Colt Deitrick: Oral History Interview

This interview is with Colt Deitrick. In this interview, Colt speaks about his background, growing up in a small town in western Kentucky before moving to Illinois, studying jazz piano and audio engineering in college, and eventually finding his way into the hospitality industry, where he discovered a passion for food and beverage.Next, he discusses his journey to Newport and Local Ocean Restaurant, starting as a bartender and working his way up to running the beverage program, including developing cocktails and focusing on technique and high-quality ingredients. Colt talks about his approach to creativity and collaboration, including working with different companies on branded wines, creating cocktail kits during COVID, and experimenting with new ideas that customers may not have experienced before. This interview was conducted by Rich Schmidt at Local Ocean Restaurant in Newport, Oregon on February 2, 2026.