General Manager and Certified Sommelier Erick Cadena grew up in Atascadero before moving south to Santa Barbara to escape the small town life. After four years of school and fine dining service, Erick returned to northern San Luis Obispo County and eventually found his way to Villa Creek.
In the spring of 2004, Erick began bartending at Villa Creek. For the past few years, Erick has tasted wines with owner Cris Cherry each week, refining his palate and soaking up all the knowledge he could about local and international wines. Villa Creek’s heavy involvement in the annual wine festival Hospice du Rhone gave Erick the opportunity to interact and become a member of the sommelier team for the weekend seminars. This and other opportunities have introduced Erick to some of the world’s great wine importers and producers including Eric Solomon, and winemakers Louis Barroul and Yves Gangloff.
For the past five years, Erick has enjoyed watching the strong strides being made by local vintners here in Paso Robles. In 2005, Erick worked the harvest with Hug Cellars, a small family-owned winery specializing in small vineyard-designated lots of Syrah and Pinot Noir, giving him a valuable insight on the winemaking process. He earned his WSET Certification in December of 2006 and has been helping to shape Villa Creek’s extensive and innovative wine list ever since. In early 2008, Erick fulfilled his longtime dream and traveled to Europe to visit some of the notable wine regions he had become familiar with over the years including Priorat, Châteauneuf-du-Pape, Gigondas, Vacqueyras, Bandol, and Hermitage, among others.
At the restaurant, he strives every evening to help create for the patrons a warm and unique dining experience.
