Filipino Food Month: Ube is everywhere! How a Philippine root made Filipino cuisine "cool"

The beauty and versatility of ube turns the ordinary into Instagram classics.

It started with a color that felt engineered for the smartphone era — that deep, electric violet that popped off the screen and demanded a double-tap. But beneath the surface-level hype of purple donuts and "grammable" lattes, a more profound cultural shift was taking place.

Ube and Instagram didn’t just put Filipino food on the map; they hacked the digital zeitgeist to make Pinoy flavors an undeniable global force.

The Visual Revolution

Instagram’s algorithm rewards high-contrast, vivid content. Ube was the perfect candidate for viral fame.

Ube's natural color is so intense it looks artificial, making it irresistible to food influencers. You didn’t need to be an expert on Filipino history to participate; you just needed a camera and a craving for something beautiful.

Thousands of hashtags turned a humble root vegetable grown primarily in the Philippines into a global status symbol.

The Trojan Horse strategy

Ube’s flavor profile—mild, nutty, and reminiscent of vanilla—provided a safe entry point for Western palates.

Once people were hooked on ube pancakes, they were suddenly open to trying calamansi tarts or pandan cakes.

When giants like Trader Joe’s, Whole Foods and Costco started stocking ube-filled shelves, it signaled that Filipino food had officially moved from the "ethnic aisle" to the mainstream.

Once people fell for the ube donut or ube ice cream, they started asking what else the Philippines had to offer—leading them straight to adobo, pancit, and beyond forcing the mainstream to acknowledge the complexity of Southeast Asian ingredients.

The conversation shifted from "What is that purple stuff?" to a broader appreciation for the complexity of Filipino cuisine—from the sour notes of sinigang to the savory depth of adobo.

The next big thing(s)

The ube wave wasn't a fluke; it was a blueprint. Now that the door is open, a whole new roster of Filipino heavy-hitters is moving from the back-of-house to center stage. These aren't just ingredients; they may be the next "it" factors in the American culinary playbook.

Calamansi: The new citrus king

If you’re tired of the lemon/lime duopoly, meet the Filipino citrus that’s about to blow the lid off the beverage industry.

• The Vibe: It’s a hybrid powerhouse—tart like a lime but with the floral, sweet aroma of a mandarin.
• The Play: Look for it to replace the basic lemon garnish in high-end cocktails or show up as the star of the next "craft" soda craze. It’s the sharp, acidic punch that modern, fat-heavy menus are screaming for.

Pandan: The green goddess

Matcha better watch its back. Pandan is officially stepping out from ube’s shadow and claiming its own spotlight.

• The Vibe: It’s been called "the vanilla of the East," offering a toasted, nutty, and grassy sweetness that is deeply addictive.
• The Play: It’s the ultimate "color play" ingredient. Its electric green hue is pure social media bait, and it’s already infiltrating everything from oat milk lattes to gourmet waffles. It’s the exotic upgrade to the standard vanilla bean.

The Pili Nut: the superfood sleeper

Move over, macadamias. The pili nut is the high-fat, buttery snack the wellness crowd has been waiting for.

• The Vibe: Grown in volcanic soil, it’s one of the most nutrient-dense nuts on the planet, with a texture that practically melts on the tongue.
• The Play: It fits the keto and plant-based "superfood" narrative perfectly. It’s moving from souvenir stalls in Manila to premium health food aisles in the States, marketed as a sustainable, luxury snack.

Artisanal Vinegar: The "Asim" Revolution

The Filipino obsession with asim (sourness) is finally going mainstream via high-end condiments.

• The Vibe: We’re talking cane vinegar, coconut vinegar, and palm vinegar infused with chilies and garlic.
• The Play: Following the path blazed by Sriracha and Chili Crunch, these vinegars are becoming the new must-have pantry staple for home cooks looking to cut through grease and add a complex, fermented zing to their dinner table.

View from the edge

If Filipino food trucks whet the appetite and curiosity of American foodies, in the last two years, ube burst the dam of bias that Filipino food from claiming its rightful place among Asian cuisines.

The "Ube Factor" isn't just about food; it’s about a community claiming its space in the culinary spotlight making the predictions for Philippine cuisines by the late cultural guru Anthony Bourdain finally come to fruition.

