They opened the business together. But to hear Jeff Hiller tell it, Mister Softee in Camarillo is the 1950's-style ice cream shop that wife Bobbi Hiller built.
"This has got her all over it. I think she really nailed it," Jeff said Monday as he glanced around the space decorated with a checkerboard floor, vintage black-and-white photos and laminated entries from the shop's ongoing coloring contest for kids. "You Send Me"played softly in the background, the song blending with the sounds of an arcade game nearthe shop's back door.
Bobbi died -- suddenly, unexpectedly -- on the night of Nov. 3at the couple's Camarillo home. She was 48 and loved animals, live music, her family andunicorns.
"She was a unicorn," said Jeff, 49. "She was one of a kind."
More:After Borderline shooting, business owners weigh decision to reopen
He had scarcely begun to grieve when the Borderline shooting happened. Then came the Hill and Woolsey fires.
He posted several fire-related updates onFacebook and Instagramabout the shop'shours and scheduled appearances by its two Mister Softee of Southern Californiaice cream trucks.But he referenced his family'ssorrow just once, in a Nov. 8 post:
"As many may have heard, Mister Softee SoCal suddenly and tragically lost its Matriarch ... Bobbi Hiller was the love of my life for 27 years, Gavin's Mom, my business partner, and my best friend. ... We appreciate the love and support our community has shown ..."
This week, Jeff said he almost immediately regretted the post but felt it was important to letcurrent and prospective patrons know what was happening.
"Bobbi did all of the administrative stuff -- the insurance, HR, booking and events. She did all of that while raising our son and taking care of our five animals," he said. "I knew something was boundto slip through the cracks, and wanted to be transparent about why."
A friend has since started a GoFundMe campaignas a sign of financial and emotional support. Friends also organized aNov. 11 memorial for Bobbi at Surfers Point in Ventura, where they wore unicorn-horn headbands and tossed long-stem roses into the waves.
A Pennsylvanianative whofell in love with surfinglater in life, Bobbi will also be remembered with a memorial paddle out at 3:30 p.m. Dec. 2 at Silver Strand Beach.
The location was chosen by the couple's son, Gavin, 13, because it became Bobbi's favorite place to surf when the family rented a house in the neighborhood after moving to Ventura County in 2009.
Jeff and Bobbi -- then Bobbi Ingram-- met at Philadelphia's Temple University in 1991, when he was studying communications and she was an English major.
"It was love at first sight. I saw this beautiful girl sitting alone on the lawn and went over to talk to her. I had bright red hair and was shy. I never walked up to cute girls. But I did that time," Jeff recalled. "We were pretty much inseparable after that."
After marrying in July 1999, the couple moved from Pennsylvania to Texas, Washington and California as Jeff, who continues to play bass in the band Shaky Feelin', moved up the management ranks at Guitar Center.
When he and the company parted ways in 2014, Jeff's search for a new career led directly to his past: He'd spent the summer of 1988happily driving a leased Mister Softee ice cream truckthrough neighborhoods in his native New Jersey. Was it really possible that thecompany had no trucks or stores in California? A quick Google search later, the Hillers decided to rectify the situation.
They launched the business with a single Mister Softee truck in October 2015. Its menu of soft-serve ice cream treats proved so popular that they ordered a second trucksoon after. The July 2017 opening of a bricks-and-mortar shopin Old Town Camarillo was intended to give Mister Softee fans a place to get their shakes, Philadelphia water ice, dipped cones and vegan-friendly Dole pineapple-raspberry swirlsyear 'round.
The couple ordered a third truck in 2017. A few weeks ago, they said "yes" when the company asked if they'd be interested in adding a fourth truck, originally ordered by an Arizona franchisee whogot cold feet. Both trucks are expected to be in service early next year.
"We planned to grow, and we are going to continue with the plan," Jeff said. "As strange as all of this feels right now, I think Bobbi would have wanted that."
(2100 E. Ventura Blvd., 805-388-2663,http://www.mistersofteesocal.com).
OPEN, SHUT AND IN BETWEEN
The good news: In the wake of the Woolsey Fire, landmark restaurantsNeptune's Net in Malibu and The Old Place in Agoura Hillsare still standing and ready to reopen their doors almost as soon as the power comes back on.Check their respective websites and Facebook pages for updates.
Saddle Peak Lodge in Calabasas reopened last weekend, in plenty of time to greet diners onThanksgiving.
The bad news: As it torethrough Ventura and Los Angeles counties, the firecompletely destroyed Kristy's Roadhouse and its wine-bar neighbor,SIP Malibu Grapes, whose owner is "exploring different options to rebuild," according to a message on the business' website.
Meanwhile, other restaurants that closed due to mandatory evacuations will not be back despite never seeing so much as an ember.
They include Aroha New Zealand Cuisine & Bar, whose co-owners -- New Zealand-born executive chef Gwithyen Thomas and his American wife,Justine Thomas -- announced on Nov. 17that they would not reopen the four-year-old restaurant at 30990 Russell Ranch Road inWestlake Village.
From the archives:Owner-chef shares Aroha spirit at Westlake Village restaurant
"It is with a heavy heart that we announce that due to the recent fires, we are unable to reopen Aroha," begins a statement posted to the restaurant's website and social media accounts. "Please continue to support the small businesses in the community in the upcoming months and for the holidays, as they will be struggling to recoup what they've lost during this challenging time."
