Growing up in the small Northern California town of Arnold, Chef Erica Holland-Toll of The Lark Creek Inn enjoyed the benefits of a mother who grew her own vegetables, made candies, cookies and preserves and baked bread. When Holland-Toll left home to attend the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, it was as a psychology major, but she soon realized she spent all of her time cooking instead of studying. “When I moved to Las Vegas I didn’t realize how much my mother’s cooking and philosophies on food had impacted my life,” recalls Holland-Toll. “All I could think about was food. It was a major turning point.”

She soon left Las Vegas to attend the Art Institute of Seattle’s culinary program and worked under Jan Birnbaum at Sazerac. From there her career gained momentum as she chose positions to advance her knowledge in different areas of culinary expertise. She strengthened her knowledge of cheeses and worked every station in the kitchen as the Fromagier and Tournant at Savarin in Chicago, then returned to California to work again with Birnbaum, this time at Catahoula in Calistoga. Next, she moved to San Francisco to work as Saucier at The Fifth Floor, learning traditional French sauces from Chef Laurent Gras. At ACME Chophouse with Chef Traci Des Jardins, Holland-Toll helped run the kitchen as Chef de Cuisine and further developed her style of cooking and her relationships with the community and local farmers. Prior to joining The Lark Creek Inn in August 2007, Holland-Toll was the opening Executive Sous Chef of Americano in San Francisco.

A theme throughout Holland-Toll’s culinary career has been a focus on seasonality and locality. Since moving to San Francisco in 2001, Holland-Toll has forged relationships with some of the Bay Area’s most prestigious local farms and attends farmer’s markets three to four times a week to find the freshest produce and other ingredients available.

“Joining The Lark Creek Inn was a natural progression in my career,” says Holland-Toll. “My personal philosophies on farm-fresh cuisine, as well as my interest in giving back to the community are very much in sync with those of the restaurant.”

Holland-Toll is very active in the San Francisco community and is involved with such charitable organizations as Project Open Hand, Meals on Wheels and CUESA’s Sunday Supper series. She has also served as a NextCourse chef, teaching healthy cooking techniques to GED track women in San Francisco County Jail and cooking classes to both children and adults.

When not at The Lark Creek Inn, Holland-Toll enjoys camping, hiking, bike riding and making homemade jams and preserves. She lives in San Francisco.