Eric Werner grew up in rural upstate New York and developed a sense for sustainability and respect for eco-farming at an early age.

In 2008, Eric Werner and his wife Mya Henry were in the midst of their respective careers within the cut-throat environment of the New York City restaurant business. Werner as a celebrated chef at both Peasant in downtown Manhattan and Vinegar Hill House in Brooklyn, while Henry held a job at SoHo Grand Hotel.

In 2009 however – they both decided to part with their lives in the city and brought their skills, experience and sense of taste to Mexico’s Yucatan peninsula, looking for adventure and a new challenge. Today, both in their mid-thirties, they are the joint owners of Hartwood, one of the most frequented and talked about restaurants in the chic beach town of Tulum on the southern part of the Mayan Riviera. Werner has always emphasized that he was never out to emulate Mayan cooking traditions, but rather to use its rich influences to compliment his already existing skills and culinary experience.
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Breaking up from conformity and starting over in a new environment can be just as liberating and exciting as it can be challenging, but it nonetheless helps us develop as human beings and often gives those who dare try a new perspective on life.