Eric Lenard, Senior Consultant
Professional
Eric brings more than 20 years of culinary and kitchen operations management to Envision Strategies. Classically trained as a chef in France, he made a name for himself in the highly competitive restaurant scene of San Francisco in the early 1990s. Eric entered the area of luxury hotels in Seattle and was recognized by Condé Nast as running one of the top food and beverage programs in the western United States in 1997. He went on to be the Corporate Chef for a privately held restaurant company overseeing three locations and around 150 employees. In 2001, he opened and operated the first phase of a $30 million renovation and repositioning of The University of Washington food service program.
In addition to these accomplishments, Eric has consulted for wineries, breweries, resorts and higher education. He has written and edited cookbooks, taught culinary arts in accredited culinary programs, and run his own catering company.
Primary focus: Master planning, program review and assessment, operations analysis, and service provider negotiations
Industry Honors: Rising Star of Northern California Food Scene by the San Francisco Chronicle in 1993; Wine Spectator awarded the Heritage House where he helmed the kitchen as “Best Restaurant in Mendocino Wine Country.”; 1101 Café at University of Washington won Best of Show Award at the National Restaurant Show in 2005
Featured projects:
Café Talesai, Los Angeles, CA
Disneyland Resort, Anaheim, California
Samsung Everland (Theme Park), South Korea
Indiana University, Bloomington, Indiana
Oregon Health Science University, Portland, Oregon
University of California Riverside, Riverside, California
Swedish Hospital, Seattle, Washington
Personal
In his spare time, Eric loves to go fishing.