Advocating For the Business Community

By BLAKE ASHLEY FRINO-GERL

Setting an example for female-held positions in the business industry is inspiring for others. Erica Crawford is an example of that as the CEO/president of the Morro Bay Chamber of Commerce.

Born on a Navy base in Portsmouth, Virginia, and then moving to Quincy, Massachusetts, where she and her sister were raised by their single mom, a critical care/trauma nurse and Navy commander, and grandparents in a two-and-a-half-bedroom home in which her mother and grandfather grew up.

As a volleyball player in high school, Crawford was recruited to play at Columbia University as a student with financial aid. Through college, she met friends from California, which brought her to explore cities like Santa Cruz and Los Angeles. She remembered stopping “in SLO on a solo road trip from San Francisco to LA when I was 21 and the place always stuck in my mind.” She would find herself as a mainstay in the county 12 years later.

After college, Crawford “took advantage of a work-visa program for new college grads and went to the UK for six months.” She got a job at a bagel shop in Brighton, which is where she got her “first exposure to entrepreneurship.” The owner “introduced me to putting everything you have into a vision and doing everything you could to make sure that vision became the way you earned your living and provided jobs,” she remembered.

Upon returning to the U.S., Crawford moved to Brooklyn and got a job at a new “hipster” Mexican restaurant. She worked her way from being a server to manager at 23 years old. After three years, “we were exploring spaces in the borough to open a second location with me as a sweat equity partner,” she said. Crawford said they opened up a craft beer and performance art venue when she was 27.

Crawford then took a job at a Michelin-starred restaurant in Tribeca with a “young and driven” Iron Chef. It is also where she got her first taste of the wine industry, which drove her to earn certification as a sommelier. While working at a Long Island winery she realized that she wanted to make wine, and so she “picked San Luis Obispo as a place to land and give it a shot.”

In 2012, Crawford “landed a job at one of the top wineries on the Central Coast, and rediscovered my love of running businesses.” When she came upon an opening at the Morro Bay Chamber, “I jumped at the opportunity to work in a city so driven by entrepreneurship and small business.” The move and desire for the position was fueled somewhat by the fact that “Morro Bay was my favorite city to spend time in all of the county,” Crawford said. The salty air, seagulls, old cars, and harbor remind her of Boston.

Upon meeting the hiring committee of small business owners and community leaders, she wanted to “explore the opportunity to run the Morro Bay Chamber.” After an enduring interview process, Crawford landed the job in December of 2015. After six days on the job, she made her first public remarks at an annual awards and installation dinner. Soon after, she attended a three-year Western Association of Chamber Executives training program to understand how to connect with business owners “to discuss their views on economic vitality and what it really felt like to be a business owner/operator in Morro Bay,” she added.

At the Chamber, Crawford likes the variety and opportunity to work with different businesses and community leaders. Since the board and committee changes every year, they are constantly getting to know people in the community to understand their vision, goals, and history here, so they can

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(805)714 - 3432 veronica@pbnassoc.com pbnassoc.com/veronicachavez connect them with others who may see similar or entirely different things. She finds that “everyone who is interested in issues related to economic vitality, workforce development, and stewardship of the authenticity” emulate Morro Bay’s veracity. Crawford finds that everyone feels “welcome to engage in the creation of solutions to shared challenges” and that sustains her joy for her job.

Crawford hopes the Chamber is recognized as a resource for reliable and fact-based information. With a small business owner background, she understands how reputation and crucial decision-making influences success. She said, “the business I run is focused on service and advocacy.” She is “doing my very best to ensure that accuracy, inclusivity, and timeliness drives our work.”

Crawford takes notice of her appreciation for those she works with. “I’m very proud of and grateful for my two full-time staff members and the members of the Chamber’s Board of Direc- tors and committees, past and present, who share that drive and push me to improve every day,” she said.