RELATED -- April is Filipino Food Month

• Filipino food trucks act as gateways to Philippine cuisine
• Discovering the joy of eating with your hands
• For Filipinos, mealtime fills the belly and feeds the soul
• US foodies celebrate Filiipino Food Month

The rise of the purple yam is a masterclass in how a single "gateway" ingredient can dismantle decades of culinary invisibility. It satisfied the social media demand for "food porn," turning a humble tuber into a global icon of cool.

Ube didn’t just trend; it staged a tactical takeover of the American palate, demonstrating that for Filipino food to finally get its flowers, it needed a "hook" that was as visually loud as it was culturally deep. For decades, Filipino cuisine lived in the "hidden gem" category, but ube changed the game by becoming the ultimate digital-age ambassador.

EDITOR'S NOTE: For additional commentary, news, views and chismis from an AANHPI perspective, follow me on Threads, on X, BlueSky or at the blog Views From the Edge. 

Filipino Food Month: Food trucks act as gateways to Filipino cuisine's growing popularity

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Wherever Señor Sisig sets up in the Bay Area, a line is quick to form.

One of the reasons there is a growing curiosity and demand for the flavors of the Philippines is the friendly, accessible and non-intimidating food truck.

The rise of Filipino food trucks is a masterclass in how a diaspora's culinary heritage can evolve into a Gen Z obsession. By blending traditional, bold flavors with "street food couture" and high-impact digital storytelling, these mobile kitchens have moved from the "fringe" to the mainstream, positioning themselves as both budget-friendly indulgences and high-concept cultural experiences.

The Blueprint: Señor Sisig’s Bay Area takeover

Nowhere is this evolution more evident than with Señor Sisig. What started in 2010 as a single truck roaming San Francisco has become a cultural juggernaut. Founders Evan Kidera and Leo Quintana cracked the code by marrying the citrusy, vinegar-laced heat of Kapampangan Sisig with the handheld convenience of a Mission-style burrito. In other words, they did what Filipinos do best — adapt.

Their trajectory—from the curb to a coveted spot in the Chase Center—represents a victory lap for Filipino American visibility. Seeing fans crush a California Sisig Burrito while cheering on the Warriors at a world-class arena proves these flavors are no longer "niche"—they are the main event.

RELATED: 

• Discovering the joy of eating using only your hands, no utensils
• For Filipinos, mealtime fills the belly and feeds the soul
• US foodies celebrate Filiipino Food Month

Señor Sisig didn't just wait for an invitation to the table—they built their own, put wheels on it, and eventually parked it right in the heart of the Bay’s most prestigious arena. For every young foodie documenting their ube taco under the arena lights, it’s a reminder that the flavors of the diaspora are no longer "fringe"—they are the main event.

The Gen Z Playbook

Filipino food trucks are introducing their cuisine to Gen Z by blending bold, traditional flavors with modern "street food couture" and high-impact social media strategies. They position their menus as both a budget-friendly indulgence and a "visually aesthetic" cultural experience.

The popularity of Filipino food trucks have spread from Honolulu to Queens, NYC and are capturing the "foodie" generation through several key strategies:

• Short-Form Video: Trucks leverage TikTok and Instagram Reels to show the "sizzle" of the grill and the vibrant colors of ingredients like Ube and Pandan.
• Influencer Partnerships: Collaborating with food writers and Gen Z influencers who crowdsource locations and review "lit" dishes like Sizzling Sisig topped with a fried egg.
• Aesthetic Appeal: Modern trucks prioritize "Instagrammable" presentation, focusing on the vibrant purples of ube or the communal "Boodle Fight" (kamayan) style of eating.
• Mexican-Filipino Fusion: Using burritos, tacos, and nachos as vehicles for traditional flavors like Sisig (citrusy pork hash) or Tocino (sweet cured pork).
• Loaded Fries & Tacos: Vendors like Pinorrito combine Filipino staples with mainstream "comfort food" favorites.
• Progressive Pairings: Offering innovative items like Sinigang sweetbreads or Kaldereta shepherd's pie to appeal to adventurous palates. 

Some Filipino food trucks across the nation 

EDITOR'S NOTE: This list is far from comprehensive but the Filipino food truck phenomenon has spread to almost all parts of the US and Canada where Filipinos have formed communities. 

