Meet the Frida Staff: Esther Arzola

Esther is being humble - she can really carry 17 plates at a time.

Frida Bistro is proud to have come such a long way since opening its doors over two years ago, and Esther Arzola holds the unique distinction of being the only member of the service staff to have been here from the very beginning.  She's seen menus evolve drastically, walls get knocked down, and most importantly has seen the uniforms change from black...to white...to black...to coral...and back to black again.  We love Esther for her go-with-the-flow attitude and willingness to adapt during Frida's formative years while she developed her true identity (Frida that it, not Esther)!

Moving to the United States via Mexico over 15 years ago, Esther lived in California and Washington before moving to Utah "for love," where she has called home for the past 3 years.  On her days off, which are few and far between, Esther loves to explore Utah's beautiful mountains and lakes, hiking with her husband, Leroy.  Sometimes she even brings along her petite Yorkshire Terrier, Paris!

Before entering into the world of hospitality, Esther worked as a bilingual secretary for a plastic surgeon!  Her first stint in the hospitality industry was as a hostess at a Brazilian restaurant in Baja California Mexico.  She quickly moved into serving and has been excelling at it ever since.

She loves working at Frida because it is such a unique, colorful restaurant with a great staff, as well as wonderful clientele.  Jorge, the owner of Frida Bistro and Rico Brand, and his family have treated her as one of their own since she started working here.  She has helped out with Rico Catering, Rico Market, Farmer's Market, and even some management responsibilities at the restaurant.  With all of the many hats she wears, Esther says her favorite role is "babysitting the new staff" (she may complain about it, but we know she loves it)!

Esther considers herself a great server but acknowledges that she learns new things every day, as offering great customer service is an ongoing process.  She loves interacting with people and educating them about Mexican food and culture, and she's an excellent resource for staff members that want to become more versed on these topics.  Esther's presence is invaluable because of this immense knowledge, as well as her willingness to be flexible in her schedule and to offer help whenever it's needed.

Bringing in home cooked goodies for staff, training new team members, and helping make important restaurant decisions, Esther is certainly the "mother figure" at Frida Bistro.  But don't worry Esther, you're a young, hip, sexy mother!