Last week we hosted 16 juniors from the International Community School in the Lake Washington Public School district. We shut down the restaurant that day to be able to give them a special experience to not only eat, but to learn, share, and explore together what it means to be a third culture kid.

As usual, our team started the student lunch the same way we would for any dinner. We turned on the music, took our places, opened the door…. and no one was there. Worried they might not see our restaurant, our team gathered out front to greet them so that they couldn’t miss us. Then we saw a city bus pull up to the stop by our restaurant, and some very sharply dressed students stepped out one by one. Everyone was excited to get started.

Though we prepared as we would for any dinner, this student lunch actually took a little more preparation. Heather, our Asst. GM helped, coordinate with their instructor, Jen, to learn about the students who would joining us. Our Lead Back of House (BOH) team, Jhoanna, Ronnette, and Kasey, ideated on a shorter menu that focused on food that would be very familiar, but also hit the variety of techniques and flavors of our cuisine, showcasing the intersections of culture and place. Han Vale, our Content Coordinator, put together a lesson plan, encouraging the students think critically, creatively, and share their perspectives throughout the tasting menu. Amber Manuguid, our Experience Director sprinkled in learning materials that would arrive integrated into the courses and created a special booklet that was both a mini history book and menu for students to take at the end.

For the lunch itself, Chef Aaron and Han lead the service, diving deeper into the stories, food, and themes, engaging with the students. Our dishwasher, Ethan, our cook, Daniel, and our Jr. Line Cook, Chynna jumped in to help keep everything moving along.

We took them through 5 courses that explored different historical events through the lense of the Jenkins family, Seattle’s very first Filipino American family. They were mixed race and directly connected to both Spanish and U.S. colonization in the Philippines—a very third culture household. The beautiful intersections they bring is numerous. From the Spanish American War, to Maria Orosa in the canneries and the UW, to the Strawberry Queens in Bainbridge, we wanted the students to see themselves in the narrative of the Pacific Northwest and to know that our history is their history, and theirs is ours.

Though we had much to share, we also learned a lot from the students. How they think about food, how they view the food they grew up with, and how other other cultures or events influenced the food that they view as their own. It was a diverse group, which opened up the opportunity for every single one of us in that room to learn something new. There was a lot of excitement and thoughtful conversations—our future is bright!

It was an eye opening and rewarding experience, we hope to do more of these. Huge thank you to all the students, ICU, and of course to Jen who reached out in the first place. We’re thankful to be able to share space with our young community in such a meaningful way.

And of course, thank you again to everyone who bid on our Bayani auction shirts. The proceeds went toward helping fund this student lunch. We still have a few shirts left if you’d like to contribute to helping fund more of these events. Maraming salamat!

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Class is in session…