Our goal is to share our perspective on Filipino food through the lens of Filipino-Americans. Growing up predominantly in the U.S. and having a Filipino heritage makes our story unique but common to what second and third generation Filipinos have experienced. We learned a lot about our heritage through our moms who cooked traditional Filipino food like adobo, kare kare and sinigang. We’re inspired by the food we grew up with: American food from being brought up in the States or foods from countries our Military family took us, and of course the foods our mothers cooked us to remind them of home. We’re excited to share our full story through food with you all and also learn more about our culture in the process! 

Ethan has been cooking since 2013 starting at Hokkaido Ramen Santouka as a prep cook. He’d work part-time while he was an electronic design engineer. He then met Chef Shota Nakajima where his cooking network expanded and he was able to land the garde manger role at 99 Park in Bellevue, WA and leave his engineering job permanently. That’s where he met his mentor chef, Chef Quinton Stewart. Over the years Ethan has worked at various top restaurant groups and with notable Seattle chefs including Chef Brendan McGill’s Hitchcock restaurant group, Chef Rachael Yang’s Trove, Chef Shota Nakajima’s Adana and Ben Paris in Seattle with Chef Quinton Stewart. Ethan was named Seattle’s Next Hot Chef in 2019 by Seattle Met magazine. Ethan is the chef and head of the food program for Baon Kainan. In 2021 his food cart was awarded Cart of the Year by The Oregonian and Portland Monthly, as well as Best New Food Cart by Eater PDX. 

Geri is a home cook and food enthusiast whose background spans over 10 years in marketing and visual communications. She has worked on creative teams in nonprofit, government and tech with her notable work being a ghost social media writer for Microsoft leaders including CPO Panos Panay and CEO Satya Nadella. She has written for local blogs in the Seattle area including Eater Seattle in 2015. Geri leads the creative direction and marketing of Baon Kainan and is also a freelance visual designer working with entrepreneurs, small businesses and nonprofits. In 2021 her food cart was awarded Cart of the Year by The Oregonian and Portland Monthly, as well as Best New Food Cart by Eater PDX.