Fans of the restaurant's Chocolate Implosion dessert are directed to contact its maker, Sarah Buxbaum, of Celebrate with Sarah. Meanwhile, fans of the restaurant itself are asked to check its website and/or to follow its Facebook and Instagram accounts for news about its owners' next project: Aroha Catering by Gwithyen Thomas(https://www.aroharestaurant.com).
Also not returning is Hugo's Restaurant at the Whizin Market Square in Agoura Hills. The decision was announced in a Nov. 15 post to the restaurant's Facebook page, and in a letter addressed to "our dear Hugonauts" and seen taped to the door at 5046 Cornell Road.
"After more than 7 years in Agoura Hills, we have served our last meal at (this)location. The calamity of the ongoing, record-setting wildfires has made our closing the restaurant necessary," the announcement reads.
A commentby someone with access to the Hugo's Agoura Facebook page in response to a patron's inquiryprovides additional information: "The building did not burn down. We have been struggling in this location for quite some time and the recent closures unfortunately finished the job. We did our best and we are saddened it didn't work out."
Hugo's locations remain open in Studio City and West Hollywood (https://www.hugosrestaurant.com).
More:Beato Chocolates are made, sold at Ojai art gallery
The Open and Shut column published in The Star's Nov. 17Business section included news about the debut of Beato Chocolates at the Beato Lounge inside The Porch Gallery in Ojai. Also featured: the debut of Rita's Frozen Italian Ice & Frozen Custard in Simi Valley, the closing of Camboni Italian Restaurant & Bar in Thousand Oaks and an update on the status of Burgerim in Oxnard. To read it, click on https://bit.ly/2DHBQ9T.
RED-LETTER DAY
If you still use a paper calendar (same here), draw a big red circle around Dec. 1. That's when each of the following events will take place:
Oxnard Tamale Festival: The 11th annual event featuring sweet and savory tamales made by dozens of local vendors will take place from 9 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. in Plaza Park. The festival will include a Best Tamale contest, live music, a craft vendor area, activities for kids and, at 10 a.m., the city's holiday parade. Admission is free (500 South C St.,http://www.oxnardtamalefestival.com).
Thomas Fire Remembrance Event: Presented by Totally Local VC in advance of the first anniversary of the Thomas Fire, this gatheringat Ojai's Libbey Bowlwill include food trucks, children's activities, a makers' market, live music andresource booths for those affected by the fire and Montecito debris flows.
Admission is free to the Togetherness Village, open from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tickets for the concert area, open from 12:30 to 7 p.m. and featuring Guy Martin, Sleeping Chief, Charles Law Band andVentura County-born band Big Bad Voodoo Daddy, are $35-$65, or free for Thomas Fire survivors with proof of burned residence (210 S. Signal St.,http://www.totallylocalvc.com).
Ventura Winter Wine Walk & Holiday Street Fair: The name of this event actually has things backwards. It kicks off from noon to 8 p.m. with thefree-admission holiday street fair. The ticketed wine walk runs from 4-7 p.m. (check-in starts at 3 p.m.)
General admission tickets, $55 per person, include a souvenir cup and a map of more than 70 tasting locations at participating businesses. Santa's VIP Lounge tickets, $97, include the cup, the map and access to an exclusivearea stocked with wine, craft beer andChampagne, plus food and dessert tastings by chef Jason Collis of Plated Events (and of recent World Central Kitchen relief efforts for Camp Fire victims and responders). Proceeds benefit the Downtown Ventura Organization(https://www.venturawinterwinewalk.com).
BRUNCH BUNCH
"Champagne brunch" takes on new meaning at The Cave inside the Ventura Wine Co., where patrons will be able to enjoy bubbly by the flute, by the bottle and at a build-your-own-mimosas bar from 10:30 a.m. to 2:30p.m. nearly every Sunday now through the holidays. The dates are Nov. 25 and Dec. 2, 9, 16 and 30. Reservations are recommended.
In addition, sommelier Zacary Welch will lead a series of ticketedSunday Bubble Seminarsin the one-site Barrel Room. The one-hour sessions include "Deconstructing the Bubble"(noonDec. 2, $25), "Deconstructing the Dosage" (noon Dec. 9, $30) and "Food and Bubble Exploration" (noon Dec. 16, $35).
The series will conclude 4-7 p.m. Dec. 23 with "Bubble & Beats," The Cave's annual sparkling-wine event featuring everything from affordablecava to fancy vintage Champagnes, paired with appetizers and music spun by a DJ. Tickets are$65 per person.
A non-Sunday event,"Premier Sweets: Willy Wonka Edition,"will showcase the talents of Alex Montoya, executive chef for The Cave, and Anastashia Chavez, pastry chef for The 2686 Kitchen, as they collaborate on a five-course menu of desserts paired with sparkling or dessert wines from 6:30 p.m. Dec. 11. Reservations are $45 per person (805-642-9449, https://thecaveventura.com).
LAST CALL
Is there a better time thanThanksgivingweekend to check out an exhibit about food? Not in downtown Ventura, where Nov. 25 marks the final day of "At Table: The Business of Food and Community" at the Museum of Ventura County.
More:Museum of Ventura County exhibit offers food for thought
The exhibit features interactive displays, historic photographs and menus and memorabilia fromlong-gone Ventura County restaurants. Items include a straw from Merle's Drive-In, still in its paper wrapper some 55 years after the business closed (100 E. Main St.,https://venturamuseum.org).
Lisa McKinnon is a staff writer for The Star. To contact her, send email to lisa.mckinnon@vcstar.com. To have theVCS Eats newsletterdelivered directly to your inbox, visithttp://bit.ly/VCS_Eatsand type in your email address.
