OUR STORY

 A long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away (actually just Stockton, CA)….I was a teenage knucklehead working in my family’s Filipino-Asian grocery store.  I was the kid carrying sacks of rice to the manangs’ cars, cooking bbq sticks at the Barrio Fiesta and baking pandesal  (when the head cook took his vacations).  From then on, I was hooked on the enterprise of making people happy with food.

About 20 years ago (like I said this all started a long, long time ago), I met my lovely wife Cheryl. She bravely moved out from the East coast and we started our crazy journey together opening restaurants and cafes.  We opened a series of bubble tea shops in the South Bay. And later, with my mother as a business partner, culinary mind and judge of all things- we opened 3 Inay Filipino Kitchens throughout the Bay Area (in San Francisco, Fairfield and Milpitas). At Inay, we proudly served authentic Filipino food in mainstream fast-casual settings for over 9 years.  Since 2021, we’ve owned and operated the first and only Bonchon Korean Fried Chicken in San Francisco.

It’s dizzying just thinking of all our experiences- the tears, the joys and most importantly, laughter.  Izzy & Wooks is the culmination of everything.  It was imagined as we messed around in our home kitchen, always with our daughter Isabel and English bully Wookie causing chaos around.  And it’s a fusion of the flavors of our Asian-American pantry and the classic sandwiches we love.  

We hope you enjoy.  

From our family to yours,

Manuel Ramirez