Chef raises $79K Kickstarter for a new Filipino restaurant in Tacoma

Jan Zoleta Parker is known for Jan Parker Cookery, a longtime caterer and farmers market food operation. WEBSITE

More than 700 people have donated $79,000 in a Kickstarter campaign to seed a brick-and-mortar Filipino restaurant in downtown Tacoma, Washington starring local chef Jan Zoleta Parker, known for Jan Parker Cookery, a longtime caterer and farmers market food operation.

The restaurant, Reyna Filipina Kitchen, will open in 2024, helmed by Chef Parker, who has worked at top establishments such as The Four Seasons Hotel Seattle and Vulcan Inc. Private Estate. She has also contributed to the award-winning PBS show “Cooking with Nick Stellino” and to staging at Modernist Cuisine.

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“This has been such a journey for myself and our community,” said Zoleta Parker recently of the outpouring of public support. “We’re looking forward to bringing flavors to this area that haven’t really been experienced.”

Zoleta Parker ran a successful culinary program at the USO Rhein-Main in Germany for the military community where her husband, now a US military retiree, was stationed. She graduated with honors from The Art Institute of Seattle with a Bachelor of Culinary Arts Management and an Associate of Baking & Pastry.

Inspired by the aesthetic of the heritage homes of the Philippines with dark walnut and plaster, and indigenous materials like Capiz, guests will feel like they’re being transported to the islands themselves.