Phoenix.
There are many great Phoenix Area homes for sale.Click here to perform a full home search, or if you're thinking of selling your home, click here for a FREE Home Price Evaluation so you know what buyers will pay for your home in today's market. You may also call me at 602-252-4191 for a FREE home buying or selling consultation to answer any of your real estate questions.
Escrow is a word that agents throw around on a daily basis, but the average person may not be familiar with it.
There are several stages. Let's say you made an offer on a home several weeks ago and wrote an earnest money deposit check, which was placed in escrow. This means it was given to an impartial third party while you and the seller negotiate a purchase contract. If you are working with an agent, they will take care of creating the escrow.
At this point, the lender will refer to your escrow account, which is also called your reserved or impound account. Essentially, it is money set aside for taxes, HOA fees, and homeowners insurance. The lender may have an in-house department that takes care of the account or there could be a third party taking care of it.
Next comes the close of escrow. When the buyer and seller have signed all the paperwork and all the funds have come in, the closing agent disperses the funds and oversees the recording of the documents with the county. When you go to sign, it doesn't mean you've closed escrow - after all the parties have signed, the title company and the lender will proceed to record the title.
Once the deed is filed and the title of the property is transferred to the buyer, the deal is complete and escrow is closed!
And that's it! If you have any questions about this or any other real estate topic, don't hesitate to ask! We would love to be your Phoenix real estate resource!
There are many great Phoenix Area homes for sale. Click here to perform a full home search, or if you're thinking of selling your home, click here for a FREE Home Price Evaluation so you know what buyers will pay for your home in today's market. You may also call me at 602-252-4191 for a FREE home buying or selling consultation to answer any of your real estate questions.
Today we want to go over a couple of things with you. First, we will cover all of the types of mortgages out there for you in today's market. Then, we'd like to talk to you about escrow, and how to distinguish between the different kinds of escrow. First, the mortgages:
1. Fixed-Rate
A fixed rate mortgage is a mortgage with no surprises. The rate that you sign for initially will be the rate for the life of your loan.
2. Adjustable-Rate
This kind of mortgage usually offers a lower initial interest rate than a fixed rate loan. However, after the initial period, rates tend to fluctuate and generally when they go up, so does your payment.
3. FHA
This loan is great for buyers who may not qualify for another type of loan otherwise. This type of loan has a lower down payment than most, but with new changes recently in FHA loans, the mortgage premiums on these loans are steadily increasing.
4. VA
VA loans are guaranteed loans for qualified veterans, active duty service, and surviving spouses. These loans often have no or a very little down payment.
5. Balloon
A balloon mortgage has a relatively low rate for a set period of time. After that time, however, the entire balance of the loan is due immediately, hence the name "balloon". This is a pretty risky loan because there is so much money to pay at one time.
6. Interest Rates Only
For a fixed term, buyers only pay the interest rate. However, after the term, the entire balance is due at once
7. Reverse Mortgage
This type is popular with seniors to convert their equity into cash. With this mortgage, you don't have to pay back the loan and interest as long as they live in the house.
If you have any questions about these or any other topics relating to real estate, please give us a call. We'd love to help you out!
There are many great Phoenix Area homes for sale.Click here to perform a full home search,or if you're thinking of selling your home, click here for a FREE Home Price Evaluation so you know what buyers will pay for your home in today's market. You may also call me at 602-252-4191 for a FREE home buying or selling consultation to answer any of your real estate questions.
Vovomeena is one of our favorite restaurants in the Phoenix area, so we thought we should give you a tour of this fabulous establishment.
Ryan, the head barista at Vovomeena, explained the Japanese cold-brewing technique to us. Essentially, 12 gallons of ice water are dumped down a very cool looking instrument, where it soaks into a middle compartment before filtering to the bottom chamber a finished product. This brewing technique makes the coffee incredibly smooth and more caffeinated than your average coffee.
It takes 12 whole hours to brew their cold coffee, which they market as Mornin' Moonshine. Ryan shared that while Vovomeena isn't the only place in town that uses this intense brewing method, they are the only one that offers infused flavors. Raw ingredients - such as orange peels and ginger - are mixed with the grounds for an amazing and unique taste.
Kaj, the manager, informed us that the name is inspired by the owner's heritage. Vovo means grandmother in Portuguese and Meena is the name of the owner's grandma. Her mural is even painted on the side of the building.
The menu includes Portuguese, Southwestern, and Spanish cuisine, as well as traditional breakfast. Everything in this locally owned and operated restaurant is made from srcatch, so you can be sure your food will taste great.
It has an open kitchen layout, so guests can see everything that's happening in the kitchen. It's also nice for busy days, as guests can entertain themselves by watching the masters in the kitchen at work. Vovomeena is a fast-casual type of restaurant. Come in, order at the register, and take a seat anywhere you'd like - whether you prefer to dine indoors or out.
If you're interested in enjoying Vovomeena, you can grab breakfast, lunch, or simply a great coffee Tuesday through Sunday from 6:30 am to 1:30 pm. If you'd rather pick it up, call (602) 252-2541. We hope to see you there sometime!
