63: Tender Greens Founder Erik Oberholtzer On Regenerative Agriculture, Food As Community, & How To Crave Plants

Erik Oberholtzer is a renowned professional chef who spent 10 years in some of the best fine dining kitchens in California. After getting his start at Chez Panisse, he cooked everywhere from Lark Creek Inn to Left Bank to Shutters on the Beach. Inspired by his relationships with local farmers and his access to fresh ingredients, he became passionate about finding a way to bring farm-to-fork to the masses. In 2006, he opened Tender Greens, a slow-foods-meets-fast-food restaurant in Culver City with an emphasis on affordable chef-created dishes. It has since grown to 28 locations spanning across both coasts and is backed by hospitality giant Danny Meyer.

In this week’s episode, Erik and I discuss how he cultivates culture at Tender Greens, America’s shifting relationship with food, and why it’s an exciting time to be in the food space. We also talk about the "forgotten foods" you might be seeing on the Tender Greens menu soon, his commitment to regenerative agriculture, the collision of technology and food, and the power of partnership in growing a business.

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