The Bellingham Regional Chamber of Commerce has announced the relaunch of WhatCALENDAR.com, a newly refreshed community events calendar that is intended to be a go-to resource for all events happening in Whatcom County. This free platform allows residents, visitors, event planners, businesses, schools and other organizations to discover and post events that are open to the public, fostering a vibrant, well-connected community.
The redesigned WhatCALENDAR.com offers a user-friendly interface and enhanced features to make it easier than ever to stay informed about the diverse array of events taking place in Whatcom County. From concerts and festivals to workshops and local markets, the calendar includes something for everyone.
“This is a calendar that has been created to benefit the entire community,” said Guy Occhiogrosso, CEO of the Bellingham Regional Chamber of Commerce. “Our goal is to ensure that all events, regardless of their nature or target audience, have a central place to be shared and discovered.”
Unlike other event calendars that cater to specific audiences, such as tourism, schools or industry associations, WhatCALENDAR.com is a comprehensive hub for all community events. This inclusivity ensures that no event is overlooked and that community members have access to a wide variety of activities and happenings.
In addition to serving as a central repository for events, WhatCALENDAR.com is also a valuable tool for event planners. By providing a single platform where dates and events are posted, planners can avoid scheduling conflicts with major events and find opportunities to align with complementary activities.
“In the past, this calendar has not only served those looking for events but also helped event planners coordinate more effectively,” Occhiogrosso added. “It’s about creating a more cohesive community experience where events can thrive without unnecessary competition.”
The Bellingham Regional Chamber of Commerce invites everyone in Whatcom County to take advantage of this free resource. Posting events is straightforward and can be done directly on the website, making it accessible for individuals, businesses and organizations alike. By contributing to the calendar, users can help ensure it remains a robust and comprehensive guide to everything happening in the community.
Visit WhatCALENDAR.com to find upcoming events or to post your own.
About the Bellingham Regional Chamber of Commerce
The Bellingham Regional Chamber of Commerce is the leading advocate for businesses in Whatcom County. The chamber advocates for a strong business community and aims to make the local community a great place to live, work, shop and play by influencing public policy, aiding in economic development and helping its members succeed. Through initiatives like WhatCALENDAR.com, the Chamber enhances the well-being and vibrancy of the region.
Imagine a van filled with eager young minds heading out on an educational adventure outdoors. Picture individuals experiencing homelessness being transported to essential services, or community members gaining access to medical care and everyday necessities. These are just a few examples of the transformative impact made possible by Whatcom Transportation Authority’s (WTA) Community Van Grant Program.
WTA is offering up to 11 retired vanpool vans to local community organizations through its Community Van Grant Program. To apply for a van, organizations must be nonprofits with 501(c)(3) designation or government agencies that provide valuable community services.
“The Community Van Grant Program highlights WTA’s commitment to connecting people to opportunity,” said Ferndale City Councilmember and WTA Board President Ali Hawkinson. “By providing these vans, we are helping local organizations expand their reach and ensure that more residents can access the essential services and resources they need.”
Photo courtesy Whatcom Transportation Authority
Past Success Stories
In 2021, Lighthouse Mission, Vamos Outdoors Project, and Whatcom County EMS utilized the vans to serve nearly 2,300 passengers in their first year.
Vamos Outdoors Project: Connected Latinx and English Language Learner youth to environmental education and recreational opportunities.
Lighthouse Mission: Provided their members access to medical facilities, social services, day-to-day shopping, and religious services.
Whatcom County EMS: Addressed transportation needs for individuals experiencing homelessness.
In 2019, the program benefited organizations such as Guru Nanak, Northwest Youth Services, and Skookum Kids, each making a significant difference in their communities.
Application and Selection Process
During a competitive selection process, WTA staff will evaluate applications based on the recipients’ ability to ensure a community benefit, bridge a transportation gap, and administer the program. Administering the program includes insuring and maintaining the van, managing transportation logistics, and reporting ridership results. The retired vans will be awarded to the highest-scoring applicants.
While the retired vans are no longer suitable for the long daily trips required by vanpool vans, they are in good working order. Up to eleven vans are available in twelve- and fifteen-passenger models.
How to Apply
Applications are due by Friday, August 23, 2024, at 3 p.m. Interested organizations are encouraged to apply through the WTA application page or contact Malcolm Duncan-Graves at vanpool@ridewta.com or 360-788-9312 for more information.
