FilAm chef's epic response slams Ivanka Trump website

Chef Angela Dimayuga, left, turns down Ivanka Trump website.

WHEN BLOOMBERG published its article "11 Fancy Food Trends You'll Face in 2017," it mentioned the explosion of Filipino food on the American foodie scene. One of the chefs it named as helping promote the cuisine to American palates was Angela Dimayuga.

Last week, celebrated chef and TV host Anthony Bourdain called Dimayuga "My hero!" Here's why the transplanted Californian attracted that distinction:

Dimayuga, the 31-year old FilAm executive chef of Mission Chinese restaurant in Manhattan, turned down an opportunity to be featured in IvankaTrump.com, the First Daughter's website that is supposed to show her connection with women and women's empowerment.

“I would love to conduct an interview (via telephone/email) with you spotlighting your work as a strong female entrepreneur,”  read the social media message from the reporter, describing IvankaTrump.com as “a non-political platform of empowerment for modern working women.”

Dimayuga's epic response that went viral. 

Thank you for thinking of me. I’m glad you are a fan of my work so much that you want to provide more visibility for my career to inspire “other working women.” However, I’m for women who actually empower other women.
I don’t believe that IvankaTrump.com is truly “a non-political platform of empowerment for [women]”. So long as the name Trump is involved, it is political and frankly, an option for the IvankaTrump.com business to make a profit. 

I don’t see anything empowering about defunding Planned Parenthood, barring asylum from women refugees, rolling back safeguards for equal pay, and treating POC/LGBT and the communities that support these groups like second class citizens.

As a queer person of color and daughter of immigrant parents I am not interested in being profiled as an aspirational figure for those that support a brand and a President that slyly disparages female empowerment. Sharing my story with a brand and family that silences our same voices is futile. 

Thank you for the consideration.

“It’s important for me to acknowledge the intersectional community in which I’ve been able to creatively thrive in,” the chef told the Huffington Post.  

“I learned that only 6 percent of executive positions in kitchens are held by women. I am also queer, and have immigrant parents,” wrote Dimayuga, who grew up in San Jose, Calif. “I’ve come to the understanding that people want to hear what I have to say from my unique point of view. It’s a responsibility that gives me purpose, so making clear and pointed decisions on what I involve my time with is important.” 

As executive chef of the Manhattan branch of the successful San Francisco original locale, Dimayuga introduce Mission Chinese owner Danny Bowien to her grandmother's specialty, a Filipino interpretation of chicken relleno. He was so impressed that he encouraged her to add it to New York menu. It is now on the New York restaurant's menu as "Josefina's House Special Chicken," named after Angela's lola.

Unfortunately for West Coasters, the special is only served in the New York venue because Dimayuga keeps the family recipe close to her vest.

"Filipino food has challenging flavors and ingredients confusing for the American palate that hasn’t been around different cuisines," said Dimayuga. "Filipino food can be hard to understand from a flavor perspective and it’s been underserved in restaurants."

###

Filipina American wins prestigious award for promoting healthy food

A FILIPINA AMERICAN healthy food advocate was named the winner of the 2016 Thomas I. Yamashita Prize.

Aileen Suzara, 31, is a Bay Area-based natural chef who focuses on sustainable foods and who works to encourage healthier eating by teaching garden and farm-based workshops, developing sustainability educational programs, and hosting community pop-up dinners. 

Aileen Suzara

The Thomas I. Yamashita Prize is awarded annually to an outstanding young social change activist in California. The award of $2,500 honors a person whose work transforms the existing social landscape - often in subtle and previously unappreciated ways - and serves as a bridge between the academy and the community. 

She is an alumnus of UC Santa Cruz’s Farm and Garden Agroecology Apprenticeship program, and recently received her Master’s in Public Health Nutrition from UC Berkeley. 

Suzara's blog, Kitchen Kwento (Tagalog for "stories"), documents and shares stories on the relationship between food, people, and the land. Aileen is a first generation Filipino American who grew up in California and Hawaii. 

