Meet the Frida Staff: Gretchen Windt

Gretchen is always smiling...and making customers smile as well!

What's that sound?!  Oh, it's just Gretchen laughing from across the restaurant.

A lover of food and drink, Gretchen is one of those people that was born to work in the hospitality industry.  That's not to say she's not multi-talented (she has her Bachelor's in Music Education, her Master's in Vocal Performance, and is working on her Doctorate of Musical Arts at the University of Utah!) - but she has that "it" quality that Frida guests adore.  Gretchen is a tireless professional who takes her work here very seriously, always taking notes on our newest foods and wines so she's able to educate our guests with ease.  When she interacts with guests, she performs with complete sincerity - it's pretty impressive.  She truly wants every guest to have the best possible experience at Frida Bistro - she wants them to savor ever course and drink, and makes sure they have everything they need so they can enjoy Frida as much as she does.

Twelve years ago, as a freshman in college, Gretchen started working as a server at a small restaurant in Chicago, and has been part of the industry ever since.  Aside from an impressive stint at Cincinnati's Vito's Cafe, home of the singing servers, where she would sing arias and showtunes throughout dinner service, Gretchen has performed operas, oratorios, and choruses in Chicago, Cincinnati, Baltimore, Albuquerque, Amherst, Sarasota, Salt Lake City, Boise, and Italy.  In fact, she moved to SLC from Cincinnati after receiving a young artist contract with the Utah Opera.

Always willing to take on extra responsibility, Gretchen recently added bartending to her resume when a few shifts became available, and she's catching on quickly.  She's already started coming up with some fantastic new drink recipes (get ready for our Fall drink menu, debuting soon)!

We're lucky to have had Gretchen on our staff for over a year already, and hope she sticks around for a few more.  When asked what she enjoys about working at Frida she listed the food, namely the unique flavors and presentation.  She loves how our margaritas are seasonal, fresh, and of course, delicious!  Lastly, she relishes the beautiful space: the artwork, colors, and especially the patio...when it's not 100 degrees out!

When she's not at school, studying, hanging out around town with Frida friends, or at work she's been known to cover Johnny Cash songs on the ukulele (maybe her album will be available on iTunes before long)!  We were also surprised to learn SHE DOES NOT CARE FOR CAPITAL LETTERS (I wonder if that drove her crazy)!  She also likes using language as colorful as the walls at Frida Bistro (see below).

Quite colorful indeed.

There are so many great things to say about Gretchen...like how she pays close attention to detail, is an outstanding multi-tasker, is a natural leader, and is able to put a positive spin on anything...BUT, we wouldn't want her head getting too big!  So thank you, Gretchen, for all the hard work and dedication you put into Frida Bistro - we truly appreciate it, as do all of your guests!