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Meet Eric Lee of Acreage by Stem Ciders in Lafayette

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Today we’d like to introduce you to Eric Lee.

Eric, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
I started cooking professionally at 14 in Lyons. The chef/owner of the spot was a family friend and a highly accomplished, old school chef. I ran Garde Manger and Dishpit at the same time. He used to yell to me that the dishes were piled up and I would run to one side of the kitchen to scrub and send loads through as quickly as possible, then he would yell that the apps and salads tickets were piling up and I would run to the other side of the kitchen to bust out as many plates as I could before the dishes overflowed again. It was quite the job and I learned so much from him. After that, I moved to England with my mother and finished high school there while working at a gastropub in the late 90’s. I then started as a line cook at The Old Bell Hotel in England, the oldest operating hotel in the UK built in 942 by the first king of united England, Athelstan. The place was incredible and it became an addiction while I was there. It solidified my passion for food and when I returned to the US, I began working with Hugo Matheson, now of The Kitchen fame. He had recently moved form the UK as well and we were both surprised to see how people sourced in the early 2000’s. We began meeting farmers and making connections with ranchers, many of whom I still work closely with today. It was while working with Hugo that I began my now two-decade pursuit of true farm to table and Colorado focused seasonality. Hugo was an inspiration and an enormous influence on my culinary style. I would be a very different person now if I had never had the opportunity to work so closely with him both before The Kitchen and then again at The Kitchen in Boulder and Denver.

 Since coming to Acreage in 2018, I have brought that same focus on sourcing and simplicity to full bear in our efforts to be the seasonal local restaurant we have become. We buy big all summer long and set ourselves up for the relative dead season that is winters in Colorado.

Has it been a smooth road?
It has not been a smooth road at all. There were many times in my career when I wondered if I should be looking at another path. I looked into architectural college and an English degree and possibly even becoming a welder. All very different paths, I know. I took a year-long break from restaurants and taught at a culinary school in downtown Denver. I have two kids and raising children, while difficult in any profession, is especially tough while working in a field that demands so much of your time be at the physical location. I’ve worked jobs where an average week was 85-90 hours. I’ve worked seven weeks straight without a day off within times starting at 5 am and exit times past midnight. This is not a career for the faint of heart. It demands every day and if you don’t learn to manage your time well, you will end up giving all of it to the job.

 In addition to hourly and physical demands, this is a craft at the very least and an art of sorts if done well. That means the majority of people who cook are artists and craftsmen who watch their fare get destroyed mere moments after they create it. And everyone eats so of course everyone is a critic. It’s strange to me the desire for perfection, it’s so powerful in cooks, and yet knowing that it’s never going to be. I think I’ve made maybe one or two dishes in my 23 years that I’m genuinely proud of, that I could find little to no fault in. There was a cassoulet at Jax Fish House that has always resonated with me. Cured sablefish was then milk baked and set in braised lentils served with brown butter walnuts and creme fraiche. It was close to perfect. That kind of intense criticism has a tendency to bleed into your everyday life. It becomes part of who you are. You critique everything, all the time. Constantly searching for the better. And that can be difficult in personal relationships and how you connect with people. It makes you seem snobbish and unapproachable. Yes, there are a lot of reasons to not go into this field, but in all honesty, I can’t imagine any craft or career as rewarding as this one is either. And, despite looking into many other options, this will always be and has always been my home.

So, as you know, we’re impressed with Acreage by Stem Ciders – tell our readers more, for example what you’re most proud of as a company and what sets you apart from others.
Acreage has been a dream job. It’s a place where I connect well with the owners and we share a vision. We strive for the better all the time but we’re happy in the simplicity of the fare and our offerings at the same time. We’re a cider house, true Americana for sure. We sell beautiful, dry ciders and well-sourced, seasonal food from local farmers and ranchers. I know many people come up to Acreage for ciders and sunsets; we’re on 12 acres at the top of a bluff in Lafayette and we have a stunning view of the front range. Still, we offer more than a great view and a dry cider. We have one of the most truly seasonal menus in Colorado. We source better than the vast majority of restaurants across the country, and I will fiercely defend that fact, from local farmers, ranchers, and specialty goods purveyours.

Let’s touch on your thoughts about our city – what do you like the most and least?
Favorite parts of Colorado include: the scenery, the great outdoors, the sense of community that exists here both within the food scene and just generally. My wife is on a mommy’s board on Facebook and recently she posted about a woman we know who has had a rough go of it for her entire life and the community came together to help her with stuffs and sundries for her new baby. Everyone in the community gave. Even a six month subscription to a diaper service. Really incredible and selfless.

Dislikes: driving here. The second I’m on the road, everything I said about community seems to disappear. What’s up with the turn signals?? Do you people realize they come standard? It’s not like an extra feature you have to shell out for. They’re ready for your use. Just flip the flipping lever. It’s not hard.

Pricing:

  • Pricing, I mean we’re not a fast food place so there’s no combo meal discount or anything. But we are incredibly approachable for family dining. It’s a huge point for me. The kid’s meals are basically sold at cost and come with fruits and vegetables no matter what the child orders in addition. There’s color on every plate.

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