Popping up Soon: Breakfast Sandwiches from Bao Boss
The new SnoCo Food & Drink Facebook group is a great resource for fresh bar and restaurant info shared by businesses in the area and their customers. Want to know about daily specials, new items, and temporary closures? Join the group and your feed will be filled with delicious updates all day long. I recently caught an update from Noodle Nation there about Bao Boss, the sandwich concept they're working on. Ever-eager to try another new sandwich, I reached out to chef-owner Daniel Deconinck to learn more.
His drive comes from a self-described unhealthy love of food and sandwiches, and he draws inspiration from all cuisines. "Food has been fusion since the first time someone traveled and settled to another part of a region," he explains. "But they called it survival back then. Think they were picky, or just hungry?"
Cornmeal country fried steak, fried egg, cheddar, kewpie mayo, and house-made honey sriracha on brioche // Image courtesy Bao Boss
As an adopted Korean-American who's lived all over the US and worked in the food industry since he was a kid, Deconinck has tried it all. "I believe that food shouldn't have boundaries. We as a nation aren't just white food or Asian food or food with those kinda limitations anymore." With his cooking, he wants to, "open people's eyes to different ingredients as opposed to different types of dishes."
Deconinck hopes to have a separate location for Bao Boss eventually, and will find customers and raise money for the business via pop-ups and special events. He'll focus on fairs and farmers' markets in 2021 but can also use the Noodle Nation space on Sundays when it's closed if nothing's going on. According to the Bao Boss Facebook page, the first pop-up was January 17 so be on the lookout for more pop-ups sometime soon.
Lox, smoked salmon cream cheese spread, fresh and caramelized onions, fried capers, roasted tomato, and mirin sour cream on a steamed bao with everything bagel topping // Image courtesy Bao Boss
He's still perfecting his steamed bao, but until it's just right, Deconinck will use brioche and other buns. He notes that while most people in the US think "bao" refers to steamed buns only, it actually just means "bun."
Butter braised smoked ham or roasted tomato with fried egg, red onion, and caramelized onion cream sauce on brioche // Image courtesy Bao Boss
Deconinck chose breakfast sandwiches as the focus because he felt Everett was lacking options in that area. Bao Boss will launch with breakfast sandwiches, with more sandwiches and wraps for lunch coming later.
Until you get to Bao Boss, don't forget to show Noodle Nation some love. Like all restaurants, it's struggling during the pandemic, though with its takeout-oriented space, the indoor dining restrictions haven't been as impactful as they have on larger sit-down restaurants.
Follow Bao Boss on Facebook so you can be among the first to try them!
Millennial Special from Noodle Nation // Christopher Bragg
Bao Boss
2814 Hewitt Ave
Everett, WA
Christopher Bragg works from home in Everett and loves walking, swimming, and cats. You can find him all over town, but only if you keep weird hours and avoid crowds like he does.
