Let's get to know our new Pastry Chef Erica, shall we?
Q: Where are you from?
A: I was born and raised in a small town in rural Nebraska called North Platte. Climbing trees, wading for crawfish and spending Saturday mornings mowing my grandparents lawn were all normal things for me.
Q: What did you want to be when you were 12?
A: I've know since I was 10 that I wanted to be a pastry chef. I never left my grandmother's side in the kitchen and I was baking loaves of banana bread by the dozen before I was a teenager. I didn't realize it at the time, but I created my first recipe when I was a sophomore in high school. I still use the apple pie filling recipe to this day.
Q: What's your favorite or spirit animal?
A: I love my dog Sam to death, but the hummingbird blows me away. There's something amazing about those tiny little birds and the way they have to live their lives. They have to be tough and resilient and that really resonates with me.
Q: Where's a destination on your bucket list?
A: I'm a huge national parks fan, but the next big trip will definitely be a road trip on the west coast of Norway. I want to hike the fjords and see the northern lights.
Erica likes to travel :)
Q: What is your greatest or biggest fear?
A: Honestly, spiders and bees. I'm deathly afraid of anything that small that you can't see coming and attacking you. I'm excited that we have our own bee hives, but I will be leaving the harvesting to Eric.
Q: What's a goal or lesson you have at Waterbar?
A: My goal here is to grow the pastry team and take it to the next level. I'm excited to collaborate with some amazing chefs and I look forward to mentoring the pastry chefs of tomorrow.
We can't wait, Erica.