Austin Morris Bridges: Oral History Interview

This interview is with Austin Morris Bridges with Nostrana Restaurant. In this interview, he describes working in restaurants from a young age, working his way up, and learning from several mentors. Early on he was exposed to German Riesling, which sparked his interest in wine. Austin started taking some wine classes, and pursuing music in school. Later, he moved to Germany where he learned more about food and wine, while working around Europe for some time. He speaks about his decision to move back to Oregon and find a job in Portland. Austin goes on to describe running a restaurant early on, his hospitality philosophy, and tells how he creates a wine list and chooses food and wine pairings. Towards the end of the interview, Austin describes his role at Nostrona and Enoteca Nostrana, and describes the ethos of each place. To conclude, he gives the impact COVID-19 has had on his life and the restaurant and wine industry. This interview was conducted by Rich Schmidt at Nostrana Restaurant with Austin Morris Bridges on November 2, 2020.