A brother and sister of Chinese and Filipino heritage, whose parents own a longtime Sunnyvale restaurant, are behind the forthcoming eatery, Stanford announced Wednesday. Blend will open in the university's new science quad, located between the Sapp Center for Science Teaching and Learning and the Anne T. and Robert M. Bass Biology Research Building.
From left to right, the Blend team: Arthur Lao, Marc Lao, Jeeryn Dang, Jerico Suguitan and Lydia Lee. Photo by Ker Than.
Blend will serve Filipino and other Asian dishes, including silog, a traditional Filipino breakfast of garlic rice and fried egg, and made-to-order rice bowls with ingredients such as tofu, mixed greens and kimchi. The cafe will offer gluten-free and vegetarian options. There will also be pastries and coffee.
The restaurant traces lines from siblings Marc Lao and Jeeryn Dang's family roots through Magic Wok, the Chinese-Filipino restaurant their parents opened in 1989, and the way they cook and eat today.
"Our heritage is both Chinese and Filipino, and we do a lot of Vietnamese cooking at home," Dang said in a university announcement. "Our food is a blend of those things."
Dang told the Stanford Daily that Shannon Silva, assistant director of facilities and capital planning in the School of Humanities and Sciences, encouraged the siblings to compete for the space after she ate at Magic Wok.
Blend was selected from three vendors, whose food was scrutinized by more than 100 faculty, students, and staff in taste tests last August, the university said. Participants lauded their braised pork, panko-crusted chicken with lemon sauce and lumpia, spring rolls filled with vegetables and meat.
The cafe will be serve breakfast, lunch and dinner, Monday-Friday from 8 a.m. to 9 p.m. starting sometime during Stanford’s winter quarter, which just started and runs through the end of March.
This story will be updated with an opening date when it becomes available.
