Meet The Team

  • Kasey Mills is co-owner and executive chef of Sesame Collective restaurant group in Portland, Oregon, whose restaurants include Mediterranean Exploration Company, Shalom Y’all, Yalla, Lil’ Shalom, Bless Your Heart Burgers and Dolly Olive.

    Originally from South Dakota, Kasey landed his first job in the kitchen at the age of 20 after working as a ski lift operator, and never looked back. Kasey moved to Portland to attend culinary school in 2001 and began cooking his way up the ranks at Portland institutions including the Oba, Fratelli, and Fenouil. In 2007 he introduced himself to Portland restaurateur John Gorham and assumed the position of sous chef at Toro Bravo. Kasey became a partner in the group in 2014, opening Mediterranean Exploration Company known for its innovative cuisine from the eastern Mediterranean and beyond, Shalom Y’all in 2016, and classic Americana spot Bless Your Heart Burgers in 2017.

    In 2020, Kasey and partners Jamal Hassan and Laura Amans set out to create their own restaurant group, Sesame Collective. Born from the unique challenges and revelations learned in 2020, Sesame Collective is a new style of operation, one focused on diversity, inclusion, and community. 

    Kasey fell for Mediterranean flavors when cooking at Fratelli. Through his cooking, he focuses on heritage above all, diving deeply into history and culture. Over the years, Kasey and the culinary team have traveled all over the eastern Mediterranean and beyond for menu research. Mills finds inspiration in his world travels as much as his explorations in his own garden and through the pages of cookbooks.

    In his free time Kasey enjoys spending time with his wife and their 2 young sons, rock climbing, hiking and camping in the PNW.

  • Laura Amans is co-owner and Chief People Officer of Sesame Collective restaurant group in Portland, Oregon, whose restaurants include Mediterranean Exploration Company, Shalom Y’all, Yalla, Lil’ Shalom, Bless Your Heart Burgers and Dolly Olive.

    Laura grew up in Central Florida with her Mom and 3 younger sisters. With her Father and most of her extended family still in New England, she spent her summers visiting the Northeast. She became enamored with the museums and historical sites, and the warm hospitality she felt gathering around her grandparent’s table. Laura honed in on those passions from a young age. She got her first job in hospitality at age of 16, and continued working in restaurants through college. Her first introduction to Italian wine was at Papa Razzi in Boston, MA. That summer ended with a once in a lifetime trip to Tuscany with her grandparents. Inspired to make a career out of her passion, Laura went on to gain her first fine dining experience at Luma on Park in Winter Park, FL. 

    The notoriously unhealthy restaurant industry lifestyle caught up with Laura. Needing a dramatic change, she packed up and made the big move West, settling by luck in Portland, Oregon. Laura became part of the opening team of Mediterranean Exploration Company in 2014, and applying her strong work ethic, worked her way up from food runner, to server, to floor manager, to service manager to service director, and finally co-owner.

    In 2020, Laura and partners Kasey Mills and Jamal Hassan, set out to create their own restaurant group, Sesame Collective. Born from the unique challenges and revelations of 2020, Sesame Collective is a new style of operation, one focused on transparency, inclusion, and community. At Sesame Collective, Laura utilizes her keen eye for detail to manage all aspects of service and human resources. 

    Ever since setting out on the restaurant industry path, Laura has worked to recreate the feeling she felt gathered around her grandparent’s table, connecting with others through listening to their stories and trying to make her corner of the world a little brighter and better, however possible. In her down time, Laura spends time with her partner, Eddie, and two rescue dogs, Sadie & Rosie.

  • Q. How long have you been with the team?
    A:     3 years

    Q. Tell me a little about your background in hospitality, how did you get into the business, and what are some of your professional highlights thus far?
    A:     I’ve been cooking ever since becoming a vegetarian at the age of 10. Went to culinary school at Ballymaloe in Ireland, externed at Chez Panisse in Berkeley, CA and was an intern for the Rome Sustainable Food Project at the American Academy in Rome.

    Q. Where are you from?
    A:     Eugene, OR

    Q. Favorite meal on earth?
    A:     Cacio e Pepe or Caponata.

    Q. What’s a little known fact about you?
    A:     I worked on a ranch in the summers growing up.

  • Q. What’s your role at Sesame Collective? And how long have you been with the team?
    A.     Provide tasty and creative dishes to our menu to keep it fun and seasonal!