Featured photo courtesy Whatcom Transportation Authority
Founded in 1980, Whatcom County nonprofit Cascade Connections provides residential and vocational services to individuals with disabilities.
One of their most successful vocational programs is an interviewing skills workshop, which provides a six-session course to build social fluency and self-confidence for obtaining employment. Since beginning in 2009, more than 40 groups of students have completed the workshop, with at least 75% of those students going on to join the workforce.
The workshop recently received a much-appreciated boost from the First Fed Foundation, a private charitable arm of First Fed, in the form of a $5,000 grant. Since its 2015 founding, the foundation has donated more than $7 million to community nonprofits across multiple Washington counties through its twice-a-year grant cycles.
Cascade Connection graduates and coaches. The First Fed Foundation’s grant to Cascade Connections will now help an additional 40 or so people to take part in this important workshop. Photo courtesy Cascade Connections
The foundation’s mission, says Executive Director Jan Simon, is to improve the lives of low to moderate income individuals and families, as well as typically marginalized groups. Those with disabilities — particularly those with intellectual and developmental disabilities — as well as their caregivers are often among these marginalized groups.
In past grant cycles, the foundation has donated to other local organizations that help community members with disabilities, including the Max Higbee Center. Simon says the foundation’s grant to Cascade Connections will help an additional 40 or so people utilize the workshop.
“Five thousand dollars is a small amount to pay in terms of the difference that it will make in those people’s lives,” she says. “Now they’re working outside of the home, now they’re learning how to communicate with colleagues as well as managers. The self-confidence and the self-esteem that gets built, there’s an extraordinary opportunity for that person’s well-being as a result of this grant. It really speaks to so many things that this foundation is committed to supporting.”
Since beginning in 2009, more than 40 groups of students have completed the workshop, with at least 75% of those students going on to join the workforce. Photo courtesy Cascade Connections
Doing a Lot With a Little
The $5,000 is incredibly helpful for Cascade Connections due to the way the nonprofit must structure its budget, says Lan Totten, program manager and creator of the skills workshop.
Participants in Cascade Connections’ programs come either from Division of Vocational Rehabilitation (DVR) referrals, or from their current caseloads of clients who receive Developmental Disability Administration (DDA) funding. While Cascade has tended to focus on those with intellectual and developmental disabilities, programs like the interviewing skills workshop is open to anyone with any disability. As a result, some of those who participate may not have the funding that other clients do.
“The extra funding that we get from community resources like First Fed is particularly impactful,” she says, “because some of the people we serve don’t even have DDA support.”
Informing students how and why they can ask for certain accommodations often makes a noticeable difference in their ability to self-advocate, building assertiveness and agency. Photo courtesy Cascade Connections
Because a significant waitlist currently exists for Cascade Connections’ services, grant funding like First Fed’s provides opportunities for people to join activities they’d otherwise be unable to participate in while waitlisted. Without grants, Totten says, some groups of people could not be served at all.
To those who participate in the interviewing skills workshop, she adds, the impact is huge.
The six sessions are divided up into five instruction sessions and one mock interview session. The latter is filled with questions generated by surveying real employers, and students practice asking and answering those questions with peers before their official mock interview.
These final interviews are commonly proctored by volunteer members of local employers, providing them valuable networking while helping them understand what it’s like to hire someone with a disability. Sometimes, Totten says, the mock interviews translate into real hiring soon after.
Because a significant waitlist currently exists for Cascade Connection’s services, grant funding like First Fed’s provides opportunities for people to join activities they’d otherwise be unable to participate in while waitlisted. Photo courtesy Cascade Connections
Workshop students also learn to become proficient with their past work and volunteer history and are educated about their rights as disabled persons. Totten says that informing students how and why they can ask for certain accommodations often makes a noticeable difference in their ability to self-advocate, building assertiveness and agency.
For First Fed Foundation members like Jan Simon, seeing their grant recipients make a difference in peoples’ lives is profoundly satisfying.
“These organizations do such good, day in and day out,” Simon says. “They are in the trenches with people who need support, and they do it with such grace and thoughtfulness and smarts and heart. It’s a real privilege for us to be able to support them in delivering on their mission.”
All photos accompanying this feature were taken during a recent mock interviewing session in which local employers Karla Booker from the Lakeway Fred Meyer, Christina Murray from Mountain Pacific Bank, Rhea Booth from the Edward Jones on Bellwether Way, and Kaitlynn Gilmore from Archer Halliday interviewed ISW participants to give them realistic interviewing practice.
