Taylor Manning and Siobhan Speirits
Cafe Olli | Portland, OR
JULY 2023
Born and raised in Tallahassee, Florida, Taylor Manning wanted to leave his hometown and try something new, so he moved to Durham, North Carolina to work in his uncle’s restaurant. Manning’s uncle, who attended the Culinary Institute of America, showed him the ropes, and over the next four years, he worked his way up from washing dishes to working the line. Always looking to challenge himself, Manning was happy to find that the fast-paced environment of the kitchen pushed him out of his comfort zone. He moved to New York City and enrolled in the International Culinary Center’s Italian Immersion program, going on to work at a small restaurant in Tuscany. He returned to New York City and cooked in a number of kitchens around the city, including Reynard, Achilles Heel, Joint Venture, Hart’s, and Cervo’s before finding his way to Roman’s. There, Manning dove into his love for pasta, embracing the intuitive nature of pasta making.
Although food had not always been a big part of her early life, that all changed when Siobhan Speirits made her first focaccia in her culinary arts class in high school. Originally from Scotland and living in Austin, Texas, Speirits decided to enroll at the Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park. Feeling homesick, she returned to Austin to attend Le Cordon Bleu. After completing their year-long bread program, Speirits went on to stage at The Kitchin in Edinburgh, learning techniques from the restaurant’s pastry chefs. Once stateside, she worked around Austin for the next seven years before moving to New York City, where she would meet future business and life partner, Manning. She joined the team at Reynard and experimented with bringing a sense of nostalgia to her bakes—which left a lasting impression on her culinary style.
After a few years in New York City, the couple felt they couldn’t see a future for themselves there. They relocated to Portland: Manning joined the team at Ava Gene’s as chef de cuisine and Speirits worked alongside Pastry Chef Liz Clements at Coquine. In 2021, they opened their restaurant, Cafe Olli. With Manning running the kitchen and Speirits leading the baking team, the duo serves Italian-inflected dishes driven by the seasonal bounty of the Pacific Northwest. Manning and Speirits engage with the community as much as possible, hosting fundraisers and providing a space for local chefs to pop-up.
