Lazy Bear’s Maya Erickson Is on the Move

Almost two years after opening Lazy Bear alongside executive chef David Barzelay, star pastry chef Maya Erickson is moving on from the Mission supper club-style restaurant, with her last night of service on Saturday, July 30. Erickson, who has earned accolades as an SF Chron Rising Star Chef , says her next plans are to take a break, do some traveling, and ultimately relocate to Los Angeles or New York.

But before she leaves, the SF native plans to have a little fun, in the form of “pastry burlesque,” underground parties inspired by high tea and burlesque shows. Erickson imagines tea-based cocktail punches, towers of pastries, and ladies in burlesque finery, to take place at friends’ bars or apartments. “Dessert is so opulent and extravagant and unnecessary to begin with, that pairing it with burlesque makes total sense,” says Erickson. “Dessert is inherently sexy, it goes hand in hand.”

“Maya is extremely talented, and it was a pleasure working with her for nearly two years. She and I both use nostalgia as a favorite ingredient, and we both love referencing dishes we had growing up,” Barzelay told Eater. “That's part of why she fit at Lazy Bear.” Barzelay also says that he and chef de cuisine Chris Johnson will take a bigger role in the creative side of the pastry program, shifting the dessert dishes to more closely align with the savory menu, which he describes as “American, naturalistic, and deeply rooted in the Bay Area.” And, a replacement pastry chef has already signed on, though the team isn’t quite ready to share that news. Stay tuned for more details.

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