Tyler Bergstrom and Gage Robinson compete in the Hand Bucking event at the annual Deming Logging Show. Photo courtesy Deming Logging Show
In 1963, a local logger named Leon Van Brocklin was injured in the woods. An injury like this could be devastating, as loggers were often the sole source of income for their families in these times. Seeing the need to help, a group of Van Brocklin’s peers organized a logging show, an exhibition of all the skills these men used in the woods every day. A local farmer donated use of a cow pasture equipped with spar trees, a pond for log rolling, and other materials for events. Charging a small fee of $1 per person, the event raised more than $800 for the injured logger, equivalent to more than $8,200 today.
Intended to be a one-time event, the exhibition took place in the same pasture over the next few years as the group saw a continued need of its support. In 1966, one of the group’s founders, Finley Hays, proposed that the board buy a 40-acre plot on Cedarville Road to grow the organization. All in agreement, the land was bought and cleared in time to hold the 1968 Deming Logging Show (DLS) on those grounds.
Today, the event space holds an arena, three barbecue buildings, a museum building, and seven baseball fields. Outside of the annual show, the DLS grounds are used year-round to host weddings, reunions, dances, and even festivals, including an annual Oktoberfest and the Subdued String Band Jamboree.
Continuing the Cause
The show, held annually on the second full weekend of June, draws upward of 10,000 spectators, a testimony its exponential growth from that first event, which brought in about 800 attendees. The 1963 show included about 10 events; today the show holds more than 25 events in under four hours — a pace unmatched by nearly all other logging shows throughout the world.
Past presidents stand in the Deming Logging Show arena. Photo courtesy Deming Logging Show
Between the year-round operations and annual show, all profits generated on the ground continue to contribute to the original purpose: to support busted up loggers. The recipients of these funds include an average of 30 families affected by injuries in the woods each year, along with around 15 permanently disabled loggers who the DLS supports continually. Outside of this main mission, the Deming Logging Show helps fund other local entities, distributing scholarships to graduating high school seniors, supporting local FFA programs, and providing fields for local little league teams to use.
The network of similar logging shows across the country and world is vast, but many who have been to the Deming Logging Show say it’s unlike any other show in many ways.
Bob Larsen, current and six-time past president of the Deming Logging Show, discussed with me the unique culture of the organization. Although the main focus of the DLS is the annual show, it’s ultimately a business run by volunteers who dedicate many hours throughout the year to uphold operations. it began with a group of loggers, the DLS has grown to be managed by people from all walks of life.
Arena Director Dan Williamson and Arena Announcer Guy Linderman are two of the key players who keep the show running efficiently and safely. Photo courtesy Deming Logging Show
“It’s amazing how well a group of guys who get together once a month can manage the money, maintenance, and everything else that goes into keeping that log show going in a positive direction” Larsen says. “It is really incredible; it is extremely humbling to be a part of that.”
The work of the Deming Logging Show is not solely accomplished by those who make up its board. Hundreds of volunteers come together in the months leading up to the show to put together a weekend that is the highlight of summer for many. Much of the organization’s success is attributed to this support from community members.
“The log show has shown compassion and heart and soul to this community, especially the logging community, and in turn the community has shown so much of the same back.” Larsen says. “The log show wouldn’t be where it is today if it wasn’t for the return of the same support. It really works both ways.”
The Deming Logging Show is much more than a singular event in June. For some it’s a community they were raised supporting. For others it’s a connection to their family’s history in the wider logging community. But for all who come to enjoy the show, it’s a peek into the logging industry, an opportunity to catch up with old friends and meet new ones, and support an incredibly worthy cause.
Deming Logging Show Grandstand Announcer and 2024 President Bob Larsen is joined by his three Grandstand Secretaries: Shannon Chilcote, Lindy Jewell, and Courtney Blake. Photo credit: Lindy Jewell
Looking Ahead
If you missed the 2024 Deming Logging Show held earlier this year on June 8 and 9, mark your calendars now for 2025! Next year’s event takes place June 14 and 15. Camping is available, but reservations sell out quickly. Keep an eye on their Facebook page for important information in the months prior to the show.
Many vendors set up at the show, including the ‘world famous’ barbeque, the shirt and hat shacks, and the Ladies Auxiliary concessions. Admission is $10/day for adults and $5/day for kids and seniors. And as Bob Larsen tells newcomers, “If you pay to get in and don’t like the show, I’ll refund you from my own pocket!”
