Meet Edwin, the guy who once talked his way into a NYC restaurant job by naming every fish at the sushi bar in English and Japanese. He got the job. He made rent.
"Leave it better than you found it."
For Edwin, food has always been about connection — and so has everything else he does.
Growing up on the North Shore of Massachusetts, he developed a deep love for traditional Filipino home cooking: the memories wrapped up in it, the culture it carries, the way it pulls family together around a table. He's equally drawn to fresh seafood, fresh vegetables, minimalist cooking, and anything prepared over an open fire. The simpler and more intentional, the better.
His career took him through restaurants before landing in Talent Acquisition, where he's had the rare opportunity to support at least 18 restaurant openings. Along the way, he's developed a genuine gift for what the work is really about: learning people's stories, finding the shared passions underneath the résumé, and making connections that actually open doors.
The sushi bar story is worth telling in full. Early in his career, Edwin was interviewing for a line-level position at a New York City restaurant when the team told him he didn't have enough NYC experience. His response? Challenge me. He offered to name every fish at their sushi bar by name in both English and Japanese. He got the job.
Outside of work, Edwin is most at home outdoors — camping, hiking, cooking over a fire, or deep into a woodworking project. His dream food adventure is a road trip across the country, hitting every national park and stopping in every small town along the way. Because, as Edwin puts it, the best places to eat aren't always found on a list. Sometimes they're found on foot.
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