Bao Nguyen, Editor & Chief Storyteller

Bao plays around with words and uses what he learns to help connect, build, and uplift communities, especially those on the margins. He enjoys listening to stories of all sorts – the wilder the better – and when it comes to telling them, he prefers the ancient and magical ones.

An immigrant from Vietnam who came to Seattle over 20 years ago, Bao has his roots firmly planted on both sides of the Pacific, though his heart & soul (and stomach) seem to prefer the land of his ancestors. Bao has years of experience working with small nonprofits, freelance writing, and editing. He is currently studying for Masters in Leadership for Sustainability at the University of Vermont. On his free time, he does things in the community, consume lots of media, and generally try to avoid being found.

Jay Friedman, Writer

Jay Friedman is an accomplished food writer and restaurant reviewer. He’s the co-editor of the Fearless Critic Seattle Restaurant Guide, which offers brutally honest reviews of 250 of Seattle’s most delicious and interesting restaurants. Jay is a contributor to Eater Seattle and Seattle Weekly, where he had a regular column on Asian noodles (“The Mein Man”). Find all of Jay’s food writing at his popular Gastrolust.com website—ranked #1 restaurant blog in the United States by the former Urbanspoon.

www.gastrolust.com, Twitter @JayFriedman, Instagram @jay_friedman