Sustainable Connections is excited to celebrate September Eat Local Month, a month-long celebration of eating local food and honoring those who grow, raise, harvest, and prepare it to share with this community.
One of the highlights of Eat Local Month is The Whatcom County Farm Tour. On Saturday, September 14th from 10am-4pm, seventeen farms in Whatcom County will open their (barn) doors for visitors to get a behind-the-scenes look at how food gets from the farm to their plates. This family-friendly, free event brings folks from all over the state to celebrate the unique food and farming culture of Northwest Washington. Register here for the Farm Tour. Interested farm-lovers can also support the farm by volunteering.
Photo of Grace Harbor Farms courtesy of FotoMataio
There are many epic adventures awaiting those on the Farm Tour. Visit Cascadia Mushroom Farm for a sneak peek into the world of mushroom cultivation. See all phases of the growing process in their year-round facility, savor some of their delicious mushrooms cooked on Tam Tam Pizza, and take home your own mushroom growing substrate if you want to cultivate your own fresh organic mushrooms at home.
Stop on in at Fair Cow’s Path Farm and have the opportunity to say hi to their animals (including goats, cows, chickens and emus!), learn about their first generation beef cattle operation and the importance of supporting local meat production, purchase their grass-fed beef and handmade body care products AND, if you’re hungry, grab a bite to eat from The Mobile Mouth Hole, a local food truck that’ll be on-site featuring beef from the farm.
Explore Home Farm and see all they have to offer their community. You’ll have the opportunity to walk their 25-acre farm, pick blue berries, and see how their pumpkin patch is growing. Head out to visit the pigs and piglets and find out about their food rescue program that keeps them fed and happy all year long, learn about the bees that pollinate their crops and provide amazing honey (at the top of every hour) with a local beekeeper, and try your hand at picking sweet corn. Kids can ride their tractor train for free and grown-ups can shop at their self-serve farm stand or summer farm store.
These are just a few of the amazing opportunities to explore, learn, and connect on the Whatcom County Farm Tour. “Whatcom County’s food and farming community is so rich and diverse,” says Jess Meyer, Sustainable Connections’ Outreach Coordinator. “The Farm Tour is a chance to experience that culture, enjoy delicious food, and appreciate how food travels from farms to our tables.”
Sustainable Connections is thrilled to be able to share so many opportunities to dive deeper into our local food movement and the agricultural and culinary worlds of Northwest Washington and Whatcom County.
The heat wasn’t the only thing emanating all around Joe Martin Stadium on July 16, 2024, as the Bellingham Bells kicked off its WCL All-Star events with a very special Community Champions game. Smiles radiated from every face on the field — and in the stands.
The event featured all-star players teaming up with athletes from the Max Higbee Center (MHB), a Bellingham nonprofit that provides community-based recreation programs for youth and adults with developmental disabilities.
The Community Champions game kicked off a much-anticipated string of events for the West Coast League (WCL) All-Star Game, hosted by the Bells, which took place the following evening, July 17th. MLB Network televised the game, which featured top players from the summer collegiate baseball league.
The Bells pledged to donate 50% of the All-Star Game proceeds to the Max Higbee Center, and scores of attendees showed up to cheer loudly and support the cause. The following night, during the second inning of the All-Star Game, Morrell presented the Max Higbee Center with a check for $10,000.
Bellingham Bells General Manager Stephanie Morrell (left) presented a check to Max Higbee Center Executive Director Kait Whiteside (center) and Program Manager Doug Sacrison (right) during the WCL All-Star Game at Joe Martin Field on July 17, 2024. Photo credit: Stacee Sledge
Pre-Game Excitement
Max Higbee Center Executive Director Kait Whiteside shared the pre-game anticipation from the Max Higbee athletes and staff. “We’ve been energized for weeks,” she said. “It’s a wonderful opportunity for our members to have this amazing stage to play on and to have a really great sense of community.”
Afterward, Whiteside was overjoyed by how the community came out to champion this incredibly fun event. “To see the support and the fans coming out for it is extra special,” she said. “The Community Champions Game encapsulated the pillars of Bellingham: community, recreation, inclusion, and support. I saw this in every moment of the event, from Mayor Lund throwing out the first pitch to fans enthusiastically cheering on every player from the stands.”
Smiles radiated from every face on the field for the Community Champions game — and in the stands. Photo credit: Stacee Sledge
Play Ball!
