At first blush, tortas and birding might not seem like a natural pairing, but the GĂŒero Bird Club turns that assumption on its head.

As you might have guessed, the club is an offshoot of acclaimed Kerns torta shop GĂŒero. Attendees of all ages and experience levels regularly flock to local spots like Mount Tabor, Powell Butte, and Oaks Bottom to socialize and gaze in awe at feathered friends like song sparrows and Northern flickers, creating new friendships in the process.

The scrappy operation first hatched early on in the pandemic—an obviously dismal time for the restaurant industry. While they hung out in the kitchen of a deserted GĂŒero, which was open for takeout only, kitchen manager Audrey Tawdry and employee Greg Smith would pass time by swapping their latest birdwatching updates. GĂŒero chef and co-owner Megan Sanchez picked up on their interest and suggested they start their own birdwatching club, an idea that was met with an enthusiastic response, and thus, the GĂŒero Bird Club was born in 2021. (Tawdry has since left GĂŒero to pursue poetry at the Iowa Writers’ Workshop, and Smith has left to study biology. However, employees Matt Simmons and Alan Waugh have taken up the Bird Club mantle, and the group is still going strong.)

From the start, the organizers ensured that Bird Club was accessible and approachable by making all gatherings free and lending out extra binoculars. Sanchez and designer Grace Mervin collaborated on creating a playful, whimsical aesthetic for the club’s website, social media, and merch, while artist Maja Dlugolecki contributed paintings for various birding materials. The group has since grown to encompass a Discord server and Substack newsletter to keep members informed between sessions.

In keeping with their hospitality background, the leaders of Bird Club always strive for a welcoming atmosphere, serving hot coffee and, occasionally, snacks. Laughing, Sanchez recalls that they came up with a treat that they cheekily dubbed “bird seed biscuits”—a seedy, lightly sweetened, masa-based creation reminiscent of Mexican wedding cookies. (The name, however, had to be changed, because people mistook them for actual bird food.)

The bonds forged between Bird Club attendees have proven to be a powerful force to be reckoned with. Once, Sanchez’s '90s work truck, a frequent fixture of Bird Club outings easily distinguished by its “I love the Columbia Slough” bumper sticker, went missing. Later, during a bird walk, some eagle-eyed birders recognized the vehicle speeding through Mount Tabor. Suddenly, 25 or so club members, all clutching binoculars, went sprinting after the stolen truck. “It was total mayhem, and everyone stayed and participated in the lengthy road to picking it back up,” Sanchez says. “It was one of those times where it feels special that you have community, because you need community when you’ve been robbed.”

Bird Club isn’t the only extracurricular activity that’s come from GĂŒero: Sanchez intentionally cultivates community by encouraging her multitalented employees, many of whom are artists, musicians, or students, to share their non-work-related passions with the rest of the staff, which has resulted in pop-ups, book clubs, education nights, mezcal tastings, and more. “Any opportunity I have to let folks express the stuff they're excited about at work, if that's what they want to do, just feels like a huge gift to me and everyone else who works there,” she says.

Sanchez first became interested in the culinary world via farming, and credits birding with reconnecting her to the seasonality of nature, which influences her cooking. When she first started the hobby, she only knew how to identify a few birds. Now her expertise has expanded, but she still works on growing her knowledge. “Once you scratch the surface of birds and their behaviors, you realize there’s a whole universe of information you don’t know anything about,” she says. “So I’m always learning.” 

She deeply appreciates the opportunity to take part in a new pastime and says that many members of Bird Club have become “like family” to GĂŒero.

“It's just been really cool to watch it grow from a little idea in our kitchen to this thing on Thursdays where 30 people show up,” she says. “And it's just kind of amazing to have learned through this that if you put something out there, the people will find you.” 

Find info on the GĂŒero Bird Club here.