Erica Lauer, PHS ’10, grew up immersed in the restaurant world. Her parents co-founded Rick and Ann’s—a beloved Berkeley institution—where she experienced firsthand the dedication and hard work behind a successful restaurant. Years later, Lauer draws on that experience in her role as an opening service manager and assistant wine director at Fedora, a new eatery in New York City.
In April, Lauer helped open the community-oriented restaurant in the West Village, where the ever-changing menu features “low-intervention wines” (prioritizing minimal interference in the winemaking process) and “seasonal cooking” such as Grilled Tilefish with Nettles and Bourride and Pierogies with Alliums and Peas, according to its website.
While Lauer’s job includes typical management duties—like confirming reservations and ordering supplies—what she enjoys most is teaching others about the very thing that got her hooked on the restaurant world: wine.
“I work with wine every day, but my primary job is managing a restaurant which is specifically wine-related,” Lauer said.
Although Lauer spent much of her life working in restaurants, she did not originally plan to make it a career. She studied mathematics and art at Lewis and Clark College, working at diners across Portland and the family restaurant during school breaks. She moved to New York after college to work as an intern at an architecture firm.
“It turns out architecture was not the way I wanted to go,” Lauer said.
Instead, she turned to restaurants, working at The Farm on Adderley, The Brooklyn Star and The Pines (all now closed). Two of the restaurants had a strong focus on wine, so to advance from food runner to server, Lauer had to learn more about it.
“I worked a lot when I first moved to New York because that’s what you have to do when you move to New York City,” Lauer said. “But I also really got to see very different restaurants and how they operated.”
Lauer had not originally wanted to pursue a career in restaurants because the work did not push her “conceptually.” But that changed when she found wine—something that people can dedicate their whole life to, and still have more to learn.
“There’s a lot to learn when it comes to operations, but conceptually, I wasn’t feeling super challenged,” Lauer said. “And then I found wine, which is an endless challenge to try and master.”
Lauer (center, in blazer) conferring with Fedora staff
Since then, Lauer has tried to learn as much as possible about wine, including working a harvest season at a winery in Tuscany in 2018. After moving back to New York, she worked at top-tier eateries like Shuko, a high-end Omakase, and Eleven Madison Park, a fine dining restaurant with three Michelin stars. She also took a class at the International Culinary Center (ICC) in New York and passed her certified sommelier exam.
While she is glad to have the certification, she is not fond of the term “sommelier” because she believes that everyone at a restaurant should be knowledgeable and comfortable discussing wine. Lauer said she is frustrated when places do not properly educate their servers about wine.
“I think the role of sommelier has actually done a disservice to restaurants,” Lauer said. “People who work in serving jobs don’t feel as though they’re responsible for understanding a wine list, which they absolutely are.”
At Fedora, Lauer is dedicated to making wine more accessible, encouraging both staff and guests to engage with it rather than leaving it all up to a sommelier. Servers are required to learn about wine, with Lauer and her team leading regular educational sessions.
“All of the servers are constantly encouraged to learn about wine,” Lauer said.
As a manager, Lauer is always focused on making the restaurant the best it can be. She especially loves introducing guests to new flavors and varieties of wine, helping them engage more deeply with their dining experience.
Lauer encourages anyone living or visiting New York to come to Fedora (located at 239 W 4th Street) to learn about wine and enjoy a delicious meal.
“I would love to invite anyone who is in New York to come visit Fedora,” Lauer said.