About the Team
Lauren “Lolo” Grossman
Lodge Manager — 5th Minam Season
A Southern California native, Lolo fell in love with the mountain life in Mammoth Lakes, Calif., and never looked back. Her love of culinary delights and fresh mountain air quickly made her a perfect fit at the Minam. Contact her with any questions you may have or to help you book your next visit at lolo@minam-lodge.com.
Elizabeth Shoepe
Hospitalty Lead, Guest Coordinator — 4th Minam Season
Born and raised in Oregon, Elizabeth's journey at the lodge began in 2018. Although her path has taken her through various countries and careers, she always finds her way back to the Minam Lodge. A lover of backcountry adventure and genuine hospitality, she enjoys sharing her passion for the area and riding the trails with her mustang, mule, and pup.
Matthew Williams
Beverage Director and Hospitality — 5th Minam Season
Matthew, a long-time Portland resident, has many years of experience behind the bar at Portland institutions including Touche and Cassidy’s. After spending most of his vacations exploring the Eagle Cap Wilderness with his family, he finally realized it would be more convenient to work here. His wry sense of humor and keen eye for detail make Matt an indispensable member of the team.
Dylan Mitchell
Hospitality — 3rd Minam Season
Dylan grew up at the foot of The Great Smoky Mountains in Tennessee and has always loved the outdoors. After thru-hiking the Appalachian Trail from Georgia to Maine, this love grew stronger and he began seeking out work that would enable him to stay engaged with the outdoor community. This search led him to the Minam, where he combines his hospitality experience with his passion for the wilderness. Dylan is always enthusiastic to connect with guests and discuss favorite hiking trails.
Robbie Olsen
Hospitality — 3rd Minam Season
Coming from New York, Robbie has always wanted to visit Oregon. He loves long walks to the sauna, large bowls of yogurt, and napping on the couch. He also loves visiting with guests and asking what they love in life. One day he’ll publish a poetry book.
Devin Floyd
Hospitality — 2nd Season
Growing up on the plains of Texas, Devin always found herself drawn to the mountains. After spending the last three years traveling, she fell in love with this small piece of paradise nestled in Oregon's mountain ranges. She enjoys meeting people from all walks of life, experiencing incredible cuisine, and being part of a welcoming community. It's a place that has truly come to feel like home.
James Pech
Head Chef — 2nd Minam Season
James was born in Iowa, grew up in Colorado, and lives in Seattle by way of Alaska. He learned the fundamentals of cooking from his grandmother and great-grandmother. After nearly two decades of cooking and leading kitchens in the Seattle area, he is thrilled to bring his diverse experience and natural curiosity to this truly unique culinary adventure.
Kelly Sullivan
Chef — 1st Season
Originally from Michigan, Kelly took to a wanderlust lifestyle at a young age-first as an adventure traveler and backpacker, and later bringing her cooking skills on the road as a retreat chef. She's visited 31 countries and counting and shows no signs of slowing down, except now she's got a new adventure buddy in tow: her sweet kitten, Navi, who recently stole her heart while she was on contract in Nicaragua. Kelly is excited to spend the season in Oregon cooking up delicious meals and exploring the natural beauty surrounding Minam Lodge.
Andrew Couser
Chef — 1st Season
Andrew comes from what is known as America's High Five (Michigan). When he's not in the kitchen, he's out on the trails, rock climbing, or writing. He loves baking cakes, picking flowers, listening to Motown, and telling the same two jokes. His laughs echo through the lodge.
Nataiela Croft
Chef / Garden Assistant — 3rd Minam Season
Although Nataiela joins us originally from Idaho, her talent for cooking, love of learning, and sense of adventure have taken her many places, from Texas to Oregon. She delights in crafting thoughtful meals that reflect her ever-growing curiosity in the kitchen while celebrating the bounty of the Minam garden. Nataiela enjoys basking in the beauty of the outdoors, whether it’s enjoying river time, sauna sessions, or long forest walks.
Kyle Marts
Head of Maintenance — 4th Minam Season
Kyle is our Head of Maintenance. You're likely to find him greeting incoming planes or meticulously tending our grounds. He loves building things and tinkering in the fab shop. During the off season, he pursues carpentry back home in Texas.
Chase Collins
Grounds/Dishwasher — 1st Season
Chase is from a small Kansas farm town but has lived in a variety of places and spaces since leaving the farm, including islands, tents, mountains, sailboats, and campers. His farm experience lends a handy skill set to our groundskeeping team. In his free time, he enjoys traveling, cooking, and spending time with his partner and friends.
Matthew Smith
Grounds/Dishwasher — 1st Season
Matthew grew up across the South and Midwest. Today, he continues a roving life, living in Mexico during the winters and working north in the summer, happy to be starting his first season at Minam. Matthew enjoys the extremes of locations-big cities, small towns and pure wilderness. If there's a subway system or a wild river nearby, he feels at home. He can often be found with a book or a guitar in hand, or else not found at all, out on a ramble.
Lauren Kelly
Grounds/Dishwasher — 1st Season
Lauren was born and grew up in northern Georgia. Surrounded by mountains, she's always enjoyed being outside. Lauren enjoys sewing, fostering kittens, and swimming in lakes. For the past three years, she's worked seasonal jobs each summer, and she's excited to experience Oregon and Minam for the first time.
Shelley Harmer
Massage Therapist — 1st Season
Shelley went to school in Maui and has experience in luxury spas, wellness retreats, and clinical settings around the world. She specializes in creating customized sessions that blend therapeutic techniques with deep relaxation, drawing from modalities including deep tissue, Swedish, Lomi Lomi, neuromuscular therapy, cupping, and reflexology. Her goal is to help each client reduce pain, relieve stress, and leave feeling restored, balanced, and renewed.
Nikki Beck
Massage Therapist — 1st Season
Nikki is a dedicated licensed massage therapist with a strong passion for health, wellness, and holistic care. Her areas of expertise include structural integration, sports massage, cupping therapy, stretching, hot stone massage, Ashiatsu, craniosacral therapy, and Reiki. When not massaging, she enjoys all outdoor sports and activities, especially fly fishing and backcountry splitboarding.
Interested in joining the Lodge team?
Are you interested in working at the Lodge? Many of our team members return each year, but we typically have openings for a few select candidates in areas including dining, hospitality, gardening and groundskeeping each year. If you have relevant professional experience, high personal standards, a serious work ethic and -- of course -- a sense of adventure, we would love to hear from you! Please send a letter of interest, resume, and three professional references to info@minam-lodge.com.