San Francisco (SF) & Bay Area

• Señor Sisig: The gold standard for Filipino-Mexican fusion. Famous for their Sisig Burritos and Crunch-a-dillas.
• Jeepsilog: Known for serving traditional "silog" meals out of a truck designed like a Jeepney, the iconic Philippine public transit.
• The Lumpia Company: Specializes in creative lumpia flavors like Bacon Cheeseburger or Pizza Lumpia. (Co-owned by E-40!).
• Rita’s Catering: An old-school favorite offering authentic, affordable home-style meals like pork adobo and BBQ skewers.
• The Sarap Shop: Known for their residency at Oracle Park and their famous "Very Veggie" options, making Filipino flavors accessible to plant-based diners.
• Pinorrito: A Sacramento transplant that has made waves in the Bay with their "Filipino-Mexican Fusion," specifically their Sisig Fries and Lumpia-stuffed burritos.
• Jeepney Guy: Famous for their slow-roasted Lechon (crispy roast pork). They focus on "low and slow" traditional techniques served in modern rice bowls.
• Buri Buri: A newer player focusing on Filipino-Japanese fusion, blending items like Sisig into sushi rolls or "Poke-style" bowls.
• Adobo Slayers: Specializing in modern riffs on the national dish, offering Adobo-smothered wings and bowls that prioritize tender, high-quality meats.

Los Angeles

• White Rabbit Truck: One of the most famous trucks in the city, beloved for its Sisig Fries and innovative Filipino burritos.
• Amor y Limón: A newer truck gaining popularity for blending Mexican street food with Filipino influences, often seen at events like the Wine + Food Truck Fiesta.
• Mano Po: Frequently found at festivals, they are known for their Pork Liempo and Longanisa Lumpia.
• Lia's Lumpia: Known for appearing on The Great Food Truck Race, this San Diego truck offers modern Filipino fusion, including diverse lumpia flavors and Kamayan feasts.

New York City (NYC)

• Swabe Food Truck: A newer addition to Queens Blvd known for its nostalgic menu, specifically the Fried Pork Belly Rice Bowl and Beef Tapa.
• Kabayan Food Truck: Often found near hospitals like NYP Cornell, serving classics like Oxtail Kare-Kare and crispy pork.
• YUM BRO: Operating in areas like Yonkers and Manhattan, they offer a mix of Filipino favorites and fusion bowls like Huli Huli Chicken.
• So Sarap: A popular vendor at night markets (like ThinkChinatown) specializing in traditional Filipino skewers and street bites. 

Hawaii

• Merienda (Oahu/formerly Maui): Known for refined, roadside Filipino fusion, including pork sisig tacos, lumpia sticks, and tocilog (tocino, egg, and rice).
• Kam&46 (Oahu): Located in Honolulu, this truck/restaurant focuses on comforting Filipino and local dishes.
• Food Trucks at Kahuku Roadside Food Court (Oahu): While diverse, this area frequently features pop-up Filipino food stands and nearby favorites like Mike's Huli Chicken, which serves local favorites.
• Mom’s Filipino Comfort Food: Located at the Harbor Mall (Kauai), this popular truck is famous for its ube crepes, skewers, and massive lumpia.
• Fillo's Kauai: A mobile favorite that blends traditional Filipino roots with Kauai’s local identity. It is known for bold grilled meats and layered seasonings.
• L&L Hawaiian Barbecue: A staple at the Big Island's Food Truck Friday (near the old K-Mart/Macy's parking lot). They are known for traditional BBQ and are highly sought after by the Kona community.
• Leo’s Kitchen LLC: A highly-rated truck on Hawaii serving flavorful, comforting dishes like crispy pork belly in generous portions.

Pacific Northwest

• Sauced (Kitsap County, WA): A Filipino-American food truck known for its fusion of Pacific Northwest flavors with traditional Filipino dishes, offering items like tacos, burritos, and lumpia.
• Fil Up! (Seattle/Bothell, WA): Known for Filipino-Asian fusion, including crispy pork belly, lumpia, and pancit.
• CheBogs (Seattle, WA): A popular food truck serving classic and authentic Filipino comfort food.
• Captain Adobo (Lakewood, WA): Known for its spicy adobo and other Filipino specialties.
• Northwest Lumpia (Tacoma, WA): Specializes in a variety of lumpia.
• Lechon Loco (Tacoma, WA): Focuses on Filipino roast pork.
• Rommel's (Washington): A food truck known for its popular Filipino dishes.

