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Seneca


Jeromy Ko


Growing up,
the restaurant business was an essential part of my life.

Jeromy Ko, 2021 AD

Seneca

Jeromy wears the Vanta Pant in Grey

The co-founder of food & lifestyle blog NOM LIFE (236K) and tech product manager discusses stories that have shaped his life and the philosophies that guide him.

All words by Jeromy Ko in conversation with Seneca.

Seneca

Jeromy wears the Vanta pant in pinstripe and the Modena Shirt in Grey

Seneca

Jeromy wears the Modena shirt in White and the Forma Jacket

FIRST GENERATION CHILDREN MAY HAVE TO CHOOSE BETWEEN ANTAGONIZATION OR ASSIMILATION.



For the Cantonese community, the restaurant game was the way to plant your roots and make a living. Our restaurant in Cleveland was the definition of a family business. My dad ran it as the GM, my mom worked as a hostess and accountant, my uncles worked as chefs and my cousins worked as waiters.

I was one of only two Asians in my school up until I transferred to a different high school after Sophomore year. I got a bit of bullying from each direction: the black kids in my neighborhood and the white kids at school would pick on me for being different, and then the Asian kids would reject me for not being Asian enough. They'd say “man, you’re a twinkie (yellow on the outside, white on the inside)."
Seneca

Jeromy wears the Vanta pant in pinstripe and the Modena Shirt in Grey

STRUGGLING WITH IDENTITY CAN BE VERY DEMORALIZING.

It's not always about race or culture. It's about anyone who has ever felt different, outside of the majority, or has a trait that is different from other people. It can be painful when that difference or trait is called out negatively. Experiencing that ostracization can create a lot of issues in a person over time, and how you deal with those issues can change the trajectory of your life.
Seneca

Jeromy wears the Modena Shirt in Grey

OF COURSE, IT'S HARD BEING ONE OF THE ONLY PEOPLE LIKE YOU IN ANY AREA.

When it comes to antagonization, people embrace their own culture at the expense of interacting with the broader community — sometimes even clashing with it. In the case of assimilation, you’ll find the opposite. It’s the rejection of one’s own culture and adoption of the broader culture.

When I was younger, I flip flopped between the two while struggling to find my identity. It wasn’t really until later in high school that I was able to find a middle path between the two — accepting and embracing my own culture and feeling comfortable enough to share it with others in the broader community.
Seneca

THE PATH THAT I CHOSE IS TO SHARE MY CULTURE THROUGH WHAT I KNOW BEST — FOOD.

Back when we were living in Columbus, Ewa and I were spending a lot of cooking and experimenting with recipes at home. We were incorporating a lot of the ingredients and techniques that we had both grown up with, and we thought it would be cool to share it with others in our network. And so, Nom Life, our food and cooking concept was born.
In Columbus, the larger, popular restaurants were getting a lot of shine on social media. The little mom and pop stuff always flew under the radar. So that's the direction we decided to roll with Nom Life. We wanted to cover smaller, culturally representative restaurants that were off the beaten path. It became a core part of our mission to empower these small mom and pop shops.

It’s been quite a journey over the past 7 years. We started as a Wordpress blog in Columbus, and now we’ve got Nom Life on multiple platforms, covering our time in NYC to our current landing spot — LA. Ewa has worked really hard to build this platform and I’m impressed with everything she’s been able to achieve.
Seneca

Jeromy wears the Modena Shirt in Navy

Seneca

I AIM TO BRING ENTHUSIASM TO WHAT I DO, AND TO LIVE BY MY MORAL COMPASS.

Make an effort to balance work and fun. It sounds super cliché, but you definitely can get burnt out by overdoing any one aspect of your life. The rat race, chasing monetary gain and all that is good to a certain extent. But if you're not really building towards anything, then giving up your youth and not having any fun, I think that's a rough road.
Seneca

Jeromy wears the Modena Shirt in Grey

WE WILL CONTINUE TO SUPPORT AAPI, THAT'LL ALWAYS BE PART OF NOM LIFE.

During the pandemic, there was a lot of xenophobia and misplaced racism against the Asian American community. People were conflating COVID with Chinatown and Asian Americans. Asian people of all backgrounds were getting attacked. Chinatown really suffered. In response, AAPI communities all across the US rallied and banded together. A bunch of organizations popped up to help keep businesses open, keep people safe, and really bring Chinatown back to life. Welcome to Chinatown, Send Chinatown Love, and Heart of Dinner are just a few of these amazing organizations.

