Mediterranean Exploration Company (MEC) is Sesame Collective’s flagship restaurant in Portland, Oregon. MEC serves up cuisine from the Mediterranean and beyond while drawing inspiration from extensive research and global travels. Located in the heart of Portland’s industrial Pearl District, MEC is a vibrant, energetic restaurant with an open hearth kitchen, and a playfully creative beverage program. MEC is located at
333 NW 13th Avenue, Portland, OR 97209.

Follow us on Instagram @mecpdx.

OUR TEAM

  • Q: What’s your role and how long have you been with the team?
    A:     Chef de Cuisine. Since early November of 2020

    Q: Tell me a little about your background in hospitality, how did you get into the business? What are some of your professional highlights thus far?
    A:     My passion for cooking was fostered at a young age by my Japanese grandmother Fujiko, a former cooking instructor who would only share her recipes with me at family gatherings, while telling everyone else that she would have to charge them $10. I graduated from The Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park, New York in 2011. After graduating, I worked with Chef Nic Yanes in both Portland, at the H50 Bar and Bistro, and then in Austin, Texas. I moved back to Portland in the summer of 2013 and started working at Ox Restaurant under Chefs Greg Denton and Gabrielle Quiñónez Denton.

    Q: Where are you from?
    A:     I was born in Portland, Oregon and grew up in Vancouver, Washington.

  • Q: How long have you been with the team?
    A:     March 2023

    Q: Where are you from?
    A:     Honolulu, HI

    Q: Tell me a little about your background in hospitality, how did you get into the business?
    A:     I got into the industry after I tried becoming a nurse through university of Oregon in 2013. It was challenging and not something I wanted to do after a year. Got into a culinary school after that back home and my first job in 2014. The rest is history

    Q: Where are you from?
    A:     Honolulu, HI

    Q: If we went to Happy Hour what would you order?
    A:     The fruitiest cider or a gin and tonic.

    Q: What's something you're surprisingly good at?
    A:     Keeping a clean house.

    Q: What does your perfect day off look like?
    A:     Breakfast at home, a nice coffee run, attend a baseball game, take a nap and go to a nice dinner.

  • Q: What’s your role and how long have you been with the team?
    A: Assistant Service Manager, since May 2017.

    Q: Tell me a little about your background in hospitality, how did you get into the business?
    A:     When I was 15, I started as a busboy at the banquet hall down the road. That's when I first learned that I cry at every wedding.

    Q: Where are you from?
    A:     St. Louis, MO

    Q: What's your favorite travel destination?
    A: Japan and Mexico

    Q: What does your perfect day off look like?
    A:     Any beach!

  • Bio coming soon!

  • Q: What’s your role and how long have you been with the team?
    A:     Been having fun and making drinks for almost 5 years.

    Q: Tell me a little about your background in hospitality, how did you get into the business? What are some of your professional highlights thus far?
    A:     I got into the industry when I realized bussing tables was more fun than being a plumbers assistant. I kept learning as many roles as I could and have enjoyed working behind the bar the most. Meeting interesting people and making friends through work has been the biggest highlight.

    Q:Where are you from?
    A:     The west coast. HI, AK, WA, OR, CA

    Q:Favorite meal on earth?
    A:     Pizza!

    Q: What’s a little known fact about you?
    A:     I believe aliens exist