Meet Denise

If you've spent five minutes with Denise, you already know — she's the one who remembers everyone's name, asks about your kids, and makes you feel like you've been friends for years.

She grew up in San Jose, spent her teenage years in the Sierra Foothills, and met Todd at the pizza restaurant he was managing. They got married, had their first daughter, and moved to Peoria in 1998 when Todd started at Caterpillar.

Caterpillar took them to Japan, Canada, and Texas over the years. Every place they landed, Denise found the good restaurants, learned the wine lists, and started quietly filing away what she'd do differently with a place of her own.

Now it's her turn.