From her early days of cooking in college to working abroad in a gourmet restaurant, Georgia Flaum of Terroir at the Porch has mastered the art of making people happy through delicious food and friendly service. In this series of Faces Behind the Food, we sit down with Georgia to hear why she loves her work on the High Line. For hours and locations of all of our vendors, see High Line Food.
Tell us about yourself and your passion for food and drink, including any fun or unusual facts that we might not know. Any secret talents, perhaps?
I come from a big foodie family, but I didn't become interested in cooking until I had my own kitchen junior year of college. That year, I started a food blog and decided I’d travel as much as possible to experience new cuisines. When I studied abroad in Israel later in the year, I participated in an internship program in central Jerusalem where I worked in the kitchen of a gourmet restaurant called Eucalyptus. I didn't get paid, and I didn't speak Hebrew (hardly anyone spoke English), but I did learn a lot about the flow of a restaurant.
When I graduated from Wesleyan University two years ago, I knew I wanted to move to New York City and work in the food industry. But I had no idea where to start. I was intimidated to work in a restaurant kitchen with little experience and formal training, so I started as a busser at Hearth—Terroir's flagship restaurant—to experience the city’s restaurant scene. I worked my way up in various customer-facing roles. Now I run Terroir at the Porch on the High Line as general manager.
