Risa has been cooking in restaurants throughout Portland, San Francisco & New York for over a decade, including Pizzeria Delfina, Blue Hill at Stone Barns, Sweedeedee, and Handsome Pizza. Most recently, she created and launched the unique brunch program at The Sapphire Hotel, one of Portland’s oldest dining establishments. In April of 2018, Risa organized the first Portland chapter of Queer Soup Night, and it remains one of her favorite projects to work on.
Risa started hosting pop-ups out of her home in 2011, treating diners to seasonal, multi-course, community-building dinners called Sunday Supperings. Risa’s cooking style is highly influenced by her years spent living abroad in the Middle East, where she first found her passion in cooking. She has worked on several small farms and has a strong background in food for healing & nutritional cooking. She is passionate about ingredient-driven food and building close relationships with her local farmers. Her pop-ups focus on building community, a positive food culture, and sustainable food practices by dining together with intention.
