Eric Stern and Christina Marasigan: About Us

Met at David Lee’s birthday pool party in July 2006, for which we are so grateful. Tina went to Berkeley with David, whose best friend is Eli, who worked with Eric at Universal Music Group.

Tina rode a snowboard for the first time on a group trip Eric organized in Park City, Utah. Trying new things would set the tone for their relationship.
When Tina asked Eric why he thought they should start dating, he said “Because I think we would be really good together.” Random strangers on the street would reaffirm his statement in the ensuing weeks.
First date was at the Campanile on La Brea for their fancy grilled cheese with French fries. For some reason, they gave us the biggest table in the room – we couldn’t hold hands across it. Maybe they thought we needed some distance.

Eric and Tina are both middle children. Tina has two older brothers (Jayson and Carlo) and two younger sisters (Cecilia and Michelle), while Eric has an older (Michael) and younger brother (Adam). Adam and Cecilia were born on the same day: March 18, 1985.
Lived with Vinicio “Vinny” Espinosa in a two-bedroom apartment on Sepulveda Blvd. in Los Angeles. Eric met Vinny at NYU. He arrived in Los Angeles a couple of weeks after we started dating and was more or less there from the beginning. Vinny is from Ecuador and inspired us to spend a few months in South America. He currently resides in Brazil and we miss him.

Bonded over peanut butter and jelly on nutty bread, NES and Twin Peaks.
Eric proposed in the VIP suite at the Hotel Metropole on Catalina Island. We took a helicopter ride to the island. We ate breakfast in bed while watching Saved by the Bell – one of the drug episodes. You know the one where the girls are in a pop band and Jesse sings “I’m so excited!” Yeah, that one.
Traveled for a year between relocating from Los Angeles to New York. Spent four months in South America, bussing and flying to cities in six countries: Ecuador, Peru, Bolivia, Chile, Argentina and Uruguay. There, they hiked to Machu Picchu in pouring rain, climbed a volcano in Chile, and frolicked with penguins in Argentina.
Spent a few months driving through the American Southwest. Lived in Austin, Texas. We read tons of books, watched British mysteries, traveled to Houston, Dallas and New Orleans. Baked in the hot sun under big Texas sky. Learned to clean and gut catfish via Youtube. Developed a taste for Lone Star beer.

Observed that when we had strangers take photos of us, they usually turn out terrible. Thus, developed an expertise in the 10-second timer on a digital Canon. Vintage photo shoot locations include White Sands, New Mexico, Las Vegas, Nevada and Baton Rouge, Louisiana.
Inspired by the Whole Foods culture in Austin and having more time to cook, Tina baked through the better part of Betty Crocker’s cookbook, making by hand everything from bagels to chicken pot pie (homemade crust!) to ciabatta.
After finding secondhand treasure on our road trip, started a vintage clothing shop on Etsy called VintageSuits. We specialize in men’s and women’s vintage clothing for weddings, events and everyday. The most expensive item we’ve sold is a 1930s button fly, high waist men’s suit.
Eric works for Distributed Capital Group, a financial advisory and consulting firm. He works primarily with Prometheus Springs, a spicy beverage company. Tina rejoined her Los Angeles employer, executive recruitment firm Korn/Ferry International, in New York where she works in the Consumer and Retail Practice.
In their spare time they like to travel, watch movies, work on business ideas, buy and sell vintage clothing, eat sushi, cook, drink wine, and read books and blogs. Live for moments that make us ask, eyebrows raised, “Where are we?”