Executive Portfolio

Eric Hara

Award-Winning Executive Chef  ·  Founder  ·  Food Manufacturing Executive  ·  Strategic Advisor

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Plated fine-dining dish

Executive Summary

Chef. Founder.
Operator.

Eric Hara is an award-winning executive chef and food industry executive with nearly three decades of leadership spanning fine dining, restaurant ownership, consumer packaged goods, food manufacturing, and entrepreneurship.

He founded and scaled Wonderfully Raw into a nationally distributed natural foods brand, and later built La Vida Verde into a fully vertically integrated manufacturing company generating $13M+ in annual revenue. Along the way, he has built and exited multiple companies, opened restaurants on two continents, and developed a disciplined, operator-first approach to growth.

Today, Eric advises restaurant owners and food companies on operations, profitability, manufacturing, and scalable growth.

Career Highlights

Three decades of building.

Fine Dining Leadership

Executive Chef at The Oak Room (The Plaza Hotel), david burke & donatella, and other acclaimed NYC kitchens. 2007 Rising Star Chef. 2010 Five Star Diamond Award.

Founder & CEO, Wonderfully Raw

Scaled from hand-packaged products to a nationally distributed brand — 4,000+ retail locations including Costco, Whole Foods, and Kroger. Successful acquisition.

Founder & CEO, La Vida Verde

Built a fully vertically integrated manufacturing company — cultivation through retail. Grew to $13M+ in annual revenue. Two successful exits.

Restaurant Ownership, U.S. & Costa Rica

Founded and sold Five Maes Burger in Costa Rica and developed luxury properties in Uvita. Later opened Barnyard Chicken in Charleston, SC.

Advisor & Operator

Founder of Food² Strategies, advising restaurants and food companies on operations, profitability, and scalable growth.

I Chapter One

Fine Dining

Eric began his culinary career in 1996 at age 16, training under chef Michael Richard at Citronelle before rising through some of the country’s most respected kitchens — the Ritz-Carlton Laguna Niguel, the Fairmont Chateau Lake Louise, and New York’s TAO, david burke & donatella, and Fishtail by david burke.

As Corporate Executive Chef for the David Burke Restaurant Group, Eric opened restaurants nationally before being selected to lead the historic Oak Room at The Plaza Hotel following its reopening. During his tenure he was honored with the American Academy of Hospitality Sciences’ Five Star Diamond Award — presented at the Academy’s international gala in Beijing, alongside chefs Alain Ducasse, Sirio Maccioni, and Jean-Georges Vongerichten.

The Oak Room at The Plaza Hotel

Fine Dining — Selected Work

On the plate.

Fine-dining plated dish Fine-dining plated dish Fine-dining plated dish Fine-dining plated dish Fine-dining plated dish Fine-dining plated dish Fine-dining plated dish Fine-dining plated dish Fine-dining plated dish Fine-dining plated dish Fine-dining plated dish Fine-dining plated dish
II Chapter Two

Wonderfully Raw

What began with a handmade cookie on seven store shelves became a nationally distributed natural foods brand. Eric built the company from the ground up — recipes, manufacturing, packaging, and retail strategy — including a custom-built dehydrating system created out of necessity, which became one of the company’s biggest competitive advantages.

4,000+
Retail locations
14
Product SKUs
100%
Self-funded

Grown organically to more than 4,000 stores across the U.S. and Canada — including Costco, Whole Foods, Sprouts, and Kroger — and sold in a successful acquisition. Eric later helped launch the joint venture Sejoyia Foods to continue building natural food brands nationally.

ProductProductProduct ProductProductProduct
III Chapter Three

La Vida Verde

After the sale of Wonderfully Raw, Eric applied the same product philosophy to California’s emerging premium cannabis manufacturing sector. What began with a single product — Mediroons, built on the reputation of Coco-Roons — grew into a full-scale manufacturing operation and a three-brand portfolio: La Vida Verde, Skunk Feather, and Blank.

A fully vertically integrated operation

Grow→Extract→Manufacture→Package→Distribute→Retail
$13M+
Grossed in revenue

When a Canadian publicly traded cannabis company presented a highly attractive offer for a majority interest, Eric and his partners determined it was the right strategic time to monetize what they had built. The remaining ownership interest was sold in 2019 — two successful exits, built without outside capital.

La Vida Verde product
ProductProductProduct
IV Chapter Four

Costa Rica

While vacationing in Uvita, Costa Rica, Eric and his family fell in love with the area’s natural beauty and relaxed pace of life. After purchasing a home in 2018 and completing a one-year transition following the sale of La Vida Verde, the family relocated to begin a new chapter — one intended to be retirement.