Las Vegas

• kanto.LV: A popular food truck often found at Filipino Town events in Las Vegas, specializing in fusion items like longganisa burgers and ube tiramisu lattes.
• Beyond Ilocos: Focused on bringing authentic Ilocano food from the Philippines to Las Vegas.
• Kusikero Pinoy BBQ: Known for Filipino-style barbecue, particularly pork belly and chicken skewers.
• Oming's Kitchen: A popular staple for Filipino comfort food that recently expanded from a food truck to a brick-and-mortar location.
• Nogakes Kitchen: Known as a popular mobile food truck that has also transitioned into a permanent restaurant.

Chicago

• Pinoy Grill: Known for serving authentic Filipino street food, including pork and chicken BBQ, in-house, and offering boodle feasts that can be found in Chicago and Naperville.
• Stix and Noodles: A family-owned food truck specializing in traditional dishes like BBQ sticks and savory pancit.
• A Taste of the Philippines: Offers catering and a popular, specialized food experience often seen at pop-up events and markets.
• "Lumpia Lady" (Kathy Vega Hardy): Known for serving Filipino lumpia at the Daley Plaza summer farmers' market.

Toronto

• Naimas (Naima's Cafe): Offers, such as Filipino street food platters (TikTok video) and empanada tacos, featuring popular items like Filipino hot dogs, lumpia, garlic rice, and ube drinks.
• Pinoy BBQ: A dedicated Filipino street food vendor known for BBQ sticks, as described on their website.
• Eats Manila: A notable vendor serving Filipino favorites in the city, noted in Yelp reviews.
• Glen's Kitchen: Known for serving authentic Filipino comfort food like pancit and lumpia, as mentioned on Facebook.
• The Filipino Food Truck: Listed among specialized food trucks, as seen on Best Food Trucks.

EDITOR'S NOTE: For additional commentary, news, views and chismis from an AANHPI perspective, follow me on Threads, on X, BlueSky or at the blog Views From the Edge. 

REVIEW: High-end Filipino cuisine introduced to the food-and-wine-centric Napa Valley

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Mathew and Jade Cunningham open Napa Valley's first Filipino restaurant.

REVIEW

A mixture of curiosity and excitement got the best of me: What happens when a classically-trained chef cooks Filipino food?

For the answer, I made the trek to the Napa Valley, California, home of best wines in the country and the center of some an increasing number of James Beard quality restaurants. My visit to Carabao Eatery, a restaurant that opened recently featuring Filipino-inspired cuisine.

Carabao, breaks new ground as Napa Valley's first Filipino restaurant. It is owned by French Laundry alums Jade and Mathew Cunningham. Jade Cunningham, born in the Philippines, trained at the Michelin-starred French Laundry (several minutes drive away) and you can see how their time there has influenced the restaurant's modern take on Filipino cuisine. 

A word of caution: Don't expect to find dishes like your lola made. Carabao is not a carinderia or turo-turo (point-point). Carabalo's mission is not to replicate those time-honored and nostalgic plates but to present them in a way that is worthy of a five-star restaurant, with fine ingredients and by so doing, make them new again.

Don't get me wrong. The Filipino flavor profile is still there, evoking those same familiar tastes of lola's kitchen, but the lessons learned at the French Laundry carry over to Carabao's dishes in a new way with perhaps different elements than lola is used to.

Take my favorite dish, for example - dinaguan, an ultra-savory pork stew with pig's blood, vinegar and chili. Just hearing that might be off-putting for those unfamiliar with the dish but put those cultural biases aside for a real treat. You'll be talking about it for days.

In Carabao's version, a slice of lechon kawili (crispy pork belly) is used instead of the usual chunks of pork shoulder. It is sliced and topped with colorful edible flowers and thin slices crispy pig skin. This meaty element is ten placed in a bowl of cooked pig's blood that in my mind, was a good as my mom's homecooked recipe. I had to use my spoon to get all of the remaining dark, savory sauce. It is accompanied with garlic rice. This dish can be shared for two.

Carabao''s dinaguan, deeply surprising yet satisfying.

Another pleasant surprise was the adobo deviled egg. You may be familiar with the taste of adobo (soy sauce, vinegar, chicken stock and garlic) and you must have had a creamy deviled egg. You would think the combination would be improbable, but Carabao makes it work. It was delicious.