The rules of the Community Champions game were simple: five batters came to the plate each half-inning, with every Max Higbee player getting several chances to hit, run the bases, and cross home plate. They were accompanied at every turn by All-Star players who shouted encouragement and showered MHB athletes with high fives. Nobody was called out and no score was kept because everyone was a winner.
Youth from our local U.S. Naval Sea Cadet Corps, who had just returned from summer training in Camp Rilea in Warrenton, Oregon, presented the colors before the first pitch was thrown, and Max Higbee member Nicole Halverson sang the national anthem.
Local U.S. Naval Sea Cadet Corps presented the colors and Max Higbee member Nicole Halverson sang the national anthem before the Community Champions game. Photo credit: Stacee Sledge
Throughout the game, joy was ever-present on the faces of all players — All-Stars and Max Higbee members, alike — the Bells staff, and every person in attendance. The Seattle Mariners donated all the jerseys Max Higbee athlete wore for the big game.
“I don’t think it’s an exaggeration to say that, for many, the Community Champions game may be a highlight of our All-Star festivities,” Bellingham Bells General Manager Stephanie Morrell said the day after the game. “The Max Higbee Center is a wonderful resource in our community and the opportunity for our WCL Athletes to play alongside their athletes was truly special. This event was full of joy and certainly one we will aim to repeat in the future!”
Every Max Higbee player got several chances to bat, run the bases, and score during the game. Photo credit: Stacee Sledge
‘This Is Bellingham’
Bellingham resident Andrea Shenton has many reasons to love the Max Higbee Center and the Bellingham Bells. Her son, Ian, and brother, Jim, are both Max Higbee members — while her son Austin played for the Bellingham Bells for two years before making it to the Big Game. Austin Shenton is currently part of the Tampa Bay Rays organization and has long been a fervent supporter and fundraiser for the Max Higbee Center.
Andrea Shenton (right) poses with her brother, Jim, after the Community Champions game.
Andrea was invited to address the crowd after the Community Champions game concluded.
“The Bellingham Bells and the Max Higbee Center: I can’t think of two better organizations to team up,” she said. “This is Bellingham, right?” she announced, gesturing around the stadium and to the stands, where attendees erupted in cheers. “This is Bellingham.”
She went on to praise the Bellingham Bells for its help in raising money for the nonprofit. “This is what they do: It’s all about community, connection and, like they say at Max Higbee: This is also a place for friends. Go Bells!”
Max Higbee Center member Ian Shenton — wearing a jersey his brother Austin wore as a Bell during his time in the league several years ago — poses with his Community Champions teammates and WCL All-Stars, Nate Kirkpatrick (left) and Nevan Noonan (right). Photo credit: Stacee Sledge
Learn more about the Max Higbee Center and how you can volunteer your time or donate to this worthy cause here. The Bellingham Bells’ season continues into August. Don’t miss a chance to enjoy the magic that is Bellingham summertime and our local baseball crew. Tickets can be purchased at the box office on every game day or online here.
“It’s going to be great to have Comcast here. It will give us more options. The citizens and businesses are looking forward to the reliable service that Comcast provides,” said Bruce Bosch, Mayor of Sumas.
“We’re coming to Sumas and we’re bringing everything we offer with us. Sumas residents and businesses will now be able to sign up for our low-cost Internet, Mobile, streaming TV products, and so much more, all delivered with our proven reliability and customer service. We’re honored to be part of your community,” said Roy Novosel, Vice President of Engineering, Comcast Pacific Northwest Region.
Photo courtesy Comcast
Comcast comes to Sumas at a pivotal moment when the Internet has become essential to modern life, influencing work, education, shopping, socializing, and information access. Addressing affordability, Comcast has launched NOW, a new line of high-quality, low-cost Internet, Mobile, and streaming TV services available for consumers to purchase on a month-to-month basis, providing flexibility and accessibility.
NOW Internet offers a prepaid service that delivers greater reliability at a more competitive price compared to fixed wireless options. NOW Mobile introduces a new prepaid plan featuring unlimited 5G data and access to over 23 million WiFi hotspots, distinguishing it from other providers in the prepaid market.
Supported by the robust Xfinity network and the dependable 5G infrastructure, NOW ensures a trustworthy connection for Internet, mobile usage, or streaming, whether at home or on the move. NOW products are designed for simplicity, featuring all-inclusive pricing without contracts or credit checks. Customers have the flexibility to sign up, pause, or cancel their service online at any time.
