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about

what is shop halo Halo?

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Shop Halo Halo is a Filipina-owned and operated pop-up bakery that sells specialized baked goods and desserts featuring Filipino and Asian-Pacific flavors.

Halo-Halo, from the Tagalog word, “halo,” (pronounced "hah-loh") meaning, “mix,” is a sweet Filipino dessert that offers a welcome respite from the relentless summer heat. The treat is made with red mung beans, boiled kidney beans, coconut jelly, coconut meat, and jackfruit, topped with shaved ice, evaporated milk, leche flan, and ube (purple yam). Each ingredient has a distinct texture and flavor, and adds to the overall deliciousness of the dessert! The popular Filipino dessert is reflective of my goal to provide a mixture of distinct and unique handcrafted items that come together effortlessly.
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meet the maker

Kamusta everyone! My name is Geleen Abenoja. I'm a self-taught dessert and pastry chef, and community organizer born and raised in Renton, WA where much of my family settled after immigrating from the Philippines. My love of baking comes from my childhood kitchen where I created traditional Filipino sweets alongside my mom and Lola (grandma).

I am the owner and maker at Shop Halo Halo where I sell a curated “mix mix” of handmade Filipino goods and sweets, including classics from my childhood and modern takes on Filipino flavors, some of which have been featured in EaterPDX and Filipino Eats Week.

When I'm not busy baking and growing my business, I am a Project Coordinator for the Foundation for Philippine Progress, a Portland-based
non-profit that is dedicated to empower and engage communities in programs and projects for the Philippines to secure quality health, education, and basic human rights for every Filipino.

I have a deep love for my Filipino roots and choose to honor my parents' migration story by working towards a Philippines where everyone has access to food, healthcare, education, and basic human rights.

My aim with Shop Halo Halo is not only to provide the Portland community with delicious and nostalgic treats from my culture and childhood, but also educate and draw connections between food, land, and environmental justice and the historical impacts and current material conditions of the Philippines and Filipino people.
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