Cascade Lakes Brewing Co. has hired Jesse Luersen, an operations and people specialist, as its new hospitality director. In her new role, Luersen will partner with Director of Culinary Operations Jeff Kelly to oversee food and beer service at Cascade Lakes’ Bend Brewpub and 7th Street Pub in Redmond as well as the opening of the brewery’s new Eastside Bend pub, which is scheduled to open in early 2023. She will also help manage Cascade Lakes’ special events.
Luersen has more than a decade of professional hospitality industry experience, with a wide range of roles that have taken her from Vermont to Hawaii and Alaska, with stops in Sunriver, San Francisco and Redlands, California. Most recently, she served in Bend as the regional director of tasting rooms for Evoke Winery, overseeing operations for the winery’s tasting rooms in Bend, Hood River, and Seaside. Before that, she was the first mate and captain for Silver Fox Charters in Homer, Alaska, and the first mate for Maui Classic Charters in Hawaii.
“Jesse has an incredibly wide range of experience, and as a Bend native, she shares our passion for this community and our not-for-profit model,” said Andy Rhine, general manager of Cascade Lakes Brewing. “We are committed to being a benefit to the community, not just in our support of worthwhile causes around Central Oregon. But also, by offering a true gathering place for the community to come together. Jesse will be vital in continuing to fulfill that mission, and we are excited to have her as part of the team.”
Luersen is a Bend native and a graduate of Summit High School. She holds a Bachelor of Arts in Environmental Studies from the University of Redlands, where she also played college basketball. Jesse lives in Bend with her fiancé, Madeline Steen, and their dog, Ivy. In her free time, she is an avid fly fisherman, whitewater rafter, boat enthusiast, and beer lover.
About Cascade Lakes Brewing Co.
Founded in 1994, Cascade Lakes Brewing Co. is among the pioneering breweries that helped put Central Oregon on the beer map. Locally owned and operated by the Rhine family, Cascade Lakes is a bold, genuine, and innovative brewing and eatery company that remains true to its deep local roots. Cascade Lakes can be found in stores across six states (WA, OR, CA, ID, MT, and NV), on select bar and restaurant taps, and at the brewery’s brick-and-mortar pubs in Redmond and Bend. A third Cascade Lakes pub is set to debut in Bend in early 2023. For more information visit www.cascadelakes.com.
