Introduction to Taste of Kawayan
JEFFERSON PARK — Raynell Parreno’s dream is to share his food and his culture with the world. For now, he’s focused on Chicago. Parreno, who grew up in Iloilo, a province in the Philippines, took over Jefferson Park’s popular Kawayan restaurant a year ago. Since then, he has been adding to the restaurant’s menu, incorporating more family recipes and traditional Iloilo dishes such as La Paz batchoy, a noodle soup that originated in Iloilo City.
Background of Kawayan Restaurant
Parreno plans to continue expanding Kawayan’s menu, and he wants to open additional locations. “I have big goals. The more I expand, the more people will know our culture and our food,” he said. “It’s for the community.” The Mariano family ran Kawayan in Jefferson Park’s Veteran’s Square, 4859 N. Milwaukee Ave., for about 10 years. The Marianos named the restaurant Kawayan because the word means “bamboo” in some Filipino dialects and they wanted to honor the resilient plant, a family member previously told Block Club. The family announced they would retire and were looking to sell the business at the end of 2023.
How Parreno Discovered the Opportunity
Parreno, who lives in suburban Algonquin, said he learned the business was for sale through a friend who had been a Kawayan customer. “I decided it was time to follow my passion,” he said.
Taste of Kawayan’s pork egg rolls. Credit: Molly DeVore/ Block Club Chicago
Showcasing Filipino Food And Culture
Parreno discovered his love for cooking when he was 10 years old. “My grandmother told me, ‘If you want to eat good food, you should make it yourself,’” he said. Parreno worked in home health care after immigrating to Chicago in 2007, but he kept cooking on the side. Some of his signature dishes are his handmade longaniza, a sweet sausage that Perreno accents with garlic, and his beef bola-bola, featuring beef meatballs and tomato paste. “I would cook for every party, every family gathering, every [Manny] Pacquiao fight, and everyone would always tell me I should start my own restaurant,” he said.
Taste of Kawayan’s adobo sa bagoong fried rice. Credit: Provided/ Block Club Chicago
Menu Expansion and Future Plans
Around 2019, Parreno and his family were planning to move back to the Philippines to help care for his aging parents. They sold their home health care business to prepare for the move — and then the COVID-19 pandemic hit. Parreno and his family remained in Chicago, and he decided to pursue his dream of opening his own restaurant. After buying Kawayan in spring 2024, Parreno changed the name to Taste of Kawayan, rehabbed the restaurant’s interior and began experimenting with new menu items. Parreno said La Paz batchoy, which he describes as a combination of ramen and pho with beef brisket and
