Erick Gamas

Executive Chef, Urban Farmer Portland

Executive Chef Erick Gamas creates lasting experiences for guests of Urban Farmer and The Nines Hotel by crafting seasonally driven menus that highlight fresh and sustainable local Pacific Northwest ingredients.

Chef Gamas was born in Portland, Oregon, and raised in Xela, Guatemala. He comes from a large and diverse family, including some as far-reaching as Cambodia. The immersion in both Hispanic and Asian cultures taught him that simple ingredients have the power to create delicious food that brings people together, strengthens relationships, and makes lifelong memories.

A graduate of the Le Cordon Bleu program, Chef Gamas began his career in the culinary industry in 2011 as a banquet cook at The Nines Hotel in Portland, Oregon. The opportunities to learn from so many people and the exposure to multiple types of culinary services aided him in expanding his breadth of knowledge quickly and confidently.

In 2017, Chef Gamas answered the call to move to Colorado as a sous chef to support the opening of Urban Farmer Denver, uprooting from the Pacific Northwest and calling this new place “home” - knowing that Oregon was his home to return to when the time was right.

Chef Gamas was promoted to Executive Chef of Urban Farmer Denver in 2019, successfully growing the restaurant’s reputation of being a top-ranked steakhouse that focuses on sustainability, purpose-driven food, and promoting locality and respect for ingredients

Returning as the Executive Chef of Urban Farmer and The Nines Hotel, Chef Gamas continues to uphold the roots instilled in him by his childhood and all his years of training in the field. His top three culinary-world beliefs are: “Simple ingredients respected for what they are can create lasting memories, know and understand where your food comes from, work hard, and give each other room to grow.”

When not working, Chef Gamas enjoys working on cars and house projects and spending time with his wife, his little girl, and their three dogs.