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Erik Hernandez, an athletic shoe designer, has always had a soft spot for restaurants. For years, he worked with top athletes developing shoes at Adidas before moving to Portland footwear design firm Studio Noyes. Through Mise, a shoe company tackling the barren market of kitchen-specific footwear, Hernandez set out to reciprocate the love he felt for his friends in Portland’s restaurant community: “I wanted to use my craft to benefit their craft,” he says.
“Diane Lam [of Sunshine Noodles], Gregory Gourdet [of kann], Peter Cho [of Toki and Han Oak]—these are my athletes. The way you’d say Kobe, LeBron or KD,” Hernandez says.
He adds that Portland chefs have been incredibly welcoming; Instagram acquaintances quickly became a network of industry leaders eager to test his passion project. Before its launch last December, Mise outfitted 150 kitchen athletes across the country with sample pairs of its inaugural shoe: The Standard, a slip-on with a leather upper, a nonslip outsole, and a removable and washable internal bootie, that straddles the line between clog and running shoe. The comfortable yet easy-to-clean footwear was an instant hit.
“Now more than ever, people in the United States have come to appreciate and understand how demanding the restaurant industry can be,” Hernandez says. “Chefs are on their feet all day. We feel they should be given the same attention and offered the same level of support as athletes.”