    Q. Tell me a little about your background in hospitality, how did you get into the business, and what are some of your professional highlights thus far?
    A.     I started culinary school when I was 19 and started working at Veritable Quandary as my first kitchen job shortly thereafter. I finished my schooling by completing a 2 month long internship at Thomas Keller’s Ad Hoc near Napa, CA. I took some time off traveling Europe before coming back to Portland to continue my cooking career. I was hired on as a sous chef when Shalom first opened and promoted to CDC 2 years later.

    Q. Where are you from?
    A. I     grew up in Beaverton, OR

    Q. Favorite meal on earth?
    A.     I don’t have a favorite meal on Earth... but I do love sandwiches!!

    Q. What’s a little known fact about you?
    A.     I live in a tiny home on wheels I bought myself 2 years ago now. I hope to put it on some land, have a huge culinary garden, and play the role of chef/gardener to a quaint cafe someday.

  • Q. What’s your role at Sesame Collective? And how long have you been with the team?
    A.     Service Director. Since April of 2021.

    Q. Tell me a little about your background in hospitality, how did you get into the business, and what are some of your professional highlights thus far?
    A.     I’ve been in hospitality since my first job at the ripe age of 16 as a crêpe maker at farmers markets around Seattle. Although my roles have changed over the years, I haven’t left hospitality since that point. One of the things I love most about working in this industry is that it allows my taste buds to travel internationally on a daily basis.

    I’ve worked in fine dining, corporate, and tiny mom & pop shops around Seattle, Boston, The Netherlands, San Francisco and Portland. I consider every place and job that I’ve had to be a professional highlight. Each position in hospitality is essential to the overall success. From hosting, to serving, being a prep cook, Business Manager, or GM… all have played an important role in shaping who I am today.

    Q.Where are you from?
    A.     Many Places? Born in Long Beach, CA. Raised In Seattle. And a 10 year stint in San Francisco. I will, however, always consider myself an PNW girl at heart.

    Q. Favorite meal on earth?
    A.     Homemade perogies fried in butter with onions, a giant dollop of sour cream, and paired with an ice cold beer. It brings me back to being a kid and my mom’s cooking…. Well, minus the beer of course.

    Q. What’s a little known fact about you?
    A.     I was a poetry major in college.

  • Q. How long have you been with the team?
    A.     Since August 2018

    Q. How did you find your way into the hospitality industry?
    A.     Since I was 15! I was a host at Ruth's Chris which was terrifying.

    Q. Where are you from?
    A.     Honolulu.

    Q. Favorite restaurant?
    A.     Million's Restaurant in Honolulu!.

    Q. If we went to Happy Hour what would you order?
    A.     The entire food menu and a glass of wine.

    Q. Do you have a favorite hobby?
    A.     Eating snacks outside and going in the sauna.

    Q. Do you have a favorite hobby?
    A.     Putting my phone on Airplane Mode.

  • Q. When did you start working with Sesame Collective?
    A.     April 2022

    Q. Tell me a little about your background in hospitality, how did you get into the business, and what are some of your professional highlights thus far?
    A.     I've worked in restaurants since I was 16. I started in the BOH as a line cook at a diner in my hometown.

    Q. What’s your favorite food?
    A.     Always sushi!

    Q. If we went to Happy Hour what would you order?
    A.     One of everything!

    Q. If you can remember, what did you want to be when you grew up?
    A.     Zooologist

    Q. What does your perfect day off look like?
    A.     Going for a long walk and then jumping in the river on a hot day!

  • Q. When did you start working with Sesame Collective?
    A.     November 2021

    Q. How/when did you start working in restaurants?
    A.     I've worked in restaurants for 22 years off and on. My first restaurant job was at Chevy's in Hillsboro.

    Q. Where are you from?
    A.     Arcata, Ca

    Q. What's your favorite restaurant?
    A.     My go to place to eat is Teo Bun Bo Hue

    Q. If we went to Happy Hour what would you order?
    A.     Something fried and a silly drink

    Q. What kind of pets do you have, if any? What are their names?
    A.     Two cats. Nigel and Buckminster.

    Q. Who is someone you admire and why?
    A.     Oliver Sacks- Just a really cool, smart and kind man.

  • Q. What’s your role and how long have you been with the team?
    A.     I’m an HR Coordinator and Office Assistant. I’ve been with Sesame Collective since April 2017.