"I had a semi-nomadic childhood — born in eastern Washington, then moved on to Texas, Florida, and the Mojave Desert. We ate more canned minestrone soup, Spam and microwave dinners than “authentic” Filipino food in those days," she told Off The Menu: Asian America.

"When I was eight, I found the old Filipino cookbook my mom had brought [to the U.S.] in the ’60s that became both a passport and talisman to Filipino food. It was when we moved to Hawai’i that we were at last surrounded by a local culture defined by its relationships to food—a place flavored by many cultures, including Filipino cuisine and agricultural history.

In 2014-15 Aileen was a graduate student researcher at the Berkeley Food Institute and took a leadership role in their community engagement program, which aims to build bridges between UC Berkeley and the broader food and agriculture community.

As a public health nutritionist, she delves into health inequities faced by Filipino/Americans, including diabetes, hypertension, and cardiovascular disease. Healthy Filipino food might sound like an oxymoron and some may call Suzara's recipes "inauthentic," she replies:

"Authenticity is a word that comes up often in questions about food. But it’s a slippery term, as culture is constantly changing. At the root, all traditional food cultures are largely 'healthy.' And Filipino cuisine, at its roots, reflects a complex relationship with land, sea and seasons. While this is a vastly abridged and simplified history, we are all caught in a story that the public health world identifies as the “nutrition transition”—a rise in chronic disease and a marked shift away from traditional diets and lifestyles. To cook something closer to precolonial, or using what’s available to us even in the States—how do we channel that authentically today?"

Collaborating with Filipino Advocates for Justice (FAJ), Aileen supported the launch of Bahay Kubo, a garden in Union City, California that builds upon FAJ's youth leadership model with hands-on experiences in growing and sharing healthy Filipino food. In 2015, the project placed first in the Big Ideas@Berkeley competition.

She is an advisory member to the Filipino American Coalition for Environmental Solidarity and an eco-culinary educator with Sama Sama Cooperative, which works to "reclaim language, culture, and land-based traditions." Another recent endeavor was launching a youth-run kitchen site for the Ceres Community Project.

She is hard at work on Sariwa (Fresh), a sustainable Filipino foods business that connects traditionally-inspired diets and entrepreneurship as a tool for change. Developed as a pop-up restaurant at Berkeley's Eat.Think.Design health innovations course, Sariwa is now a proud participant in the La Cocina women's food incubator. 

Suzara will be feted  by the Institute for the Study of Societal Issues on Oct. 31 on the UC Berkeley campus. For details, click here.

###

Savor Filipino returns, Oct. 15; a celebration of Filipino food

THE FOOD magazine Bon Appetit wrote in a recent article that Filipino cuisine is "having a moment." In that article it named Washington D.C.'s Bad Saint , a restaurant serving Filipino food, as one of the best new restaurants in the country.

Across the country, food trucks selling Filipino street food, are attracting long lines of foodies of all ethnicities.

It has been two years since Savor Filipino was first launched in San Francisco and the food scene has changed. The cuisine of the Philippines is finally attracting the attention usually given to other ethnic food. To the delight of food lovers, Savor Filipino, a food celebration organized by the Filipino Food Movement, has returned -- but it will be a bit different this year.

It is being held on Oct. 15. That's the first change. In 20f4, it was held in June to commemorate Philippine Independence Day. This year, it becomes part of Filipino American History Month.


The first time round, Savor Filipino was a bit overwhelmed when 30,000 people showed up at their venue in an open air plaza on The Embarcadero in San Francisco. This year, it will be held in a controlled environment with limited space. It will be at The Overlook Lounge in Oakland, across the bay from San Francisco.

"We learned some big lessons in 2014," said P.J. Quesada, one of the organizers. "We wanted to go big, and we definitely did. This year, we are focusing on how to create a more sustainable event. Since we are all volunteer run, 30,000 patrons will overwhelm even our devoted team! We are focusing on having the best possible experience, and so we are targeting around 1400 guests for our 2016 event."

