Erika Polmar is an

agritourism Agritourism or agrotourism involves any agriculturally based operation or activity that brings visitors to a farm or ranch. Types A 2018 article published in the ''Journal of Agriculture, Food Systems, and Community Development'' classified a ...

entrepreneur and food industry activist in

Oregon Oregon () is a U.S. state, state in the Pacific Northwest region of the Western United States. The Columbia River delineates much of Oregon's northern boundary with Washington (state), Washington, while the Snake River delineates much of it ...

. She founded Plate & Pitchfork, a Farm Dinner series, and helped lead the effort to lobby for governmental relief for small food-industry businesses during the 2020 coronavirus pandemic.

Early life and education

Polmar has a degree in communications from

St. Louis University Saint Louis University (SLU) is a private Jesuit research university with campuses in St. Louis, Missouri, United States, and Madrid, Spain. Founded in 1818 by Louis William Valentine DuBourg, it is the oldest university west of the Mississip ...

Career

Polmar began her career selling advertising for the ''

Willamette Week ''Willamette Week'' (''WW'') is an alternative weekly newspaper and a website published in Portland, Oregon, United States, since 1974. It features reports on local news, politics, sports, business, and culture. History Early history ''Willame ...

'' She opened the Portland office of citysearch.com and continued to work in technology product development until September of 2001.Days after the layoff she was working at a winery sorting grapes when she learned that a group of Portland chefs were planning a fundraiser for children orphaned by the 9/11 terrorist attacks and needed an organizer. She produced the event, Flux, which was a success, and through the experience made contacts in the local food and wine industry. Polmar founded Plate & Pitchfork farm dinners with Emily Berreth in 2003. The dinners addressed the disconnect between Americans and the

food system The term food system describes the interconnected systems and processes that influence nutrition Nutrition is the biochemical and physiological process by which an organism uses food to support its life. It provides organisms with nutrients ...

while raising money to end food insecurity. Each dinner is held outdoors in a local farmer's field and features a menu planned and prepared by two local chefs using product from that farm and wines from a local winery. , In 2010 Berreth stepped away from the project and Polmar grew the business to offer added hands-on cooking class events, rafting trips with chef-prepared local foods and agritourism consulting. During the

2020 coronavirus pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identified ...

Polmar led local and national efforts to lobby local, state, and federal governments for relief for small food-related businesses in the Northwest and the US. She was a founding member and leadership team member of the

Independent Restaurant Coalition The Independent Restaurant Coalition is a US trade group formed during the COVID-19 pandemic by independent restaurateurs and chefs. During the pandemic the group lobbied local, state and federal governments for relief after their businesses were ...

. In June of 2020 Erika became the Executive Director of the Independent Restaurant Coalition. She continues to serve as an Advisor to the Independent Restaurant Alliance of Oregon, a member of the Oregon Agritourism Network leadership team and a Member of the Board of Slow Food Wallowas.

Personal life

Polmar moved to Oregon after graduating from college.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Polmar, Erika Saint Louis University alumni Activists from Ohio Activists from Portland, Oregon Businesspeople from Ohio Businesspeople from Portland, Oregon 21st-century American businesswomen 21st-century American businesspeople Living people Year of birth missing (living people)