The NOW portfolio is poised to be particularly impactful for Americans seeking cost-effective connectivity. The federal government recently ended the Affordable Connectivity Program (ACP). NOW Internet and Mobile provide customers enrolled in ACP with another option for affordable, reliable connectivity – supplementing our longstanding low-income broadband adoption options Internet Essentials and Internet Essentials Plus, as well as Xfinity’s current suite of offerings.
Photo courtesy Comcast
Sumas residents who wish to check their address for the availability of Comcast services or who would like to sign up to be alerted when the full suite of services is available at their home or business can register at https://www.xfinity.com/mytown, and a Comcast service professionals will contact them.
Comcast’s arrival in Sumas underscores their ongoing commitment to investing in Washington and Whatcom County. Over the past three years alone, they have dedicated $1.1 billion to advancing their technology and infrastructure across the state. Additionally, Comcast has contributed $12 million in cash and in-kind donations to support nonprofit organizations in Washington. Beneficiaries during this period include the Whatcom Foundation, Lighthouse Mission, and Evergreen Goodwill in Whatcom County.
How does a city become a community? Certainly, it is to find a common good. A nucleus of common good is found in the work of many nonprofits in the community of Bellingham who have found that life is better when working together.
The community of our nonprofits is strong through the work of volunteers — to do together what could not be done alone.
One vital nonprofit is Assistance League of Bellingham, an all-volunteer organization whose members are dedicated to ongoing support and a lasting presence in our community through hands-on involvement and five innovative philanthropic programs.
Photo courtesy Assistance League of Bellingham
The main revenue support for our philanthropic programs is our Thrift & Gift Shop — an upscale resale shop in Bellingham where gently used, donated items are carefully curated. We carry a variety of women’s and men’s fashionable clothing and accessories, furniture, collectibles, art, housewares, home décor, jewelry, antiques, and much more.
We were voted the #1 Best Thrift Shop by Cascadia Daily News. When you shop at or donate to the Thrift & Gift Shop at 2817 Meridian Street, you’re directly supporting our philanthropic programs.
Photo courtesy Assistance League of Bellingham
Ways to Volunteer
Volunteers are the life force of Assistance League of Bellingham — a great place to make new friends with shared interests. We offer opportunities for learning new skills and for sharing your talents.
There are many positions and shifts available for you to become part of the team. Interested in volunteering with us? Please contact us by clicking on this link.
“I love what I do” are the most rewarding words a volunteer can say.
Bryan Matamorosa, 34, is the owner and head chef at Bry's Filipino Cuisine in downtown Bellingham. Photo credit: Matt Benoit
Since opening Bry’s Filipino Cuisine on State Street in downtown Bellingham in late February, 34-year-old Bryan Matamorosa hasn’t been getting as much sleep as he’d like. On several occasions, in fact, he’s worked as much as 120 hours a week.
“I’ve never worked so hard in my entire life,” he says of owning a restaurant. “There would be, like, three days in a row that I would only have three hours of sleep.”
Matamorosa’s journey to restaurateur has been filled with challenges since he moved to the United States in 2009 from the Philippines. But with each challenge, he’s found the support and inner strength to reach the next stage of success.
“It’s been like a crazy, crazy experience ever since I moved to America,” he says. “It’s never been easy.”
Across the Ocean
Matamorosa’s grandfather was a native Hawaiian who served in the military during World War II. Stationed in the Philippines, he decided to settle there after the war.
During the rule of Philippine leader Ferdinand Marcos — who ruled as a brutal dictator under martial law from 1972 to 1981 — Matamorosa’s grandfather moved back to the United States along with other members of his family.
Bry’s Filipino Cuisine, located at 1151 N. State St in downtown Bellingham, opened in late February to solid sales and positive reviews. Photo credit: Matt Benoit
After Bryan was born, his parents also eventually immigrated to the U.S., but left him behind with other relatives. His mother went through the immigration petition process to have Bryan join them, but it took years. By the time Bryan finally made his way to the U.S., he was 19.
Matamorosa first lived in North Seattle, and then in Federal Way. It was here that his life took a negative turn, finding the area rife with crime and drug use. Eventually, Matamorosa himself began to use methamphetamine. Working at a McDonald’s and surrounded by negative influences, he knew he had to find another place if he was to lead a better life.
Matamorosa then spent three consecutive summers working in Alaska, including on fish processing boats, and was able to regain sobriety. In 2011, he moved to Bellingham and began working wherever he could: seafood processing, electronics assembly, housekeeping at a senior care center, and even at Wal-Mart.
