Photo by Jireh Soriano
HELLO–WE’RE ETHAN AND GERI
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!
BEHIND “NOT YOUR TITA’S COOKING”
It’s nothing against the cooking of our aunties out there, we just want you to know that we’re different. We grew up as Filipino-Americans so our upbringing is different from that of our moms’, dads’, aunties’ and uncles’ generations. We’re taking what we grew up eating and what our moms have put together based on the resources they had in the states at the time. We love their food and we love ours too. We hope it’s a different perspective that shows love for what Filipino food is and has been and gives excitement to what Filipino food can be.
WHAT BAON KAINAN MEANS
Filipino culture prides itself on hospitality and community, and that is what we strive for. The term "baon" means food taken to school, work, or on a journey. It's an expression of kindness and love that you can take with you and nourish you for wherever you go next. Kainan means “eatery.” [Pronounced BAH-ohn kah-ee-NAAN]
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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.
His Filipino roots are based in Pangasinan and Hong Kong.
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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. 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.
Her Filipino heritage is rooted in Samar.