    Q. Tell me a little about your background in hospitality, how did you get into the business? What are some of your professional highlights thus far?
    A.     I started as a host at a high volume restaurant just outside of Washington DC while in college. I moved up in that company before eventually moving on to other things. I decided to come back to the industry because I missed the fast pace, social interaction and the daily sense of discovery. (And I love being around delicious food and wine!)

    Q. Where are you from?
    A.     Honolulu, HI

    Q. Favorite meal on earth?
    A.     Korean BBQ with lots of banchan.  

    Q. What’s a little known fact about you?
    A.     I majored in theater in college with an emphasis in acting.

  • Q. What’s your role at Sesame Collective? And how long have you been with the team?
    A.     I work under Kasey Mills, the Chief of Operations and have a dynamic support position for the restaurants and staff. My primary focus is keeping the restaurants mechanically functional and maintained, while giving support and education to the staff to help them with the day to day operations of the restaurants. I also help manage the supply of consumable and operational wares and supplies needed for efficient daily operations.

    Q. Tell me a little about your background in hospitality, how did you get into the business, and what are some of your professional highlights thus far?
    A.     My first job was as a busser when I was 15, in Southern Oregon. I worked as a busser, dishwasher and prep cook through my teens and started cooking just out of high school. My first Sous chef position was with the Peerless Restaurant in Ashland, Oregon in 1998. In early 2002 I began working at Castagna Restaurant in Portland, and worked through all the positions under the founding chef, Kevin Gibson, and up to Sous Chef under Chef Elias Cairo, who later founded Olympia Provisions. I left Castagna in late 2009 and was hired by John Gorham as the opening Sous chef at Tasty n Sons Restaurant in March of 2010. In 2013, I was promoted to Chef at Tasty n Sons after our opening Chef left to open our sister restaurant, Tasty n alder. I held the Chef position until the fall of 2015 when I began working as an Operations Manager for our then parent company, Toro Bravo Inc. I have worked in Operations since then, but took some time off during Covid in the winter of 2020 and have been back with Sesame Collective full time since April of 2021.

    Q. Where are you from?
    A.     Ashland, Oregon

    Q. Favorite meal on earth?
    A.     That's a really difficult question, so many favorites come to mind. Dungeness Crab and rib-eye steak are both at the top of that list. I love homemade stew with crusty bread in the winter. A favorite summer meal is BBQ brisket or ribs with my mom's potato salad, corn on the cob and watermelon.

    Q. What’s a little known fact about you?
    A.     I'm kind of a motor head. I love race cars and motorcycles, and most anything with an internal combustion engine that goes fast. I've always wanted to be on a racing team and am fascinated by the engineering and ingenuity that teams put into making something go really fast. Someday, I want to spend a year going to all the great racing events around the world; including The 24 Hours of Le Mans, Bonneville Speed Week, the Dakar Rally, Baja 1000, Indy 500, Isle of Man TT... the list goes on and on.

  • Q. What’s your role at Sesame Collective? And how long have you been with the team?
    A.     I am a jack of all trades. I have been with the company for about 3 years now? I started working as a server at Shalom Yall East when we first opened. I moved into management shortly after. Somewhere down the line I took over the bar program at Shalom East and ran that for about a year. During the early times of COVID I helped relaunch almost all of our restaurants and then helped open Yalla. These days I have mostly stepped out of service and I am charged with all things creative; maintaining websites, shooting photos, producing promotional materials.

    Q. Tell me a little about your background in hospitality, how did you get into the business, and what are some of your professional highlights thus far?
    A.     I started washing dishes at 14. Slowly worked into bussing tables and made my way into serving from there.

    Q. Where are you from?
    A.     I was born in Indiana. I spent about half of my youth there and then my family relocated to Florida where I spent most of my young adulthood.

    Q. Favorite meal on earth?
    A.     Pizza with Pineapples

    Q. What’s a little known fact about you?
    A.     I know how to make books by hand. I went to college for art and focused on traditional book structures and printmaking.