Eric Warnstedt

The Climb

In 2002, the sous chef post at Smokejack’s gave Eric Warnstedt a working start in the trade, and it set the terms for what followed: discipline, patience, and steady accumulation rather than quick ascent. By 2005, the scope widened with Hen of the Wood, where he became founder, chef, and co-owner; the name soon became tied to a style of cooking that was grounded in control and exactness. The portfolio kept expanding from there, with co-ownership of Hen of the Wood Burlington in 2013, Doc Pond’s in 2015, and Prohibition Pig in 2018. Across those moves, the work stayed cumulative rather than flashy, building one room, one role, one restaurant at a time.

Today

Hen of the Wood remains the central operating point in Warnstedt’s work, where he is still chef and co-owner. The position keeps the early architecture of his career in view, with the restaurant continuing to anchor the larger body of work around it. Outside the kitchen, he is also a board member of TURNmusic, a different kind of service but still a form of stewardship. The common thread is measured control: the same pace and discipline now extending into both food and community work.

Signature

Eric's signature dishes include hen-of-the-woods mushroom toast. The dish tracks directly with the broader register of his cooking: close attention to ingredient, balance, and the decision to let a single element do real work on the plate.

In Their Words “It was hard to give up control [but] … it’s been a great thing.”

Recognition

Warnstedt has said, "Nowadays it’s pretty easy to buy anything from the global pantry and get it sent here, but that’s not very challenging or interesting to me." The statement is useful because it names the working preference behind the kitchens: rigor over convenience, and the slower demands of making food with intent rather than leaning on easy access. It points to a cook more interested in the discipline of the material in front of him than in novelty for its own sake.