Hungry Bear Catering Co. was founded by Chef Jennie Trinh and TJ Holgado after the pair met while working together for SBE Entertainment in Los Angeles and quickly discovering their mutual love for food, the culinary arts and eventually each other.
Jennie is a classically trained chef with a degree from the California Culinary Academy in San Francisco and also majored in hospitality at Cal Poly Pomona, while TJ studied business at Woodbury University. After completing her education, Jennie dove head first into her career, helping open eight restaurants across the nation in both a research and development capacity and as Chef de Cuisine. Her résumé includes experience at Katsuya by Stark in Los Angeles and Miami, Cleo, Vetro and staging during her vacation at Il Buco di Alimentari and Scarpetta in New York City, but her fondest memories are probably from her childhood summers working at her aunt’s Chinese restaurant in Denver.
TJ has extensive experience in nearly every avenue of the restaurant industry, from front of the house guest services to organizing and implementing high-demand kitchen prep duties. He’s also helped execute a variety of on and off-site catering events for SBE Entertainment and private chefs, ranging from Hollywood parties and awards shows to corporate business meetings and family celebrations.
Although they both boast pertinent academic and professional backgrounds that helped launch Hungry Bear, it’s Jennie and TJ’s combined personal journey into the culture and history of cooking that serves as the heart of their business. The two have traveled around the globe to expand their knowledge and understanding of ingredients, preparation and technique, and maintain a collective effort to cultivate an organic, farm-to-table lifestyle at home that translates into their work.
When not developing the menu for their next catering event, Jennie and TJ enjoy their downtime fishing, tending to their organic garden, raising free-range chickens and expanding an already substantial cookbook library. Hungry Bear Catering Co. is an illustration of the culinary skills and philosophy they’ve built together, and hope to share with you and your colleagues and loved ones.