How Zeno’s Began
Zeno’s Fusion began with a small group of friends looking toward their futures. Each time Nabil, Jesse and Chris got together, they reminisced on life experiences and the challenges ahead, discussed ways to build a career and earn money, and always shared ideas about food. Slowly, they fused together those conversations into an idea that formed Zeno’s Fusion.
“One of the first reasons why we’re starting this food truck was initially to pay for a bus for my disabled siblings,” said Jesse. He explained how transporting them to do outdoor activities like camping was a challenge, both physically and financially. “Nabil and I starting to think about how we could do this,” he continued. “We eventually decided to start a business and the food truck just fell into our lap.”
Then their idea evolved into creating something larger for a community of veterans and sharing food with the diverse populations throughout the region.
“We started talking about it, based on my cultural background,” said Nabil, who is half Egyptian. “Combined with Jesse and Chris’ cultural backgrounds and experiences in the military, we centered on featuring Middle Eastern and Mediterranean cuisines.”
Their ideas expanded with Jesse’s Norwegian ties and exploring the different foods during their deployments.
“We realized we’re a melting pot of random ethnicities,” said Nabil. “So we thought, why not try something where we could give a taste of the world to others and that’s how Zeno’s Fusion came to be.”
Each item on the menu features a distinct connection to one or more of the founders. Jesse shared how growing up in Alaska with a family of Norwegian immigrants helped shaped his views on family and food. His early years helped point him to some of his most cherished dishes made by his grandmother and grandfather.
“My other cultural contributions come from my experiences in Iraq and Afghanistan and my favorite foods being out and about with the locals,” said Jesse. “The sit-down meals I had with Iraqi and Afghani families is where I learned those menu items and where I learned to fall in love with those foods.”
Chris shared in those memories from his deployment to Afghanistan, along with adding his own cultural ties to Cyprus, Greece, Germany, England and Ireland.
“My greatest memories are sharing food with the people I love and living in a diverse area has allowed me to experience many different cultures and cuisines living in Portland, Oregon”. Chris said that Zeno’s shared experiences in the military help them work and live as a team, each building on their own strengths.
“We want to take the cultural experiences we’ve had with these foods with share it with others,” said Chris. “We want to take those positive experiences and have them resonate with the people around us, because I think the world needs are more of that.”
Zeno’s Fusion is set to open in February 2023.