We also shared the Kinilaw, fish with chilled citrus cured sliced hamachi with smoked coconut cream, pickled red onion gel and calamansi (a cross of a lemon, orange and lime)  vinaigrette, which helped familiarize and open the palate for the flavors to come.

Tortang Talong, stuffed eggplant.

Filipino cuisine is often criticized by non-Filipinos  for being too meat-centric. The vegetable dishes are there. You just have to know what to order beyond the more familiar adobo and pancit. For us, we tried the Tortang Talong,stuffed charred eggplant, marinated cherry tomato and smoked coconut bechamel. Cooked over an open grill gives it an added smoky flavor. This a great example of using French technique with Filipino ingredients.

Leave room for dessert. Carabao's overall excellence and innovation extended to dessert where the halo-halo and mango tort with mango sorbet were standouts. Serving the hallo-halo in a bowl instead of tall glass makes it easiser to mix all the ingredientw and to share.

There is a bar and I was tempted but I reallly wanted to have the calamansi juice. Calamansi is a small citrus, a cross between a lime, lemon and orange. It made for an ideal refresher and palate cleanser between the exotic flavors of the other dishes. 

In summary, Carabao presents Filipino food in innovative ways that offers excellent Filipino cuisine in a casual atmosphere. The young multi-racial servers are attentive without being overbearing and are more than eagar to share their knowledge of the dishes, which may be unfamiliar to some.

ED DIOKNO

Refreshing halo-halo tops off the Filipino cuisine of Carabao Eatery.

Other reviewers praised the kare-kare, a meat based stew with vegetables and peanut sauce, and sigsig, pork, citrus, onion, chili peppers topped with a fried egg. These are dishes that merit a revisit. Also, just because the Filipino dishes have humble origins, don't expect lola-style prices either.

Some advice: Order dishes to share. Instead of having one after another,  order them together so you can compare, praise and recall those sensory memories of nanay's kitchen. Eating, sharing stories, comparing, praising, savoring, being present and communing wth each other is the Filipino way. Mealtime is a time for connecting with each other and not just an energy boost.

The eatery takes its name from the the hard working, dependable and silent water buffalo used throughout the Philippines for plowing rice fields, hauling cartloads of goods and people. It symbolizes resilience, a connection to the land and Filipino hospitality.

With only 12 tables, the restaurant was crowded from the moment it opened its doors for dinner. The room has a airy light-filled tropical ambiance without resorting to the cliche's. (No rattan furniture here.) In the two months since it opened, they have served 4,500 diners, but, sadly, have had to turn away 5,000 walk-ins. Presently, Carabao is open for dinner only. Reservations are a must.

        RELATED: Filipino cuisine is the Rodney Dangerfield of Asian food scene

Carabao is a welcome addition to the wave of Filipino American fine-dining restaurants in Seattle, San Francisco, Southern California, Hawaii and New York making Philippine cuisine more accessible to the diverse American clientele. 

The trend is led by Chicago's Kasama, the first Filipino American restaurant to earn  a Michelin star (but, probably not the last). On the verge of discovery are extraordinary FilAm chefs like the Cunninghams, Tim Flores, Nicole Ponseco and Lord Maynard Lara , who are redefining and refining what Filipino cuisine is and can be. At the same time, the customer base of Filipino Americans are more adventurous and accepting of food that goes beyond the boundaries of lola's comforting creations.

The combination creates a simmering stew of expectations and fulfilling the prediction of the late Anthony Bourdain that  Filipino food deserves a place in the American food scene.

I estimate that 85% of Carabao's clientele were Filipino Americans, which says a lot about the FilAms in northern California, hungry not only for flavors and memories of the motherland but also hopeful to support businesses like Carabao because acceptance of one's food opens thte doors to the entire often-misunderstood and underestimated culture of the Philippines.

EDITOR'S NOTE: For additional commentary, news, views and chismis from an AANHPI perspective, follow me on Threads, on X or at the blog Views From the Edge. Now on BlueSky.

Selena Gomez cooks Filipino food with chef Jordan Andino

Jordan Andino teaches Selena Gomez how to cook chicken adobo.

The second season of Selena + Chef is on HBO Max and she learns how to cook the Philippines' national dish -- adobo.