As someone who has gotten to know the area through work and fun, what does Crawford like most about Morro Bay? She likes that it’s “a full-service city with so much natural beauty.” According to her, it has everything. “Groceries? Check. A gift for my nephew? Check. A fun hang with my girlfriends? Check. A walk to an epic beach or a gorgeous hilltop? Fresh seafood, locally sourced meat from a butcher, vegan food, a yoga class or a massage? Check! It’s all here in Morro Bay.”

Crawford truly enjoys where she lives and works. “I feel really special to be a full-time resident and employed by a Morro Bay-based business for over seven years,” she added. Being grateful in the moment you're in chauffeurs that happiness, and Crawford seems to embrace that.

Farmer’s Market Spring Quiche

By BEEWENCH FARM for Morro Bay Life

Spring is finally here. All the green grass, leaves, and foliage outside remind us that we really need to be adding more green stuff to our diets, too. After all the amazing rain we have received, it’s going to be a truly gorgeous Spring here. It’s beautiful weather to come out and visit the markets and load up on nutritious produce.

This month there should be plenty to choose from at the Farmer’s Markets for all your meals. Many of our favorite Spring fruits are starting to appear. Look for beautiful strawberries, cherries, and rhubarb coming in. Most citrus is going to be more difficult to find this time of year, so make sure to enjoy the last tastes of fresh mandarins, blood oranges, kumquats, and kiwis while you can find them. Peas, celery root, broccoli, asparagus, artichokes, and sweet onions are tasting excellent right now.

With Easter around the corner, make sure to find your favorite eggs at the market. We’re so thankful our flock is over their winter break, and we have plenty of eggs with the gorgeous orange yolks from all the green grass. Many of our local farms keep laying hens so they can feed them all the veggie scraps. Your local chickens are all very spoiled and are going to have delicious and super nutrient-rich eggs, so skip the store and find some locally grown eggs. Pick up some purple cabbage, beets (red and yellow), and spinach to make all natural dyes for beautiful Easter eggs. Check with your local butchers and farmers to get locally raised meats for your weeknight meals and Easter dinner. We love everything The Morro Bay Butcher is up to with his meats and ready to eat food. Ben of Ben’s Meats makes some of the tastiest sausages to have any night of the week or to add into this week’s quiche recipe. He’s at Morro Bay market every Saturday afternoon.

Vintage Cheese and Stepladder Creamery have a variety of tasty, locally produced cheeses. The Vreamery has amazing dairy alternatives as well. They usually have samples available at the markets, so pick your favorites to add into this Spring Quiche Recipe.

Quiche makes an excellent Easter breakfast, but if you are looking for something more kid-friendly, try egg in a basket. Use a cookie cutter to make a cutout in a slice of bread, butter it generously on both sides, put it in a hot skillet, and crack an egg into the cutout. Cook to your preference, and sprinkle a little shredded cheese around the egg to make it look more like a nest. These are especially tasty with some freshly made sourdough and avocado from the market.

Because we are celebrating an abundance of eggs, quiche is the perfect recipe for this month. Quiche is not only easy but is a crowd-pleaser. You can add and substitute most ingredients, and it will still taste great. This is great for breakfast, lunch, or dinner and can easily be refrigerated and enjoyed as leftovers.

Farmer’s Market Spring Quiche Recipe

Ingredients:

• ½ pound ground pork, bacon, or sausage

1 bunch broccoli, cut into florets (can sub for asparagus)

• 1 small onion or 1 leek, finely chopped

• 3 cups chopped fresh mustard greens (or spinach)

• 3 garlic cloves, minced

• 1 sheet refrigerated pie crust (or homemade)

• 4 large eggs

• 1 cup milk

1 tablespoon minced fresh rosemary or 1 teaspoon dried rosemary, crushed

• 1/2 teaspoon salt

• 1/2 teaspoon pepper

• 1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese, divided

• 1/2 cup shredded Swiss cheese, divided

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. In a large skillet, cook sausage over medium-high heat until browned. Remove cooked sausage and add broccoli and onion; cook and stir until broccoli is crisp-tender. You may need to add a little olive