On the corner of Main and Sixth streets sits a historic house that has been turned into an upscale casual eatery known as The Heritage Table. Owner and General Manager Rich Vana opened the restaurant in April 2017. “We opened, and we had guests in like crazy; honestly, we weren’t ready for it,” Vana said. “It was a learning curve, but I’m so grateful for the guests that continue to come back.” Vana never owned a restaurant before The Heritage Table. He was a sports writer in Temple after college in 2003 and then moved to Dallas to work in public relations. Vana freelanced for publications during that time—he would work for restaurants for about a week and then write about his experience. “I had no restaurant experience, so I would write from a self-deprecating perspective, letting people know what it’s like to work in the kitchens in the places they frequent,” Vana said. “I realized in the process was that I was writing about people who were doing what I wanted to be doing, and so I started The Heritage Table Catering Company in 2014 in Addison.” The catering company grew to the point where Vana was ready to open his own restaurant. “[It] took me a little while to find this place, and when I did, I knew this was the spot because [the house has] character,” he said. Vana said heritage is the inspiration behind every dish, such as Mexican in the fish tacos and Italian in the chicken piccata. “We want to have food that is recognizable to people, and [we want them to] ... understand that there is some part of another country’s heritage [in each dish],” Vana said. There are no plans to expand, Vana said. “This building is as much of The Heritage Table as its people are, and I don’t know if I would feel right translating this concept [elsewhere],” Vana said. “If we do something else, it’ll be something else; but I want to keep this place unique.”
The Heritage Table 7110 Main St., Frisco 469-664-0100 www.theheritagetable.com Hours: Tue.-Fri. 11 a.m.-10 p.m., Sat. 10 a.m.-10 p.m., Sun. 10 a.m.-3 p.m., closed Mon.