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.