RELATED: 

• Filipino food: the Rodney Dangerfield of ethnic cuisines
• Savor Filipino 2014 in San Francisco
• Filipino food gaining fans on both coasts

Two years ago, it was a relatively inexpensive affair but this year, it is going to cost more to sample the delicious dishes cooked up by the chefs. "These prices reflect the true cost of executing our vision of Filipino cuisine with as few compromises as possible," says Quesada.

"Like our 2014 event, we are curating the entire experience, and chefs will be focused on presenting themselves to the crowd. We enable them to make their dish in the way they envision it to be - which means that guests will be getting a different experience than a traditional food festival.

Attendees will be able to taste unique and delicious dishes native to the Philippines as it is interpreted by some of today's top culinary talent.  The chefs come from across the nation - from Boston to Hawaii. 

The Savor Filipino Day menu, served from 12 p.m. to 5 p.m., includes 10 unique tastings including Popcorn Chicken Sinigang, Pork Belly Adobo Congee, Dueling Fish Relleno, and a Mango Panna Cotta with Coconut foam.  

At 7 p.m., the evening continues into the Buksan Dinner (ticketed separately) with another 5 Chefs each presenting their own dish and paired with drinks. Here is the menu. 

For tickets, click here.

Despite the changes, the main focus is still to promote Philippine cuisine.  "Our theme this year is BUKSAN: to open or unlock," says Quesada. "I interpret that as how we can shine a spotlight on the potential of Filipino cuisine, and its oft misunderstood historic influences."

###

A century ago: A dinner celebrating the Philippines - without Filipino food

IF YOU'VE EVER BEEN to a Filipino household, the first or second question you're asked as you slip off your shoes, is: "Have you eaten?"

Right away, even if you are not hungry, you're swept to the kitchen table and fed whatever is on the stove or something from the fridge that can be heated up right away. You'd be wise not to refuse a helping or two if you don't want to risk offending the host or hostess.

That's why it was curious to note that 100 years ago today (Aug. 20), one of the first official State dinners held in Washington D.C occurred ... and there was no Filipino food!!!! That says a lot about the tenor of the times and the relationship between the U.S. and its newly acquired colony in the far side of the Pacific.

It seems stranger still because today, Filipino cuisine is enjoying a moment in foodie circles, spurred on by the success of food trucks, pop-up restaurants and the efforts of the Filipino Food Movement, a group trying to push Filipino food beyond the traditional boundaries of the turo-turo (literally: "point-point) markets and mom-and-pop restaurants.

RELATED: 

• Filipino food: the Rodney Dangerfield of ethnic cuisines
• Savor Filipino 2014 in San Francisco
• Filipino food gaining fans on both coasts

The Food Movement's event, Savor Filipino (more on this in an upcoming post) is augmented by the rise of some restaurants that have garnered the attention of food critics, including Maharlika in New York City and D.C.'s Bad Saint was named the second-best new restaurant in the country by Bon Appétit.

EDITOR'S NOTE: There are so many Filipino restaurants in the San Francisco Bay Area and Los Angeles area that the debate can go on-and-on which one is the best. It is like asking which is the best Chinese restaurant? It is impossible to reach a consensus, it seems everyone has their favorite. Readers, tell me: Which and where is the Best Filipino Restaurant?

Researching the history of Filipinos in Washington is a hobby for Erwin Tiongson, a professor at Georgetown University’s School of Foreign Service, and his wife, Titchie Carandang-Tiongson. 

Their effort to recreate the historic dinner was featured in the Washington Post recently:

It was a marvelous dinner. One hundred guests, many of whom were senators or generals. An ornate banquet room in the Willard Hotel and floral arrangements of magnolias, dahlias and lilies of the valley. There was chicken Perigueux and potato Lorette, ham and an array of salads, and, for dessert, a peach mousse and petits fours. The date? Aug. 30, 1916.

