Douglas Derrick

Southwestern by birth and rearing, Italian by heritage, and Northwestern by preference, Douglas Derrick has found his home in Portland’s thriving restaurant scene. A family connection started him at the bottom of an upscale restaurant at the age of 15. Intrigued by the inner works and lead by some of the best in the market, he aspired to himself become a leader in the restaurant business. He obtained a bachelor of science degree from Northern Arizona University in Hotel and Restaurant Management in 2005. He did studies in cultural differences in the workplace at the international business program at Hanze University of Groningen, The Netherlands, and completed a food and beverage internship at the Talkeetna Alaskan Lodge in 2004. He worked as Food & Beverage Manager for two years in Flagstaff, but was drawn to Portland in 2007 by the progressive restaurant scene and the elusive steelhead waters.

Derrick joined the Nostrana team as bar manager in 2009. He founded the program for the charity focused ‘Negroni of the Month’ and the ‘Negroni Social’, that soon landed him the lofty title of ‘President of Negroni.’ During that time he was an active board member of the Oregon Bartenders Guild as Communications Director. He took over the 160 bottle Italian wine list in late 2012 starting with an educational tour of Northern Italy and Slovenia. After a 2 years of ‘Negroni Socials’, Derrick teamed up with IMBIBE magazine and Campari to present ‘Negroni Week’, a world-wide charity event, joining bars from all over the world in the push to raise funds for local charities.

Derrick is dedicated to the perseverance of slow food forged by the mentoring of Chef Cathy Whims. Beverage has been his canvas thus far, but he aspires to own his own restaurants. You can find him fly fishing Oregon steelhead runs when he is not crafting a food and beverage experience to remember.