Erika Chou with Rivers and Hills (Northern Tiger, Wayla)

Erika Chou is a Managing Partner of Rivers and Hills Hospitality Group, which owns and operates multiple restaurant concepts such as Yunnan Kitchen, Northern Tiger, Kodawari, Wayla, and Little Wayla. Growing up in North Carolina, Erika found herself in various unfortunate scenarios where she was made insecure about her Asian-American identity and culture. So much so that even her school teacher had made a comment about her Chinese-cooked lunches she would bring from home. A mid-career change from fashion production to restaurant creation has brought Erika much success in the field having had experience in both full-service and fast-casual restaurants. We talk about her journey but also how she is adapting to the new landscape with Phase 2 in NYC underway.