Culinary & Kitchen Operations

Jacob Harth

As an idealist, Chef Jacob Harth has always sought a better way. Raised in a restaurant family on a Southern Oregon farm steeped in cooking and hunting traditions, his mother was an incredible cook and his father's skills as a hunter, forager, and fisherman meant the family table was consistently laden with an abundance of venison, elk, wild boar, and salmon. His love for seafood blossomed early on, with cherished memories of his father barbecuing oysters during his childhood. 

Jacob was influenced by his grandmother's legacy as a restaurant owner and decided to pursue a career as a chef while he was in high school. He moved to Portland to explore opportunities in the culinary industry, starting with a job under an Executive Chef with experience from Blue Hill at Stone Barns. He embraced a journeyman approach in his culinary path, continuously seeking diverse cooking experiences rather than committing long-term to any single establishment. This pursuit of growth and improvement, coupled with his love for experimenting, defined his journey in the culinary world.

In February 2019, he launched his first restaurant, Erizo, named after the Spanish term for sea urchin. The restaurant had a strong emphasis on sustainable seafood sourced from the Pacific coast, with Jacob personally overseeing harvest and collaborating with local fishing boats to incorporate bycatch and invasive species onto the menu. Erizo swiftly rose to prominence as one of Portland’s premier dining destinations and earned national recognition as one of Eater’s Best New Restaurants in the United States; Jacob himself was honored as one of Eater’s Young Guns of the year. Regrettably, the restaurant's trajectory was abruptly halted by the pandemic.

Jacob embarked on a tour of the entire East Coast and eventually settled in Brooklyn, where he collaborated with the team behind the Michelin-starred Oxalis as the Chef of Place des Fêtes. The partnership flourished as they aligned with the ethos of sourcing and celebration
of local sea life. Despite gaining significant momentum, Jacob and his partner made the decision to relocate to the Bay Area, prioritizing proximity to family in preparation for the arrival of their baby.

Jacob lends his expertise in culinary and kitchen operations to our Client Partners in the Bay Area and beyond.