Instead, it became another entrepreneurial chapter. Eric moved into luxury real-estate development — acquiring land and designing, building, and selling high-end custom homes in Uvita like the ones shown here, managing every stage from budgeting and construction through sale. Alongside it, he founded Five Maes Burger, blending American-style burgers with Costa Rican culture; it became a local favorite, which he later sold for a strong return, and still operates today.

“Entrepreneurship isn’t tied to a single industry or location.”

Luxury home in Uvita Poolside living at sunset Five Maes Burger
V Chapter Five

Barnyard Chicken

After several years in Costa Rica, the family took a leap of faith on Charleston, South Carolina, purchasing a home in Mount Pleasant in 2023. Eric envisioned something different from fine dining or large culinary operations — a chef-driven fast-casual concept focused on one ingredient, done exceptionally well.

That vision became Barnyard Chicken — premium chicken prepared in creative, chef-inspired ways, delivered with the speed and accessibility of a neighborhood restaurant. Within its first few months it was recognized on Resy’s Charleston Hit List as one of the city’s Top 12 restaurants to try, and featured in Charleston Magazine for its family-friendly, chef-driven approach.

It wasn’t a decision driven by poor performance — the restaurant was successful. After decades of building companies, Eric chose to prioritize health, family, and balance. Barnyard Chicken stands as the culmination of a career spanning fine dining, food manufacturing, and entrepreneurship.

Barnyard Chicken spread Barnyard Chicken dessert

Business Expertise

What Eric has actually done.

Operations

  • Restaurant operations
  • Multi-unit operations
  • Manufacturing operations
  • Facility design & workflow
  • SOP development
  • Process improvement

Financial Performance

  • Food cost analysis
  • Labor optimization
  • Inventory management
  • Vendor negotiations
  • Margin improvement
  • Profit leak identification

Product Development

  • Menu development
  • CPG development
  • Product innovation
  • Recipe development
  • Retail packaging
  • Brand positioning

Manufacturing & Distribution

  • Production scaling
  • Automation
  • Quality assurance
  • Food safety compliance
  • Distribution strategy
  • National retail expansion

Leadership

  • Team development
  • Executive leadership
  • Culture building
  • Training systems
  • Customer experience
  • Hospitality standards

Growth & Strategy

  • Startup launches
  • Business scaling
  • Turnaround strategy
  • Acquisition preparation
  • Exit planning
  • Strategic growth

Consulting Approach

Built by an operator — not a consultant.

Eric solves problems the way he built his companies — with ingenuity, not a bigger budget. Fast decisions, resourceful fixes, and the operator’s instinct to make things happen with what’s already on hand. When something breaks, he adapts in minutes, not quarters.

Decisive Under PressureIngenuity Over SpendingProblem-Solving on the FlyOperational AgilityResourcefulnessMakes Things Happen

Consulting Services

How I help.

Helping independent restaurants, hospitality groups, food manufacturers, and emerging food brands improve profitability, efficiency, and long-term growth.

01

Operational Assessment

  • Comprehensive operational audit
  • Kitchen workflow & efficiency
  • FOH & BOH evaluation
  • Service standards
  • Staffing & labor analysis
  • SOP development
02

Financial Performance

  • Food cost analysis
  • Menu engineering
  • Portion control
  • Purchasing systems
  • Inventory management
  • Profit leak identification
03

Manufacturing & CPG

  • Manufacturing process evaluation
  • Production efficiency
  • Automation recommendations
  • Product commercialization
  • Packaging development
  • Scaling production
04

Brand & Growth

  • Concept development
  • New restaurant openings
  • Menu development
  • Product innovation
  • Growth strategy
  • Turnaround planning

Deliverables

Executive assessment report  ·  Prioritized action plan  ·  Financial opportunity analysis  ·  Operations improvement roadmap  ·  Staff & management recommendations  ·  30/60/90-day implementation plan

Awards & Recognition

Five Star Diamond Award

American Academy of Hospitality Sciences — awarded to The Oak Room at The Plaza Hotel, 2010.

Presented in Beijing, alongside

Alain Ducasse
Sirio Maccioni
Jean-Georges Vongerichten

Five Star Diamond Award plaque

“Selected as One of the Finest Chefs Worldwide”

2007

Rising Star Chef

StarChefs, New York City

2024

Resy Charleston Hit List

Barnyard Chicken — Top 12 to try

2025

Charleston Magazine

Featured — Barnyard Chicken

Press & Media

Featured in.

Forbes
The New York Times
Charleston Magazine
Television cooking segment

Television

National morning-show appearances

FOX & Friends

The Today Show

Plus cooking segments on FOX, CBS, and ABC affiliates.

Let’s Connect

Let’s build
something better.

Eric Hara — Food² Strategies

Restaurant & Manufacturing Consultants

Email Eric 805 342 4021

eric@erichara.com·Charleston, SC