Erica (she/her)

I grew up in the Straits of Mackinac and got hooked on working in restaurants in 1998. After earning a bachelor's degree in Food Service Management and Nutrition at Central Michigan University, which included a summer as a pastry cook in The Grand Hotel on Mackinac Island, I moved to the Loire Valley in France to serve as the hospitality manager at a centuries-old B&B in a tiny village called Pontlevoy. It was there I became obsessed with fine wines, provincial French food, farmers markets and lush river valleys. In 2007, I knew it was time to come back to the States, and Portland was the only place for me.

Here I’ve been a bread baker, pastry cook, line cook, server and general manager. In 2013, I opened The Brooklyn House Restaurant, serving small farm-direct European style comfort food with an emphasis on serving often overlooked diet. After 4 beautiful years, I closed the restaurant to start a family with my life partner.

Today I…