Hi, my name is Mike. My wife, Tone and I, own a small restaurant here in Big Lake called Cambo Flare. Before all this….back when we had typical 9-5 jobs, we never really figured our lives would be destined to run our own restaurant. We started from the ground up with our best friends in a little 10×10 tent testing our “signature sticks” out on the public. The continuous positive feedback we received is what kept us moving forward and growing into who we are today. We’ve been to every side of Minnesota serving at various different county fairs, music festivals, art shows, and car shows. The food we serve today is a culmination of what we’ve learned on the road that has been incorporated into our cooking style. We’re honored to have come this far and land our own brick and mortar restaurant here in Big Lake.
Q: Please tell us a little bit about your family.
Mike’s parents immigrated to Minnesota back in the 70s. He was born in Rochester Minnesota. Tone’s parents had meager backgrounds and lived in poverty most of their lives. She was born in Takeo Cambodia. Together we have a son and daughter with a 7 year age difference.
Q: How long have you lived and/or worked in Big Lake?
We’ve been working in Big Lake ever since Friday the 13th, November 2020.
Q: Tell us about your current, past, or future career.
Mike began his career working in data entry, moving up to customer service at a hearing aid company for 10+ years. Tone started working on a farm in Cambodia at a very young age, then worked in a sewing factory until she met Mike. Mike has since worked many different jobs such as a UPS helper, architectural sheet metal driver, and sales for a receipt tape company. After Tone arrived in the US, she started baby sitting for the owners of a metal fabrication company, then moved into fabricating for them welding, soldering, and molding various parts.
Q: Have you ever had a nickname? What is it and why were you given it?
Mike has been called Tiger in the past because he resembles Tiger Woods….so they say. Otherwise there is MRod, which is his alias as the bass player for his Red Hot Chili Peppers Tribute band Sir Psycho. First name Michael, middle name Rodney.
Q: What is your favorite TV Show, Movie, Book? (Please list as many as you’d like!)
Mike likes thought provoking movies and Tone loves romcoms. There is a show called Dragon Ball Z that Mike stumbled upon when he was young. That show taught him how, no matter the difficulty or how overwhelming the odds can be stacked against you, if you have the heart, will power, and inner drive, you can accomplish anything. The principles gained from reading the books Think and Grow Rich and How to Win Friends and Influence People has ingrained in Mike some great qualities and given him an interesting perspective on life and people.
Q: If you could only eat one food/meal and have one beverage for the rest of your life, what would it be?
For Mike, just a small magical once a day pill with all the necessary nutrients and hydration needed for living, and maybe a beer. Tone says Pho.
Q: What are some of your favorite hobbies or pastimes?
Mike likes playing music, chess, dining out, and continually striving to figure out ways to usher a better, loving, and more efficient way of society. Tone loves the simple family life and spending time with her children…and probably Mike too.
Q: What is one thing on your bucket list?
Visiting Tibet or Fiji and adventuring out into big cities around the world.
Q: What would you buy/do if you won the lottery?
Divide the funds into a vehicle for passive income. Build a home that generates power via wind, solar, turbine, and geothermal energy. Do R&D for developing a device that would provide the world with free or affordable wireless energy as well as helping out the less fortunate with food, education, and shelter.
Q: What has been a challenge you have had to overcome? (Life, School, Work, etc.)
Back when we were looking for a restaurant space, we could tell in the faces of everyone we met except for 2 people that they had no faith in us. We inquired into many different spaces only to be ignored and ghosted. We also sought out funding and bank loans only to be met with rejection.
Q: If you could change one thing about yourself, what would it be?
Mike says the ability to wake up earlier. Tone says developing the ability to be able to wake Mike up earlier.
Q: Who has been a hero in your life?
Mike says Nikola Tesla and Tone says Mike. Mike now regrets his answer.
Q: What is something even your family and friends may not know about you?
Mike never graduated High School. Tone never received any formal training and naturally learned how to cook through trial and error.
Q: What is your proudest accomplishment?
How highly rated our restaurant is regardless of the blunders, mistakes, disappointments, and challenges we’ve come across.
Q: What are a few of your favorite businesses / restaurants in Big Lake?
Trails, The Buff, Ember Coffee, and Lupulin Brewing
Q: What is one of your favorite things about Big Lake?
How straight forward, understanding, and easy going most people in town are.
Q: What advice would you give to people living in Big Lake?
If you have dreams, go for them. The world could always use more innovation, contribution, imagination, and creativity. Just because your idea may have already been used by someone else, the only difference that you have control over against the competition is YOU. Each and every individual out there is significant and a necessary piece of a larger puzzle whether they feel it or not.
Q: Who is an interesting person in our community that you’ve met and deserves to be included in The Faces of Big Lake project?
Richard, the owner of Car Condos across the highway from us. He’s a very kind gentleman that carries a certain air of mystery.
