'Fox 9 Morning News' co-anchor reveals his favorite Twin Cities hotspots

Chenue Her is grateful to be home. After stints in Virginia, Atlanta and Des Moines, the 34-year-old TV journalist returned to the Twin Cities in October to co-anchor the "Fox 9 Morning News" with Hannah Flood. Her may be one of the most successful Hmong Americans in the media, and he keeps a relatively low profile outside the studio. But that hasn't kept him from enjoying the best of the Twin Cities. Her shared some of his favorite places in a recent interview after coming off his shift.

Q: Why was it important for you to return to the area?

A: My family is here. My community is here. I spent time all over the country, reporting on stories that were very big. But I think I just had reached a point in my life where I wanted to be close to family and start writing my own story here at home. It was a no-brainer.

Q: Your parents are now part of your audience. Do they sugarcoat all their comments or do they give you honest feedback?

A: They don't hold back. My parents watch just about every morning. Sometimes my mom will call me right afterwards and say, "Hey, that tie didn't work" or "Hey, you looked a little tired today." They watch with a very critical eye, but that's what you need.

Q: What's your ritual in the morning?

A: At 1:30 a.m., the alarm goes off. I leave the house around 2:30 a.m. so I get to the station around 3 a.m. We have a team meeting and I look at some scripts. My dressing room is right across the hall from Hannah's dressing room. We talk back and forth as we are getting ready so once we hit the desk, we've already been conversing for a while.

Q: Are you a coffee person?

A: I'll get some coffee in me. I have a little bit of a sweet tooth so maybe I'll have a Red Bull or something as well.

Q: What other sweet things do you like?

A: Gummy worms, even early in the morning. If I'm having dinner somewhere and there's a creme brulee on the menu, it's a no-brainer. I always get the creme brulee. I had a really good one recently at P.S. Steak. I'll be back for that.

Q: You live in Highland Park. What restaurants do you like in the area?

A: I love Cecil's Deli. It's awesome. I love the Highland Grill. Quixotic for coffee.

Q: What's the best place to get Hmong food?

A: Besides my parents' house? Right now, I'll go to Hmong Village and kind of hop around. I also like Diane's Place.

Q: Do you cook?

A: I do, but not super well. I've lived alone for so many years, I had to learn. My go-to dish is a Hmong comfort food that's like a soup with greens and pork belly along with some steamed rice and hot sauce on the side. It's great on a winter day.

Q: Are you dating?

A: My work hours are not attractive for that. So I have two dogs. They're on my schedule. If I'm up, they're up.

Q: So what do you do to relax?

A: I clean a lot. It's kind of like therapy for me. I'm a film buff. I go to the gym, walk the dogs or have family over.

Q: What was the last movie that blew you away?

A: "Spoiler Alert." Jim Parsons from "Big Bang Theory" plays a guy whose husband dies. I watched it with my family and we were all in tears.

Q: What kind of music do you listen to?

A: I grew up on hip-hop and R&B. The last couple years, I've gotten into a lot of Hmong music. We have so many good Hmong artists in the Twin Cities like David Yang, GY Yang, Chenning Xiong and Pagnia Xiong. It's cool to support their art and see their dedication.

Q: Can you carry a tune?

A: I can't sing.

Q: What's the last book you really got into?

A: I read "Little Fires Everywhere" after watching the TV show and listening to it on audio book. I thought it was great.

Q: Who is your dream interview?

A: I'm a super freak Michael Jordan fan. Since I was born in 1990, I first knew him more from his Washington Wizards days. That prompted me to go back and look at his career. I'm a huge basketball fan.

Q: Secret hobbies?

A: I have a big sneaker collection. About 70 pairs. My parents aren't super thrilled about it. When I moved from Atlanta to Iowa, I had to ship all my shoes to my parents' house and pick them up. That's the first time my mom had seen them. She had a serious talk with me about what I was doing. The collection has grown since then.