PUT IN 110%.
THAT'S WHAT I LEARNED
FROM MY DAD.

If you're going to be working eight to 12 hours a day, why be miserable? Find ways to enjoy it. That's the reason I go out of my way to try and make friends, participate in work events, and be a part of the community. It makes the day so much more fun when you’re working towards a mutual goal with your homies.
Seneca

Seneca

Measurements. All garments are hand-measured for accuracy.


It may be helpful to compare these product measurements to a similar garment you already own. To do this, place the garment on a flat surface and take all measurements from the outside.


Modena Shirt

  • S
  • M
  • L
  • XL
  • Chest
  • 40"
  • 42"
  • 45"
  • 47"
  • Back Length
  • 28"
  • 28"
  • 28 1/2"
  • 28 1/2"
  • Sleeve Length
  • 24"
  • 24 1/2"
  • 26"
  • 26 1/2"
  • Shoulder Width
  • 17 1/4"
  • 17 3/4"
  • 18 1/2"
  • 19"

Lumen Shirt

  • S
  • M
  • L
  • XL
  • Chest
  • 39"
  • 41"
  • 44"
  • 46"
  • Back Length
  • 28 3/4"
  • 29 1/4"
  • 30"
  • 30 1/2"
  • Sleeve Length
  • 24 3/4"
  • 25 1/4"
  • 26 1/2"
  • 27"
  • Shoulder Width
  • 17 1/2"
  • 18"
  • 18 1/2"
  • 19"

Aero Half Zip

  • S
  • M
  • L
  • XL
  • Chest
  • 41"
  • 43"
  • 46"
  • 48"
  • Back Length
  • 27 3/4"
  • 28 1/2"
  • 29 1/2"
  • 30 1/2"
  • Sleeve Length
  • 23 1/2"
  • 24 1/2"
  • 25"
  • 26"
  • Shoulder Width
  • 18 1/4"
  • 18 3/4"
  • 19 1/2"
  • 20"

Forma Blazer

  • S
  • M
  • L
  • XL
  • Chest
  • 40"
  • 42"
  • 45"
  • 47"
  • Back Length
  • 28 1/2"
  • 29"
  • 29 3/4"
  • 30 1/4"
  • Sleeve Length
  • 24"
  • 24 1/2"
  • 26"
  • 26 1/2"
  • Shoulder Width
  • 17 1/2"
  • 18 3/4"
  • 19 1/2"
  • 20"

Vanta Pant

  • S
  • M
  • L
  • XL
  • Waist
  • 29 1/2"
  • 31 1/2"
  • 34 1/2"
  • 36 1/2"
  • Outseam
  • 37 1/2"
  • 38"
  • 39 1/2"
  • 40"
  • Inseam
  • 29 1/2"
  • 29 1/2"
  • 30 1/2"
  • 30 1/2"
  • Hem Opening
  • 12"
  • 12 1/2"
  • 13 1/4"
  • 13 3/4"

Atlas Short

  • S
  • M
  • L
  • XL
  • Waist
  • 29 1/2"
  • 31 1/2"
  • 34 1/2"
  • 36 1/2"
  • Outseam
  • 16"
  • 16 1/2"
  • 17"
  • 17 1/2"
  • Inseam
  • 7"
  • 7"
  • 7 1/2"
  • 7 1/2"
  • Hem
  • 9 1/2"
  • 9 1/2"
  • 10 1/2"
  • 10 1/2"

Lumen Shortsleeve Shirt

  • S
  • M
  • L
  • XL
  • Chest
  • 39"
  • 41"
  • 44"
  • 46"
  • Back Length
  • 28 3/4"
  • 29 1/4"
  • 30"
  • 30 1/2"
  • Sleeve Length
  • 8 1/2"
  • 9"
  • 9 3/4"
  • 10 1/4"
  • Shoulder Width
  • 17 1/2"
  • 18"
  • 18 1/2"
  • 19"

Cortina Longsleeve Knit

  • S
  • M
  • L
  • XL
  • Chest
  • 41"
  • 43"
  • 46"
  • 48"
  • Back Length
  • 25 1/2"
  • 26 1/2"
  • 27"
  • 27"
  • Sleeve Length
  • 23 1/2"
  • 24 1/2"
  • 25"
  • 26"
  • Shoulder Width
  • 18 1/4"
  • 18 3/4"
  • 19 1/2"
  • 20"

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