One hundred years ago, this grand party at the Willard was thrown by Manuel L. Quezon, the resident commissioner who represented the Philippines in the United States, which acquired the colony following the Spanish-American War. But the Jones Act of 1916, authored by Virginia congressman William Jones, established America’s commitment to the Philippines’ independence and structured its legislature. The bill had been signed that morning, and the next morning, Quezon would depart for Manila. The dinner was his farewell.

Researching the history of Filipinos in Washington is a hobby for Erwin Tiongson, a professor at Georgetown University’s School of Foreign Service, and his wife, Titchie Carandang-Tiongson. It’s an effort “to make Filipino-American history a little bit more tangible and immediate to people who care about those things, including our two children,” Tiongson said.

They first learned of the dinner in a coffee-table book and then dug through old Filipino newsletters and magazines, encountering lengthy accounts of the dinner, recalling all of the speeches, the gifts, the aforementioned flower arrangements and the menu. Along with Hank Hendrickson, executive director of the US Philippines Society, they realized that they had enough information to reenact the dinner on its centennial. The menu, which was printed in French in the Philippine Review, was as follows:

Reenacting the dinner is a more immersive way for the embassy’s guests — which will include Jones’s descendants — to experience the era they are celebrating.

“You’re getting a chance to experience living in it rather than reading about it,” said Bruce Reynolds, president of the Culinary Historians of Washington D.C. Dishes from 100 years ago weren’t radically different from what we eat now, though “cooking today, I’d say, has more layers of flavor.”

Did that little introduction whet your appetite? To read the rest of the article, click here. 

###

Anthony Bourdain: 'Filipinos love feeding people'

'Parts Unknown' opens season in the Philippines

CNN

Food authority Anthony Bourdain samples halo-halo, a Filipino dessert.

THE SEVENTH SEASON of the CNN travel and food ­documentary series ­Anthony Bourdain: Parts ­Unknown ­begins Sunday (April 24, 2016) with a trip to Manila, capital of the ­Philippines. The show follows the best-selling author and chef as he travels the globe to discover the cultures and cuisines of ­lesser-known destinations.

Bourdain visited Manila unannounced last December, catching his fans and the local media by surprise. Exploring the city during the Christmas season, he travelled through its festive streets to try out local dishes including adobo, sisig and kare-kare. He also indulged in the popular sweet and milky dessert halo-halo. The episode opens with Bourdain’s visit to Jollibee, which he describes as “a fast-food wonder."

RELATED: Filipino food, the Rodney Dangerfield of ethnic cuisines

In an interview with CNN this week, Bourdain said he was looking forward to the latest season and “very excited particularly with the episode on Manila".

“I’m very close to a lot of ­Filipinos here in America – I have a sort of extended Filipino family," he said. Hmmm, that's an intriguing statement. Perhaps, he'll expand on that topic in the show.

“In the episode we also explore the overseas Filipino worker phenomenon. We look at the caring and generous nature that is very much a part of Filipino culture."

“I have long noticed in my travels to virtually all the continents the Filipino bands, singers and entertainers on luxury liners, in theaters, at Karaoke contests, on Broadway, in London, Australia, Germany; Filipinos are constantly winning at international talent searches,” he said in an interview with the Manila Bulletin.

“Filipinos like to eat and they like to cook – and they do it well."

RELATED: Adobo and lumpia in the White House

While in Manila, Bourdain's every movement was chronicled by the social media-savvy Filipinos. Pinoy foodies and celebrity seekers were everywhere, following every Twitter and Facebook tip. One showed him at a Jollibee outlet; a lucky couple posed with him inside a Malate Korean restaurant. Adriatico Street quickly filled up seconds after a photo of him and some young Filipinos at a sidewalk beer garden appeared on Facebook. His popularity is undeniable.