The series of jobs cemented Matamorosa’s need to resume his education (he’d done two years of nursing school in the Philippines and briefly worked as a caregiver’s assistant after immigrating), but his language skills presented another barrier.
Portions of Filipino staples, like the pork adobo seen in this combination bowl, are generous, and joined by fun beverages like Ube lemonade. Photo credit: Matt Benoit
“I was not good at speaking English at all,” he says. “I got bullied everywhere I worked because I couldn’t communicate well. I had a rough time, man.”
Matamorosa took entrance exams for Whatcom Community College but scored very poorly. He then began to scour the internet, watching videos on how to be a better student and test taker. His girlfriend at the time also helped better his basic educational skills.
Matamorosa then enrolled at Bellingham Technical College, picking culinary arts — at least partially, he says — because he thought it’d be easy. As a child, he’d enjoyed watching family members cook, and as a young adult, he’d learned to cook Filipino staples like chicken and pork adobo for himself and others.
Honing His Craft
Part-time jobs during Matamorosa’s schooling also helped provide additional learning experiences, including cooking at a senior living facility. He found the dishes uninspiring, but learned about efficient kitchen multi-tasking from a sous chef there. Matamorosa also honed his line cooking skills during a paid internship at Semiahmoo Resort.
Matamorosa graduated from Bellingham Technical College in 2017 with a degree in culinary arts, and began his professional journey serving Filipino cuisine at the Bellingham Farmers Market. Photo credit: Matt Benoit
The tests of culinary school itself were challenging, he says, but upon passing his first cooking exam, he was ecstatic.
“I was so excited that — for the first time in my entire life — I’d done something I was proud of,” he says. “Before that, there was always a thought of me giving up. I didn’t really want to finish anything because I never really believed in myself.”
Matamorosa graduated from BTC in 2017. He’d already dipped a toe into the Bellingham Farmers Market, collaborating with fellow culinary students on a project called “Local Gourmet.” Finding work at the restaurant and bar inside the Bellingham Four Points Sheraton, Matamorosa moved from breakfast cook to sauté chef, then to raw bar chef. He estimates he shucked more than a hundred thousand oysters in the latter job.
Eventually becoming restaurant chef, Matamorosa saved his money and purchased equipment, trying to figure out when to branch out on his own. He began selling Filipino food at the farmers market, and in 2019 felt he’d been successful enough to quit his job.
But then came the pandemic. Unemployed by his own making, Matamorosa was unable to collect the unemployment so many others sought in the early days of COVID-19. But he still had his equipment, and when his wife saw a food truck on Craigslist, her mother offered Matamorosa a $25,000 loan to buy it.
Bryan Matamoros can still be found at the Bellingham Farmers Market every Saturday from April through December. Folks line up for his food there, and can also enjoy an even wider array of delicious, scratch-made Filipino dishes at his brick-and-mortar restaurant in the nearby Herald Building. Photo credit: Stacee Sledge
A Solid Foundation
It took six to eight months to properly prepare the truck, including all necessary regulations, but by 2021 Bry’s Fillipino Cuisine was selling food on the Lummi Nation. Matamorosa expanded to Bellingham, and by 2023, felt he’d maxed out potential sales.
While still sharing a commissary kitchen he was required to have to operate the food truck, he felt the only way to make more money was to have a brick-and-mortar location. When a place in the Herald Building became available, he signed a lease.
Bry’s Filipino Cuisine has garnered solid sales and positive reviews since opening, and employs about 10 people. Matamorosa’s mom can even be found helping prepare food in the restaurant’s kitchen.
The Bry’s logo, featuring an animated Matamorosa and a volcano from the region of the Philippines he is from, was designed by Bellingham’s Signs by Tomorrow. Photo credit: Matt Benoit
Portion sizes of Filipino staples are generous, which Matamorosa says is a direct result of the care-taking aspect of food: he wants nobody to ever leave hungry. Bry’s also caters its food for events like weddings.
“I feed so many people,” he says. “It gives me so much joy, knowing that. People are celebrating [their lives] with my food.”
Though he‘s uncertain how long his restaurant will remain downtown due to financial constraints, Bryan Matamorosa says that never giving up has been the key to his success in life.
“Not everybody has an awesome start [to things],” he says. “But eventually, if you find what you want to do and you pursue it — even though I’m not there yet, I know I will make it.”
