Vui Hunt of Juice Bar & Vui’s Kitchen: FACES of Nashville
Vui Hunt is the force behind Juice Bar and Vui's Kitchen. Her personality is as bright and fresh as the food she serves at her restaurants. We are thrilled to introduce her today as our FACE of Nashville!
Vui Hunt is one of those rare and wonderful people who hasΒ a contagious level of energy and enthusiasm. Her positivity and go-with-the-flow nature paired with herΒ entrepreneurial spirit led her to open two of Nashvilleβs most popularΒ healthy restaurants βΒ Juice Bar and Vuiβs Kitchen. Born in Vietnam and raised in Atlanta, Vui grew up with an appreciation for delicious, healthy food and ran her ownΒ restaurant, Veggieland, in Atlanta before moving to Nashville. She and her husband John work together to run both restaurantsΒ while also raising their two clever and creative daughters.Β
VuiβsΒ enthusiasm for her business, her staff and her customers is evident. She loves her job and everyone she works with β and they love her back, though itβs not hard to see why. We are thrilledΒ to introduce Vui Hunt as todayβs FACE of Nashville!
When and whyΒ did youΒ move to Nashville?
My husband! I grew up in Atlanta and met John in 2006. I was working at Veggieland and John came in one day. And then he came back the next day and the next and the next. He lived in Nashville at the time, so we commuted back and forth for two years before I moved to Nashville. We got married in 2008.
I love it here; I donβt want to leave! I started working at Whole Foods when John and I first got married and built relationships with people there. The warmth, loyalty and Southern hospitality I experienced with people was so strong! I feel so fortunate to have been able to really start making connections there that continue to influence my business today β it gives me chills. We are so fortunate.
We moved to China for Johnβs jobΒ in 2012, and thatβs how Juice Bar got started. The opportunity didnβt work out, and we still hadΒ our house in Nashville, so it made sense to come back here and figure things out. John wasnβt in good health, and I was trying to get him back on track health-wise by making juices for him (with my 20-year-old juicer). We saw a sandwich shopΒ for sale in Brentwood on Craigslist, and we decided to buy it. WeβveΒ always called ourselves serial entrepreneurs and are always looking for the opportunity to create something. We had thisΒ sandwich shop, but we couldnβt do sodas or chips or salami β so what were we going to do with theΒ business? We decided onΒ juices and smoothies. I had a background with vegetables and healthy food, so it made senseΒ to pair a few items along with the juice components for when people wanted a little something extra. I donβt think Nashville knew how badly it needed this.
We wanted to create a space where you could come in, get something healthy and get on your way. So we did. And, the rest is history!
Juice Bar and nowΒ Vuiβs β¦ do you see yourself franchising Vuiβs Kitchen?
You know, weβre really taking it one step at a time. Weβre enjoying this part of the business, and I love being connected to my staff. Each day that Iβm here, I get to see something new. Thereβs a better process for one thing or another, and I get to see that first-hand with them. Itβs great to be able to have time to work through the kinks.
We franchised Juice Bar because we wanted everyone to have the experience of accessible, healthy food that is reasonably priced. We are so thankful to our friends and partners who have opened the other Juice Bar locations. And weβve been so lucky to have the business grow in the way it has, even outside of Nashville.
Juice Bar is quick and on-the-go and for when youβre in a hurry. Vuiβs fulfills my need to really focus on crafting food. I want Vuiβs to be a place to come and eat and enjoy your meal and the people around you. So right now, Iβm just enjoying working through that part of the business and working with my team here!
How do youΒ find balance in running these two businesses and maintaining your family life?
There is no balance; perfect doesnβt have to be perfect. When John and I first started our family and the business, I asked my mom to come down from Chicago and help. She said okay, but that it would be a few monthsΒ before she could come down to Nashville. That didnβt work for us. So I drove 10 hoursΒ to go get her and bring her back to Nashville just so we could have an extra set of hands and help.
John is also super hands-on. He is a wonderful communicator, far better than me. I think our teamwork and ability to rely on one another is what makes it work. We are a team, we work as a team. Thatβs how we keep a balance.
Whatβs your favorite thing about having the restaurants?
The people! I love making connections with people and getting to impact their day whether itβs with a refreshing juice or delicious lunch or just a conversation we have at the counter. Iβd be happy doing any job that allowed me to be around people, but getting to combine that love with my love of food and cooking is such a blessing.
Tell us something about youΒ that may surprise our readers.
Sea salt and vinegar chips are my go-to late-night snack. I graze on veggies, fruits and juice all day long and theyβre so delicious. But when I come home late and need something salty, I love those crunchy chips!
Is there anything youβre looking forward to before the end of the year?
Ask my husband! Iβm not the planner, I just follow along with whatever he puts together. For spring break with our girls, John told me we were staying in this small, dingy hotel near the beach. But that was okay, because we were with our family and at the beach. But then we arrived, he had actually booked a small house for us to stay in, complete with beach toys and games for the girls. Within a few hours of arriving and getting settled, there was a knock at the door and my best friend and her family had arrived to join us. I was so happy and pleasantly surprised, but I could have done the dingy hotel, too! Whatever he plans is wonderful, and Iβm happy to just go along with it.
Whatβs a piece of advice or saying that inspires you?
Take it easy, life is short, go with the flow!
If time and money were no barrier, where would youΒ want to visit?
The beach. Really just somewhere warm where I can be barefoot. Key West is one of my favorite places because it reminds me of Vietnam. Breezy, hot, on the ocean, always sunny. I love to be outside and with my family.
What are three things you canβt live without, excluding faith, family and friends?
Mascara, Sriracha and the connections I get to make with the people who come to our stores β they bring me so much joy!
Thank you, Vui! And thanks to Ashley HylbertΒ for todayβs photos.
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Check out the new βFACES of TriStarβ series. In honor of Breast Cancer Awareness Month, weβre thrilled to introduce you to Dr. Casey Chollet, a radiation oncologist atΒ Sarah Cannon Cancer Institute at TriStar HealthΒ andΒ todayβs FACE of TriStar.Β Click here to read how sheβs changing lives of Middle Tennesseans!