This is Bourdain’s second TV trip to the Philippines. In 2008, he visited Manila, Pampanga and Cebu to film an episode of his Travel Channel series No ­Reservations.

RELATED: Filipino food gaining fans on opposite coasts

The eight-episode new season of Parts Unknown of will also feature trips to Chicago, the Greek Islands, Montana, Tbilisi, Senegal, ­Cologne and Buenos Aires.

The Manila episode of Parts Unknown will air on CNN on April 24, 9 pm ET. 

###

For more news about Asian/Americans and Pacific Islanders, read AsAm News.

TV's first Filipino American family debuts on 'Crazy Ex-Girlfriend'

Josh Chan (played by Vicente Rodriguez III, far right) introduces his Filipino/American family.

'CRAZY EX-GIRLFRIEND," continues to make Filipino/American history. 

I don't have the resources to verify this, but the musical-comedy's Thanksgiving episode airing this Monday (Nov. 16) on the CW Television Network, will feature, for the first time (to my knowledge):

• A Filipino/American family. Yes! There have been Filipino/American characters on American TV before but this is the first time that an entire family has been presented to a nationwide audience adding more dimension to the male lead's character.

And for only the second time:

• Dinaguan. Yes that tasty pork stew sometimes described as "chocolate meat" to soften the shock of non-Filipinos when they discover that it is pork stewed in pork blood. Don't knock it until you've tried it. The first time dinaguan appeared on network TV was during an episode of ER.

The character Josh Chan, played by Filipino American actor Vincent Rodriguez III, is the object of the title character's scary obsession. 

Up to now, not much is known about Josh but as the series has gone on, we've learned that his father is a radiologist and that he confides in his Filipino/American priest known as Fr. Brah played by the writer Rene Gube, who is also a writer for the show.

The Filipino angle has not been exploited on Crazy. The inter-racial relationship between Josh and Rebecca (played by creator Rachel Bloom) has not been an issue.  The relationship between the would-be romantic leads is between a crazy wannabe (perhaps mentally unbalanced) girlfriend and a hunk.

RELATED: Asian male stereotype battered in Crazy ex-Girlfriend

The premise of the show: Rebecca, a successful New York lawyer, who in a fit of dissatisfaction, follows a former not-quite boyfriend across the country to suburban West Covina, CA, where, not-so-coincidentally, Filipinos make up the largest ethnic group.

Does that sound like your typical girl-meets-boy love story? Far from it! That's what makes this show a delight. It's edgy and willing to tackle topics that most vapid sitcoms would steer away from (i.e. a father's love for her daughter "that sounds creepy" musical number on last week's episode.)

Creating an Asian male to be the object of Rebecca's unhealthy obsession is such a risk. Having his Filipino/American story fill out is exciting for those of us who grew up with similar immigrant families who up to now have been totally absent from the American consciousness. And now we're about to meet his family. America gets a peek into a slice of our country most of them have never seen.

Mabuhay, Crazy Ex-Girlfriend!

Here's a trailer followed by another short scene from this ground-breaking episode:

RELATED: Vote for Crazy Ex-Girlfriend for Peoples Choice Award

TGIF FRIDAY: Asian cuisine fits well at the "Eat Real Festival" in Oakland

Dennis Villafranca, AKA The Jeepney Guy, will be at Oakland's Eat Real Festival.

IT'S ALL ABOUT FOOD this weekend. I'll be at the Eat Real Festival in Oakland, an annual event featuring over 60 food trucks serving their specialities.

I don't know if anybody has noticed this but Asian food seems fit the food truck venues perfectly. They are inexpensive, tasty, easy to serve. If you've ever been to Asia, this is about as close as you can get to sample the sumptuous street food served there ... but, California, being the center of innovation, always has an impact, even in food.

