Meet Our Team at The Oxford

Including our talented head chef, Erik Beauchamp, The Oxford team is comprised of some the Triangle restaurant industry’s best and brightest.

 

Read on to learn more about our team members:

 

Weston Hill, Manager

Weston has been working in the service industry for more than 8 years and started serving tables at The Oxford in September of 2009. Since he began his journey as part of the Eschelon team, he has worked his way into the General Manager position at The Oxford. He was awarded the first ever Person Of The Year Award in 2013 for his efforts and teamwork with Eschelon. Motivated more than ever and focused to bring The Oxford to a new level, he has great plans for the restaurant moving forward.

Weston recently moved in with his longtime girlfriend, Katy Safrit, and their rambunctious new furry addition Penny Lane. As an avid sports fan and even more devoted Redskins fan, the couple travels to games regularly in Washington, DC. In their downtime, they enjoy outdoor activities and spending time with their favorite lady Penny at the dog park.

Colt Ortego, Manager

Colt was born in Baton Rouge, LA and relocated to Raleigh in 1997. In 2005, he attended Western Carolina University to achieve his Bachelor’s Degree in Emergency Medical Care before moving back to The City of Oaks in 2008.

Before joining the restaurant industry, Colt worked as an Emergency Room Paramedic in Western Carolina from 2003 to 2006 and as an Aflac sales representative cultivating business-to-business relationships.

“Being a Cajun, I have always had a strong passion for food and spirit,” Colt says. “All of my past job experiences have been related to giving people the best personal and business experiences possible. I didn’t think I could handle the multi-tasking required to be a quality server, but I was encouraged to give it try.  I immediately fell in love with providing guests with unforgettable dining experiences.”

Colt joined the Eschelon team as a server and bartender at Mura @ North Hills in 2011.   He was nominated as Employee of the Month by his peers and shortly thereafter, then Employee of the Year, and also was nominated for Front of House Person of the Year by Eschelon.  Colt quickly moved up the ranks to head waiter, then to a management position at Sono Japanese Restaurant, and now as a manager at The Oxford.

He lives in Raleigh with his wife of 8 years, 2 children, and cat Merlin. On his days off, you may catch him on the golf course with buddies or finding a watering hole to watch the Boston Red Sox’s play ball.

Dave Ballance, Bar Manager

Dave is a North Carolina native and hails from New Bern, NC. He landed in Raleigh in 1997 and has been a huge influence in the downtown Raleigh late night scene. You may know him as a door guy at your local watering hole or as a patron at his own establishment. He thrives on the energy and the fast pace hustle of the restaurant-bar industry, and we’re happy to have him here managing our bar and creating the best late night experience on Fayetteville Street.

Dave, his wife Lily, and son Liam all live in downtown Raleigh. You can often find them wandering around with their dogs Ozzy and Rambo. When he’s not working, he’s traveling or catching some live shows at some of the area’s hottest live music spots. He also enjoys dining out and quiet movie nights.

Lindsey Cates, Events Coordinator

Lindsey is out on maternity leave…

 

 

Rachel Haskins, Interim Events Coordinator

While Lindsey is out on maternity leave, Rachel will be the new point of contact.

Rachel is a native North Carolinian. She graduated from Campbell University in 2010 with a Bachelor of Arts in Communication with a focus on Print Journalism.  She enjoys planning all types of events though she honed her event planning skills by producing over 200 events in a five year span from fundraisers to concerts, sideshow events and burlesque festivals.  Rachel is excited to work full-time for Eschelon after several years of helping execute Guy Fawkes Night in Raleigh.  In addition to Eschelon events she teaches pin-up and burlesque classes.  Her passions are sales, marketing, and fundraising.

When not working, Rachel is a book nerd who enjoys trying to keep up with all of the NY Times Bestsellers. She also enjoys checking our live bands in venues around Raleigh. Rachel lives in Raleigh with her daughter, Laila, who is the love of her life.