Pop singer Selena Gomez is learning how to cook curing the pandemic by inviting guest chefs to give her cooking lessons virtually. 

In the 6th episode of the unscripted Selena + Chef, Filipino Canadian chef Jordan Andino teaches her how to cook adobo chicken.

It's not surprising that Selena and her girlfriends love the results. It was the first time. they say, they had Filipino food, which is slowly coming gaining in popularity.

Andino, the charming and energetic Toronto native, grew up in a restaurant kitchen because his father was a professional chef and would often take his son to work. 

Andino's recipe includes oyster sauce, an ingredient that is not in my own recipe. I'm eager to try it. 

At one point, Andino Facetimes or Skypes his "lola," who gives a grandmotherly "It's OK," for Selena's results.

The other Filipino dish Andino teaches Selena to prepare is the mouth-watering turon, the plantain inside a lumpia wrap with generous amounts of sugar.

Andino is host of Late Nite Eats on the Cooking Channel. He’s also the Executive Chef at Flip Sigi, a Filipino taqueria in New York City, where he brings Filipino flavors and marries them with popular Mexican cuisine. Dishes include: adobo chicken tacos, adobo-rito and sinigang flip bowl. It's open for curbside pickup, if you're in the neighborhood.

Click here to watch full episodes of Selena + Chef.

EDITOR'S NOTE: Edited for clarity and headline fix Feb. 28, 12 p.m.

Popular Filipino American food truck operators open a restaurant in Oakland

One might question the wisdom of opening a restaurant in the middle of a pandemic, but Señor Sisig, the food truck company credited with popularizing Filipino food to the foodie culture, has opened a new brick-and-mortar locale in Oakland, California.

Señor Sisig, that San Francisco Bay Area favorite among food truck fans,  has opened a new storefront in downtown Oakland for its legions of East Bay customers. There aren’t many Bay Area food items, after all, that can match the enduring popularity of those fusion sisig burritos, exclaim Eater.

The newest Filipino food outpost will have something new for its foodie fans. In addition to its original menu, it will offer an all-vegan version of that menu, side by side.

At first, vegan and Filipino food sounds like an oxymoron. But when Senior Sisig debuted the vegan choices in its Señor Sisig Vegano food truck located in San Francisco's Mission District last November, it proved to be a hit for those loving the Filipino flavors but want to reduce their meat consumption. 

“We’ve been getting a lot of East Bay people hitting us up (about Señor Sisig Vegano), saying, ‘Come out to Oakland. Come out to Oakland,’” Eater quotes co-founder Evan Kidera, who runs the business with partner Gil Payumo. “This will be the first location where you can come get both.”

The pandemic has hurt the Señor Sisig food-truck empire. Before the dining restrictions, his six trucks were concentrated in San Francisco's financial district and the South of Market where many of the tech companies, the new UC-San Francisco Medical Center campus and the sports teams like the Giants and Warriors  have gentrified the former warehouse district.

Señor Sisig had to branch out to places like Daly City where the trucks proved popular with the city's  large Filipino American residents and the East Bay, with its multi-cultural vibe and where a lot of its regulars live.

In Oakland, he parked near the Spice Monkey Restaurant and Bar, which offered up cocktails. The combination of Filipino food and the modern cocktails was a hit with the office workers. When dining restrictions forced Spice Monkey to close, Señor Sisig took the leap of faith and moved in.

The traditional sisig burrito and its vegan version are
offered at the new storefront in Oakland..

With the two grills in the new kitchen, it became physically possible to offer both the meat and plant-based menus. There's a vegan version of anything on the traditional Señor Sisig menu such as the California burritos, the tostadas, the loaded fries, etc. Vegan “meat” options will include pork, chicken (the most popular option among Vegano customers, Kidera says), tocino, and longanisa chorizo, cites Eater.

Who knows when the restaurant dining rules will allow in-house dining, but for now, the restaurant will function as just a takeout window.

There are plans to eventually offer Filipino-inspired cocktails. Expect “tropical vibes,” Kidera says.

There are already a couple of vegan restaurants offering takeout dishes in the Oakland neighborhood and they often have lines of customers waiting for their orders.

“It’s the next wave,” Kidera tells Eater. “We want to be a part of that.”

