Mint & Mischief: Globally Inspired High Tea

With a playful & slightly eccentric take on the modernization of the traditional high tea, Mint & Mischief offers a break from the hustle of the everyday pace by showcasing artistically curated small bites to share between friends or hoard to yourself.

Mint & Mischief revels in the creation of globally inspired bites melded with the bounty of the Pacific North West. Creating community through our approach to food is one of our founding ideas.

By focusing on presenting luscious, healthful & delicious refreshment for the adventurous of spirit, Mint & Mischief gives people an excuse to pause in the midst of everything & be joyfully present within a sweet moment.

Mint & Mischief operates with an eco-centric awareness of the affects of the service industry on our planets' current state of health by actively seeking ways to minimize single use plastics & reduce food waste whenever possible in our day to day operations. It's the Mint & Mischief Mission to prioritize protecting our planet & the future of our loved ones by looking for opportunities to move towards the creation & sustainable use of clean energy within our shop.

With almost two decades under my belt working through almost every position in the restaurant industry, I have been tasked with spearheading staff training, mentoring growth & career advancement, kitchen redesigns, menu overhauls, costing & inventory control systems, launching catering & entertainment divisions, and the creation & execution of companies fundamental standards of operations for  both small and large operations. Through every position that I grew in, it was clear that my creativity, resourcefulness, and agility under pressure were my major strengths. It was along the way when I was feeling stressed and monotonous in my daily actions that I started dabbling deeper in the pastry & dessert work, and in so doing realized how much I had missed the artistic expression that so intimately ties into the sweeter side of the industry.

Mint & Mischief is an oasis for the spirit, and an embodiment of all the things that bring me joy regularly. It is the purest representation of what makes me smile, and pushes me out of bed at 5am, and keeps me up till 3am. It's the question of what could be great, and wonderful, and exciting. I love to regularly draw inspiration from my travels, and then expertly blend exotic flavors with familiar dishes in new ways. 

In addition I take pride in creating all of our tidbits with a health conscious mindset. It's my belief that caring for the body & spirit as a unit means a healthier & happier life overall. As the curator, I seek every opportunity to include healthful additions in many of our creations to help boost our body's overall health without sacrificing flavor or quality such as: coconut oil, collagen, fresh botanicals & spices, essential oils, and freeze dried fruits & vegetables to add color, flavor, and reduce overly sweet products. 

Now, it is no secret that restaurants fail regularly- it is one of the harshest truths in our industry. Over 80% fail before their fifth anniversary. So what sets Mint & Mischief apart?

Curiosity & the driving urge to continue educating myself

- I am endlessly curious, alongside an inherently present inner drive to constantly self educate, and overcome my personal obstacles. It was Marcus Aurelius that said "The impediment to action advances action. What stands in the way becomes the way." Some may refer to me as being stubborn, but to myself, I declare that unyielding perseverance and the ongoing collection of worthwhile information to lead me onwards in my ability to make better decisions, and problem solve in the future.

Agility & Experience

- I have been blessed with the uncanny ability to envision the whole playing field, the minutiae details and the fast moving plays both in equal clarity. It's what made me so good at sports, it's what lets me pick up information quickly, it's what allows me to make fast and sure decisions in the heat of problems with a deathly calm and surety. It's also what helps me when I have stumbled or mis-stepped and allows me to refocus and  reconfigure my heading with better knowledge and trust that I am moving ahead with the best of intentions and goals.

Support Network & involvement

- As we create more space between each other with the ease of electronic landscapes right at our fingertips, I yearn for more connection. I want nothing more than to spend an afternoon chatting, feeding, and experimenting away with you in a hazy cloud of sugar, flour, and laughter. For me, having a support group that believes and spurs you on is one of the most decisively positive assets in ones arsenal. To have a network of friends, family, and colleagues that are willing to share their experiences, and knowledge freely is invaluable. Coming from one of the top culinary schools (The Culinary Institute of America) in the world gives me access to some of the most creative, determined, and well trained social networks I could hope for. That I am capable of tapping into their collective experience and knowledge is an incalculable asset to my success. 

Nutrition & Eco-centricity

- In the sphere of Hood River (and the extended Columbia gorge), it's amazing seeing everyone's dedication to getting out and enjoying the outdoors. With that being said, having a business that keeps healthful ideals in the forefront of our mind in all of our execution gives me a platform to stand up and be proud of. Using zero fake additives or coloring, and instead focusing on alternative health conscious solutions such as charcoal, beet powder, and turmeric without sacrificing the final products integrity of flavor or appearance is a point of pride, and a joyful challenge as we try to push the boundaries and continue our journey into the pastry world.

Alongside this, it's my personal mission to try to do my share and create a positive lasting impact on our world through the daily actions of my business. This comes down to actively seeking out ways to minimize single use plastics with our business model, as well as creative use of product to minimize food waste, and the focus on using progressive power supply. It's the intention of Mint & Mischief to use electricity exclusively to run our small bakery, and eventually move towards a sustainable reliable solar energy source to help power our business in the future. 

Mint & Mischief is more than a restaurant, a cafe, or an odd sweet shoppe. It's a place for relaxation and community, a place to revitalize ones spirit by being enveloped in the warm smells of love & cardamom, the laughter of friends, and the artistry of earth's bounty.