Akiko Moorman (Co-Founder, Chef de Cuisine) Akiko hails from Juneau, Alaska and Washington, DC, and has been at turns a gymnast, a firefighter and a cook under David Chang at Momofuku Noodle Bar. She likes mochi balls covered in cocoa, elaborate pranks and bear masks. Half-Japanese, half-American, yo. akiko[at]hapakitchen.com
Cathy Erway (Co-Founder, Chef de Cuisine) writes the food blog, Not Eating Out in New York. She likes finding every possible alternative to eating in restaurants, staying up late and dancing in rain boots. New York-born, New Jersey-bred, half-Chinese and half-American, it took her many years before realizing that chili isn’t typically served on a bed of white rice. cathy[at]hapakitchen.com
Tom Helmick (Cook) Tom is half-Taiwanese and half-German (among other things) and was raised in the not so multi-cultural friendly Ohio Valley. Tom came to realize his mother’s cooking was his strongest tie to their Taiwanese culture. He also realized he enjoyed making people happy through food and has been enthusiastically pursuing East-West cooking ever since.
Bryan Zupon (Cook) An avid food lover since childhood, Bryan went to school with bento boxes in lieu of bagged lunches. Years later, Bryan’s interest in both food and hospitality have led to a variety of stints in and around the industries that keep our bellies full. Devoted to both traditional and modern cooking philosophies, Bryan ran the underground restaurant Z Kitchen for two years while at Duke University. With Hapa Kitchen, Bryan seeks to further experiment with forward-thinking, global cuisine, learning from fellow cooks and guests alike.
Gino Reyes (Designer) In addition to graphic design, Gino enjoys ping pong, chasing elephants and dressing better than anyone else in the room. Filipino-American, so not really a hapa, per se (but 100% awesome).
Chris Erway (Webmaster) lives in Providence, RI, where he makes curry at home a lot, plays music and writes papers, a lot. He speaks fluent Mandarin unlike his sister, Cathy.
photos of Akiko and Cathy by Jeannie Choe