Señor Sisig’s Oakland storefront at 1628 Webster Street will be open for takeout Monday through Thursday, 11 a.m.–3 p.m. and Friday to Saturday, 11 a.m.–8 p.m. 

Report from the coronavirus frontline: Lab assistant puts aside his catering businesss to draw blood

JOHN RICHARD MANASALA

When he's not catering parties or operating a pop-up kitchen with his wife Marie, John Richard Manansala is at his full-time job as a phlebotomist and lab assistant at Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital Allen.
The Filipino American chef said for now, “Needles, tourniquet[s] and test kits” are taking the place of “knives, pans and pots” until “we defeat the ‘invisible’ enemy.”

Texas Health Presbyterian Allen is typically an outpatient surgery and labor and delivery hospital, but it’s now functioning as a triage center for suspected COVID-19 patients. On the frontline battling the coronavirus, Manansala’s days begin at 4:30 a.m. when he dons a surgical mask, face shield, isolation gown and shoe covers to begin drawing blood from patients with COVID-19 for morning labs.

“Everyone’s on edge," he told the Dallas Morning News. "Everyone who comes in — you don’t know if they’re positive or not. There’s a lot of fear. It’s uncomfortable.”

He says a patient can appear strong, alert and normal one morning and the next morning, the patient could be ona ventilator.

“It’s really scary. Every day I pray. I thank God I’m healthy. At the end of my shift, I thank God again,” John Richard says.

When he gets home, in order to lessen the odds of transmitting the virus to his family, John Richard undresses in the garage, washes his clothes separately and limits himself to using only the guest bathroom. 

When things get back to normal, the Manansala's hope they can get back to operating their catering business, Mekeni Filipino Kitchen, cooking sigsig and lechon manok and introducing Filipino cuisine to Dallas, which is getting more diverse as immigrants like the Manasala's find a home in North Texas.

INSTAGRAM

John Richard and Marie Manansala operate their catering service, Mekeni Filipino Kitchen.

The Manansalas have implemented new rules at home to protect against transmitting the virus. For example, John Richard undresses in the garage when he gets home, and his laundry is washed separately. He showers separately and uses the guest bathroom now. The lunches he takes to work are stored in disposable containers. “We do laundry a lot more often,” he says.

When asked what he thinks of restaurants choosing to stay open over others who have closed for safety reasons, he says, for business owners, “You have to do what you have to do. But you have to consider how to protect your staff and the customers, and you need to protect your staff first.”

He recommends everyone in a kitchen wear a mask and plastic gloves. Gloves should be changed and hands washed often. All surface areas need to be regularly sanitized, and all delivery and payment should be contactless, if possible.

“It’s heartbreaking to see how hard restaurants are working to save their business and help the community right now,” says Marie. Both the Manansalas believe restaurants staying open are essential to hospital workers without the time to shop and cook, and frontliners include those delivering food, too.

Marie, who is working from home in a product development role at Mary Kay, feels proud to be employed by one of the few cosmetic companies who have halted production in their manufacturing plants to begin making hand sanitizer. Along with Estee Lauder and Shiseido, Mary Kay announced it will dedicate its supply chain to producing hand sanitzer on a large batch scale. So far, donations have been made to Baylor Scott & White hospitals and Coppell and Lewisville fire stations.

When asked how long it will be before we can get Mekeni’s sisig sliders, John Richard says he’s optimistic. They’re currently working with breweries to schedule events, “hopefully by June or July.”

Donate to #FilipinosFeedtheFrontlines to help restaurants and health care workers

A number of San Francisco Bay Area restaurants serving Filipino food, or Filipino-inspired dishes, opened up in recent months hoping to ride the wave of the emerging popularity of Filipino cuisine.

Then the coronavirus hit US shores and suddenly, those new restaurants found themselves in trouble. Opening a restaurant is a risky venture to begin with but when the isolate-in-place mandates took hold the restaurants took a massive hit, according to a survey by Kultivate Labs, a San Francisco-based Filipino American business incubator and arts organization. 

The survey conducted by the nonprofit found that more than half of the Filipino restaurants it works with have suffered a 90 percent drop in revenue, according to Desi Danganan, Kultivate Labs' executive director.

