Erin Ashford
Holiday | Austin
NOVEMBER 2023
When Erin Ashford moved to Austin to finish college in 2008, she did what anyone looking for cash would do, and got a job serving at Cracker Barrel. Once she graduated, she felt the pull of the hospitality industry, and started working as a cocktail waitress and banquet server at a hotel downtown. She grew to love the cocktail scene, and eventually left hotels to work as a server in some of Austin’s drinking destinations, growing her sense of hospitality and learning to love running around and helping people have the best night they could. After stints at now-shuttered Austin staples Threadgill’s and Contigo, she started behind the bar at Qui under Bartender Justin Elliott.
Though initially feeling in over her head, through patience and mentorship, Ashford grew her skills before leaving for Rising Stars alum Michael Fojtasek’s Olamaie, where she started developing menus. After six years and hundreds of cocktails created, Ashford and her business partner John DiCicco (also an Olamaie alum) decided to open their own bar. Holiday opened in March 2023, where Ashford has worked to create a space that places a premium on hospitality and approachability. Ashford’s menu highlights several local producers for cocktails, is built to handle the bar’s large capacity, and the bar is open every day to serve as a spot where industry folks can go on their days off.
