There is no dish that Brandon Jones’s 72 year-old mother-in-law enjoys more than the tempura broccoli at Baltimore’s two Ekiben restaurants, which specializes in Asian fusion cuisine.
And that really mattered to Brandon and Rina….especially after the family learned that she had terminal stage 4 lung cancer, and didn’t have long to live.
"My mother-in-law lives in Vermont and would visit my wife and her sister throughout the years.
Whenever she was in town, Ekiben's tempura broccoli was something she always needed to have. She always joked that when she's on her death bed that if there's anything in the world, she wants tempura broccoli from Ekiben."
She estimates her mom ate there at least 20 times in the last few years.
On March 11th, he sent an email to owner and chef Steve Chu, asking if he could share the recipe with him, and possibly some tips to make it special.
"The drive to Vermont is 6 hours and tempura broccoli obviously will not taste the same after the long ride. I reached out to Ekiben's owners to see if there was a way for us to either get the recipe or some of the ingredients to bring up and cook it for her.
She loves that broccoli, and I really wanted her to have it one more time," he wrote.
Rina added, that when she asked her mom if she wanted anything special, she had joked: “Tempura broccoli!”
They let him know that she was six hours away, at her home in Vermont.
After less than an hour, they received a response from Steve.
“Thanks for reaching out. Ephrem and I are more than willing to meet you guys in Vermont and make the food fresh so it will be just like what she remembered.
We'd like to meet you in Vermont and make it fresh for you.”
The next day, Steve, his partner and co-owner Ephrem Abebe, and line cook Joe Anonuevo, left Maryland, spent the night at an Airbnb, got to Rina’s moms condo….and set-up a makeshift kitchen in the parking lot, in the back of their pickup.
They prepared her beloved broccoli dish, cooked up tofu nuggets with spicy peanut sauce and garlic and steamed rice to complete the meal.
Then they knocked on her door.
Said Brandon, 'As soon as she opened the door, she recognized us and the aroma immediately. It smelled amazing.'
She was in disbelief.
Added Rina, 'My mom kept saying, "I don’t understand …. you drove all the way up here to cook for me? She was so happy and touched to have that broccoli. She couldn’t believe it.”
Steve instantly recognized Rina’s mom.
'She’s a lovely lady, who has showered us with love at our restaurant for years.
She always complimented us when she was our guest.
We see a lot of people in the restaurant ... she always stood out. She loves the food and always made sure to tell us.
She’s an amazing, sweet lady.
It was a powerful experience, and I’m happy that we could make it happen.”
And of course, befitting their graciousness….they eschewed all mention of compensation.
Said Rina, "Mom has struggled to eat because of sores on her mouth from the cancer but managed to devour the special meal.
My mom cried later about their generosity and so did I.
They made so much food that she had it again the next day for lunch. It’s something we’ll never forget — I’ll carry that positive memory with me, always.”
As did Baltimore City Council member Zeke Cohen, after reading Brandon’s account on Facebook.
“We hear a lot about the challenges of restaurants in Baltimore. Yet despite the pandemic, despite crime, some are still thriving. I always point to Ekiben as a business that always models respect for community and treats people with love. Plus their food is amazing!
Read this, eat their tofu nuggets, and try not to cry!”
Before this account went viral, Ekiben had a 5 star average rating with over 1,500 reviews on Google and 4.5 on yelp with over 1,200 reviews.
But now, it’s off the charts.
(This was all Brandon’s doing. Steve and Ephrem stayed mum about it.)
The post has gone viral on social media in Baltimore with thousands of likes and comments.
"Well, that's official. Ekiben can never close unless the owners decide to close it. Keep this restaurant in business forever," one person commented.
"I thought this was going to be a story about them staying open late for a customer or something. I have never even heard of a place doing something like this," another person wrote.
"Was just coming here to post this. They make the best food in the city and also are apparently some of the best human beings in the city. Just unbelievable."
But to Steve, it was about one thing.
“To me, it was a huge honor to be able to help fulfill the family’s wishes.
This is about her, not us.
There was a lot of good, positive energy in doing this.”
Indeed.
Good positive energy and loving and healing vibes to Rina, Brandon and family....to Steve, Ephrem and company….and especially to Mom, who is still with us to be able to receive and absorb them.