Some of the most popular ones in the San Francisco Bay Area have their roots in Philippine cuisine. Chicken and pork adobo, sigsig, lechon, put them in a bun, over rice, wrap it in a taco or burrito and you have some of the Bay Area foodies' favorite dishes. Lumpia and all its variations are made for quick, eat-with-your fingers food. Look for the Jeepney Guy.

Koja truck features Korean BBQ over fries.

For sweets, halo-halo, banana lumpia and mango or macapuno ice cream attract the curious and adventuresome.

The other Asian cuisine that has been attracting off-the-grid fans is Korean barbecue, pork, short-ribs, chicken, beef. Thank you Roy Choi, who was the first to combine the taco tortilla, BBQ and kimchee. to launch his Koji Truck empire.

I'm a little bit bummed that Señor Sigsig or the Hapa SF Truck won't be there. Señor Sigsig will be at other locations in the Bay Area that weekend, though. 

Hapa's William Pilz has quit the  food truck scene but his food can be found in brick-and-mortar restaurants, at Charlie Phan's restaurants at the California Academy of Science in the Moss Room and the Academy Cafe. 

If you want to go beyond Asian cuisine, there are plenty of other cuisines to sample: Italian soul food, and lots of BBQ. Here's a complete list of the trucks that will be there along with a wide sampling northern California's craft beers. 

###

TGIF FEATURE: Filipino food or not?

THIS one is just for the fun of it. Thanks for Buzzfeed for continuing to bust stereotypes ... and for making us laugh.

And yeah, for those readers who wonder - damn right I'm Filipino/American. 

Have a great weekend!

Filipino food gaining fans on opposite coasts

Jeepney & Maharlika, Manhattan, New York City

I'VE EATEN at Jeepney; haven't gone to Maharlika yet. 

Jeepney is worth a stop if you're in New York. If you ever wondered why so many Filipino dishes are kinda luke-warm, that's because they were originally meant to be eaten by kamay (hand). You don't want heat blisters from eating, right? Jeepney has a pub-like ambiance and features a kamayan meal on Wednesdays and Thursdays. Its gotten so popular you have to make reservations. Check out their website for more details on those finger-licking meals. Those t-shirts are so cool!

NOTE: Bring wet wipes.

Besides, any restaurant recommended by the Smithsonian Museum website is a place that deserves our attention. 

CORRECTION: Earlier versions of this post said it was the Guggenheim Museum. My apologies.

If Jeepney is your casual dining experience, just a block away is its sister restaurant,  Maharlika, which serves "modern" Filipino fare in your rich auntie's dining room. (Read "upscale.") I know, Filipino food CAN be upscale. You have to use utensils; no one will blink an eye if you ask for the big spoon, too.

Together, the restaurants have teamed up to sponsor the popular Balut-Eating Contest during the 1st Ave. Street Fair. Winners have come as far away as ... uh, exotic Queens.

Both restaurants are the brainchildren of California transplant Nicole Ponseca. Favorable reviews by local media have given it New York stamp of approval and the much sought-after gotta-try, foodie status.

Is a San Francisco branch in the future? "It would be so good to come back home," says Ponseca, who attended the University of San Francisco.

***

Newcomers to Filipino cuisine sometimes complain that there isn't enough vegetable dishes. Are you kidding me?

Patio Filipino, San Bruno, California

BACK WEST, in the San Francisco Bay Area where there are more Filipinos than New York, Filipino cuisine is having to struggle against intense comparisons with other exotic Asian cuisines. First it was Chinese food, then Japanese, then Vietnamese, followed by Thai, Indian and Malaysian. Even esoteric Ethiopean, Burmese and Cambodian restaurants get more attention. When will Filipino food get the respect it deserves?

Nevetheless, in my never-ending quest for good eats, no matter the nationality, I think I found the best Filipino restaurant in the Bay Area. Patio Filipino is better than your nanay's cooking. Read my Yelp review here. It also got good reviews from the public television's award-winning foodie hit, Check, Please. Check it out below.