Bry’s Filipino Cuisine is located at 1151 N. State St. The restaurant is open Tuesdays to Thursdays from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. and 11 a.m. to midnight on Fridays and Saturdays.
The author atop his daydreaming-mobile. Photo credit: Lindsey Moceri
The hot summer sun reflecting through the glass of my ice-cold drink creates its own weather pattern. Beads of condensation slowly slide down the glass towards the small black table it rests on. In a three-quarter reclined state, my lawn chair is my support system for the day as I fade in and out while reading a great American novel. I look up from my book and take in the scene laid out before me.
The freshly cut lawn bears the lines of a perfect mow. The flower beds are a deep dark brown with not a single weed in site. The perfectly manicured shrubs frame the flowers now in full bloom. I breathe deeply, taking in the smell of the grass with undertones of sweet nectar from the flowers. Slowly, I reach over and grasp the wet, cool glass and bring it to my lips for a nice long pull of ice-cold lemonade. Then clang clang clang — and I’m choking on dust.
I snap out of my daydream as I mow over a molehill, launching rocks through the yard and creating a plume of dry summer dirt. The wind is blowing in just the wrong direction so that every morsel of dirt that flew into the air is now in my nose, throat, hair, and stuck to my sweaty skin. There will be no lounging in the lawn chair on this day. In fact, last summer, I fell through the lawn chair as the old, cracked rubber bands gave way under my weight, and it has yet to be replaced. No, today the yard is a place of work, not leisure. I will toil most of the day so I can fantasize about spending time in the perfect yard.
This is my reality and, I imagine, that of most people. We work all week to afford to buy the tools and fuel to work in our yard. The yard is a fantasy land where we imagine the perfect barbeques and yard games are only interrupted to grab another beverage from the cooler or a dog off the grill. Kids roll around in the soft grass, and the neighbors just can’t stop talking about how great the yard looks. Whenever there’s a pause in the conversation, they ask about grass seeds and favorite brand of fertilizer.
Instead, what we have is a race against nature.
The relentless blackberries create a never-ending battle. Photo credit: Tony Moceri
The sunny spring days followed by torrential downpours create the ideal environment for growing grass in addition to every invasive species known to man. Blackberry bushes relentlessly assault my defensive perimeter, working 24 hours a day to sneak past the lone guard: me. Vining plants of all sorts snake through my yard and climb the trees. I beat them back, but they race back to where I’ve cut as soon as I turn.
If I’m being honest, my yard isn’t even a yard. What I have is a dandelion farm with patches of grass mixed in. The pretty yellow flowers are a welcoming sign of the turning season, but as soon as they turn to white fluff, I know I’ve lost. They’ve won and will now send their copious seed far and wide. Their invasion tactics are less aggressive than the blackberries — but just as effective.
As soon as I’m done mowing the moles pop out of the ground to create what feels like a mountain in my yard. Photo credit: Tony Moceri
The irony of working in our yards is fitting of an Alanis Morrisette song. Other people’s yards may be a place of leisure, but not our own; ours is a place of work. It’s lawnmowers and hedgers, weed whackers and blowers. We dig, spread, prune, and rake all for the dream of the perfect day in the perfect yard with the perfect weather. While I can daydream with the best of them, I’m also a realist, so I’m flipping the script.
My yard is now my gym and library. I don’t go there to sit and relax, I go there to get fit and catch up on all the books and podcasts I’ve been meaning to get to. Instead of dozing while reading a good book, I listen to it through my earbuds while lying on my back, trying to untangle the dog toy from the mower. I have someone read me the carefully crafted words while I work my muscles and wipe the blood from the latest blackberry strike.
All the pruning and raking pays off with the bloom of Summer Roses. Photo credit: Tony Moceri
I’m embracing the yard for what it is. It’s a place to work in hopes of achieving a scene of which Ward Cleaver would be proud. It’s a place to torture our children in the name of building character and teaching work ethic. It’s a place for getting mad at plants and animals who dare touch our space without permission. Embracing it for what it is will make the moments of enjoyment all the more special. On the occasion when the work is done — or at least acceptable — we can step into our yard and enjoy a game of catch with our kids, roll around with our dog, and boast to our neighbor.
Cheers to yard work.
A freshly mowed lawn is ready for play. Photo credit: Tony Moceri
Kevin Wiebe is a Ferndale native. Although he graduated from Ferndale High School, he admits he wasn't a model student. His teachers and administrators...
