Two hosts. One purpose.
Savoring Connections is the partnership of Nicole Stiles Hockinson and Erika Carvalho -mothers, friends, and designers of moments that make people feel seen. We create refined, seasonal pop-up bars — self-contained, styled, and staffed — that pair seamlessly with your planner or caterer. Every booking helps underwrite Connection Tables: free, dignified hospitality at senior centers, shelters, and community sites.
Beautifully hosted moments lower barriers, lift spirits, and help people feel seen, so we bring them to community spaces at no cost.
“Cooking is all about people. Food is maybe the only universal thing that really has the power to bring everyone together.”
- Guy Fieri,
Emmy Award-winning TV presenter, Restaurateur, and Author
How it all began
Savoring Connections began around a kitchen table - two moms balancing family life, aging parents, and a shared desire to give back in a way that felt personal and lasting. We saw how easily connection can slip away: for seniors living alone, for new parents finding their footing, for anyone whose days feel full and somehow lonely.
Nicole brings more than a decade of nonprofit leadership and a lifelong love of hosting. Erika, born in Brazil and fluent across cultures and languages, led global tech teams and has a gift for making people feel understood. Together, we combined white-glove hospitality with a simple belief: beautifully hosted moments can lower barriers, lift spirits, and help people feel seen.
What started as a question-what if gathering around food could do more than fill a plate?-became our model: refined seasonal pop-up bars that create the moment within your event, and then turn that moment outward. A portion of every booking underwrites free Connection Tables for seniors and vulnerable neighbors at community sites across Orange County.
It began with one table, one idea, one steady belief: hospitality can create belonging.
We host your guests, then host your community.
Meet the Team
Nicole Stiles Hockinson
Co-Founder
Nicole Stiles Hockinson is a mission-driven nonprofit leader who builds high-impact partnerships and programs that strengthen community and collaboration.
Her passion for service began in college, when she worked on programs providing meals to children in underserved communities, laying the foundation for a career dedicated to translating vision into measurable impact.
As a senior executive with How Women Lead, Nicole cultivated corporate partnerships with Fortune 500 companies, directed philanthropic engagement initiatives, and oversaw programs advancing leadership, equity, and engagement across sectors.
Nicole managed corporate partnerships with influential organizations such as Google, Union Bank, TrueCar, and Cornerstone OnDemand, and led global initiatives for women and youth through prominent nonprofit platforms. She now serves as a Senior Advisory Board Member for Networked, shaping engagement strategies for diverse professional and community networks nationwide.
At Savoring Connections, Nicole applies this expertise to secure strategic partnerships and sponsorships that fund meaningful experiences and community-building initiatives across Orange County, ensuring each program drives engagement, connection, and sustainability.
Erika Carvalho
Co-Founder
Erika Carvalho is the architect of connection at Savoring Connections.
Born and raised in Brazil, Erika built a global career in technology, leading multinational teams and projects that required both precision and empathy. Fluent in multiple languages and experienced across continents and industries, she brings a natural ease in bridging cultures and helping people feel understood, a quality that shapes both her leadership and her approach to community.
An entrepreneur at heart, Erika has led ventures that unite people, from founding school programs for teens to managing business projects on the East Coast. Her experience translating ideas into efforts that connect people and communities informs the thoughtful approach she brings to every gathering.
After relocating from the East Coast to Orange County, she saw a growing need for spaces that foster connection and co-founded Savoring Connections with her longtime friend Nicole.
Blending heart and strategic insight, Erika transforms ideas into experiences that feel effortless yet deeply intentional. She believes that connection is something we can build, one conversation, one meal, one shared moment at a time.