RELATED POSTS: 
Adobo and lumpia in the White House
Savor Filipino, 2014

Adobo and lumpia in the White House

Christeta Comerford shares a laugh with First Lady Michele Obama in the White House kitchen.

FILIPINO CUISINE has always had a tough time breaking into America's food consciousness like the cuisines of China, Japan, Korea, Thailand and Vietnam. For unknown reasons, the food of the Philippines has not caught on despite praise from food critics and foodies who have tried it. It is not for lack of trying and it is not because Filipino chef's aren't any good. For anyone who watches the food scene closely, there can be no doubt that Filipinos can just plain-out cook.

My father-in-law, Francisco Arias, was a chef on board various vessels during his 20-year stint with the U.S. Navy. His Filipino friends were Navy cooks also, including my wife's godfather, Anatalio Santiago, who had a stint cooking for President Calvin Coolidge and his wife Grace, both of whom loved Asian food.

On the TV show Top Chef, Filipinos and Filipinas have been among the finalists more than a half-dozen times, including season 8 winner Paul Qui.

 Christeta Comerford as a young child, front right.

Perhaps the most famous Filipino/ American chef is Christeta Comerford, who has been in charge of feeding the First Family and all the visiting foreign dignitaries visiting the White House. She has been the White House chef through three administrations.

CNN dedicated a major portion of its air time last Tuesday, Sept. 22, on "Leading Women" to Comerford. Lots of stories have been written about Comerford and her heritage. She even won the Iron Chef competition when teamed with Bobby Flay. 

As White House executive chef, she's pretty tight-lipped about the First Family's, particularly the President's, favorite dishes. In other interviews, however, she said adobo and lumpia are among the Obama favorites.

President Obama, who was born and raised in Hawaii where he most certainly was exposed to Asian cuisines - minus a few years in Indonesia - has sometimes been hailed as the first Asian/Amereican president because of his close personal and family ties with Asian/Americans and his openness towards developing closer political and economic ties to the Pacific Rim countries. 

Here's a portion of the article from the CNN website about her youth in Manila where she grew up with her 10 brothers and sisters.

Growing up as one of 11 children in Manila, Comerford remembers "everything pretty much revolved around the kitchen and kitchen table. There was always the smell of food, always the sound of food.

"As a third grader we were asked to start wrapping our first spring rolls."

The daughter of a school principal father and dressmaker mother ("she made my wedding gown"), she remembers visiting her grandparents' farm where everything from fresh meat to vegetables was sourced from the backyard.

For the entire article and the TV interview, click here.

###

Savor Filipino 2014 - August 30 in San Francisco

PRESENTED by the Filipino Food Movement, a nonprofit started by the Quesada's 2nd generation. Ramar Foods, owned and operated by the Quesada family and headquartered in Pittsburg, California, is the largest manufacturer of Filipino food in the U.S.

Go to Justin Herman Plaza in San Francisco, August 30, 10 a.m to 6 p.m. Cooking demonstrations, food tasting and entertainment.

Savor Filipino is a unique venue intended to 
expose people outside of the Filipino-American

community to the under-appreciated cuisine of the Philippines. While the American public venturing beyond Chinese cuisine may be familiar with Vietnamese, Korean, Thai or Malaysian food, for some reason, Filipino cuisine has never really caught on. Savor Filipino believes that our food is the next big thing.

This is a must event for anybody who loves Filipino food or anybody who is curious, adventurous and eager to try a new world of tastes that come from Philippine cuisine, which is acknowledged to be a mix of Chinese, Malaysian, Spanish and American - just like the people of the Philippines - halo-halo. 

A word of caution to those Filipinos: don't compare the food here with the food that mom makes in her kitchen. It might smell the same and maybe even smell the same (who could resist the smell of adobo bubbling away?) but the traditional dishes will be prepared and presented as if it came from a 5-star restaurant. 

Go with an open mind and empty stomach. For more information, go to its website: www.savorfilipino.com