About Us
About Karen
my first kitchenaid!
- Karen is the Pastry Chef at Foreign Cinema in San Francisco.
- She attended St. Gabriel School and St. Ignatius College Prepatory.
- She has a bachelor's degree in Psychology from UC Santa Cruz and a Certificate of Achievement in Culinary Arts from City College of San Francisco.
- She has two older sisters, Kristine and Kathleen, and one younger brother, Kristoffer.
- Her first memory of cooking was helping her grandma make mochi for ginataan (Filipino dessert) when she was 5.
- She loves everything Harry Potter and recites too many lines from the Lord of the Rings trilogy.
- Her favorite Filipino food is Dila (braised beef tongue).
- She prides herself on teaching Justin how to like tomatoes.
- Connect with Karen on Facebook and follow her on Instagram.
About Justin
pineapple smile and a nerdy shirt
- Justin works for Sony in San Mateo. He manages video game content for the various online stores on the PlayStation 4, PlayStation 3, and other PlayStation video game systems.
- He attended Corpus Christi School and Archbishop Riordan High School.
- He has a bachelor's degree in Film & Digital Media from UC Santa Cruz.
- He has one older sister, Jenille, and one younger sister, Jamie.
- He's been making websites since the fifth grade.
- He has a strong interest in game design and theory, specifically video game design and board game design.
- He has been called the following nicknames: Just, Bustin, J Rims, J, Jimando.
- His favorite Filipino food is Kare Kare (braised oxtail in peanut sauce).
- Justin cannot get enough peanut butter and jelly.
- He absolutely loves San Francisco and enjoys learning about its history and future.
- Connect with Justin on Facebook, follow him on Instagram, and check out his online photography portfolio.
How We Met
We first met in Santa Cruz during a 3-day tour of UCSC as high school seniors. After deciding to attend UCSC, we eventually crossed paths again during our freshman year and became good friends. We discovered that we both had big families and both of us grew up at our grandparents' houses in San Francisco, hers in the Sunset and his in the Outer Mission. We both attended Catholic elementary schools and high schools (we still debate which schools were better). She introduced him to the Harry Potter books, while he introduced her to Super Smash Bros.
We both joined the Filipino student organization, were heavily involved with events and activities, and even became dance partners in ballroom dance and Filipino folk dance. While we hung out all the time with friends we slowly became interested in each other and eventually started dating that summer.
April 2005
Fun Facts About Our Relationship
- Karen's first meal she ever cooked for Justin was for his 20th birthday. She made shrimp tempura; he was speechless and couldn't believe it.
- We waited overnight for the release of the Nintendo Wii.
- We danced together for the Filipino student organization at UCSC. We danced the tango, cha cha, and Filipino folk dance (pandanggo sa ilaw).
- Karen had braces the first three years we were going out.
- We love animation, especially from Disney, Pixar, and Studio Ghibli. Some of our favorites include: Up, Ratatouille, Howl's Moving Castle, Spirited Away, A Goofy Movie, and Peter Pan.
- Karen created her first fondant cake for Justin's 21st birthday. It was in the shape of a Hylian shield from The Legend of Zelda.
March 2007