Lisa Schroeder

Lisa Schroeder is the executive chef and owner of one of Portland’s most popular restaurants, Mother's Bistro & Bar. She’s also an author, mother, grandmother, and mother hen to over 50 employees.

While juggling a marketing career, catering and raising her daughter, Lisa realized that there was no place that served the kind of food she would make if she had the time – slow-cooked dishes made with love. She spent the next eight years working toward opening such a restaurant.

She attended The Culinary Institute of America and was selected as a Top Ten Student Chef by Food and Wine Magazine. She honed her skills at Lespinasse and Le Cirque in New York, and apprenticed in France with Mark Veyrat and Roger Vergé. She toured Italy, Spain, Morocco and Switzerland and gained an understanding of regional cuisine and indigenous foods, affirming her belief that some of the best meals of a country are found in its homes, made by its mothers.

Schroeder relocated to Portland, Oregon, and was Chef at Besaw's Café before opening Mother’s Bistro & Bar in January 2000 to rave reviews and the “Restaurant of the Year” title from Willamette Week. In addition to a menu offering refined versions of traditional home-cooked dishes, Lisa celebrates the cuisine of a different mother each month, lovingly referred to as the “Mother of the Month” (or “M.O.M.”).

Schroeder opened Mama Mia Trattoria in 2004 (documented on reality show “Opening Soon”), introducing Portland to the classic Italian dishes she grew up on in Philadelphia’s Little Italy.

In 2009, Lisa released her critically-acclaimed cookbook, "Mother's Best," and appeared on the Today Show, QVC and many others. She is the recipient of the Portland Business Journal's Businesswoman of the Year award and IACP’s Chef/Restaurateur Award of Excellence. Her restaurants have received numerous accolades, including “Best Brunch, ”Best Comfort Food” and “Best Italian” by Citysearch, AOL and other publications. Lisa is also an active member of the community, participating in a numerous charities and causes. In July 2011, Lisa sold Mama Mia’s, allowing her to focus exclusively on Mother’s Bistro & Bar, which has now become a Portland institution and destination.