That drop in business was one of the main inspirations for Kultivate to launch Filipinos Feed the Frontlines, a fundraising initiative with the goal of raising $100,000 to pay struggling Filipino restaurants to provide 10,000 free meals to local hospitals and vulnerable people in predominantly Filipino neighborhood in the South of Market which includes the Filipino Cultural Heritage District.

The concept is simple: Out of the pool of funds, at about $10 a meal, restaurants prepare meals for health care workers and community members in the SoMa neighborhood who have lost their income source, elderly who can't fend for themselves and others. Its a win-win for the hospital workers and for the struggling restaurant owners.

A portion of the pool will be distributed by local nonprofits to bring food to vulnerable people in the SoMa neighborhood, where a large number of low-income and elder Filipino Americans with limited income live — though Danganan stresses that the meals will go to anyone who needs them, not just Filipinos.

However, in the six Bay Area hospitals receiving funds, a good portion of the workers receiving the meals are Filipino. In California, 20% of the nurses are of Filipino descent. At one hospital, Seton Medical Center in Daly City, 60% of the nursing staff are Filipinos.

The program draws on the Filipino value of kapwa. As defined by the father of modern Filipino psychology, Virgilio Enriquez, kapwa means “shared identity,” “equality,” and “being with others.” To put it simply, kapwa is the deep empathy individuals have towards fellow human beings.
The nine San Francisco Bay Area businesses currently providing meals through Filipinos Feed the Frontlines include: Nick’s on Grand, Señor Sisig, Lumpia Company, Sarap Shop, Mestiza and Little Skillet, FK Frozen Custard, Manila Bowl, SF Chickenbox/IVSF Catering, and the pop-up Ox and Tiger. 

As of Tuesday (April 15) morning, almost $33,000 has been collected towards the $100,000 goal. For more information on Filipinos Feed the Frontlines, or to donate, link here..

Big thanks to @OneDownMedia for these powerful videos to support #FilipinosFeedTheFrontlines.

James Beard award given to Filipino American 'hole in the wall' in Seattle

JAMES BEARD FOUNDATION

Oriental Mart offers honest to goodness Filipino comfort food. 'Masarap' is Tagalog for 'delicioius.'

If you're at Pike Place Market in Seattle and pass by a grocery store called Oriental Mart and don't go to the back of the store, you'd be passing up one of the America's classic meals as announced by the James Beard Foundation Tuesday (Feb. 18) morning.

The Filipino American lunch counter (we know this because a snarky sign in the front proclaims "We only serve lunch 11:00.-4:00") won a prestigious James Beard Foundation "America's Classics Award."

The chef, Leila Rosas, learned how to cook from watching her mother Mila Apostol at the restaurant's tiny kitchen. She told the Seattle Times that her family never imagined the James Beard Foundation would bestow such an honor to “a restaurant that is just a hole in the wall.

The award is usually given to local businesses that the Foundation judges determine “have timeless appeal and are beloved regionally for quality food that reflects the character of its community.”

Locals know that the lunchonette serves up the best bargain in town with its hot, tasty and plentiful honest-to-goodness Filipino comfort food.

Oriental Mart has been a mainstay at Pike Place Market for decades and is in the third generation of the family that runs the operation. It is unapologetic Filipino home-cooking at its best and doesn't try to Americanize its food by catering to American tastebuds.  

Another sign reads: "If you don't know how to eat our salmon sinigang, don't order it." Salmon sinigang, a tamarind sour soup, is its most famous dish.

The menu changes daily at the whim of the chef. “I cook what I want so that I don’t get tired of cooking the same thing every day,” Rosas told the Times.

Apostol opened Oriental Mart in 1971 as a grocery store. Ten years later she expanded with a counter-seating restaurant in the back that focused on the family’s favorites such as adobo, dinaguan, pancit and, of course, sinagang. During the tourist season, she still helps her daughters: Rosas who cooks, and Joy Mori who works the retail part of the store.

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Three generations of the Apostol family operate the award-winning Orient Mart.

It has been a busy few months the family. Last December, Oriental Mart's home cooking was featured in PBS's No Passport Required hosted by famed New York chef Marcus Samuelsson when his show focused on Filipino American cuisine in Seattle.

The business is closed during Seattle's winter when fewer tourists wander Pike Place and the Alaska-bound cruise ships with their large Filipino crews are plying warmer waters. As she does every year, Apostol uses the break to visit family in the Philippines. With only 18 seats, there will likely be lines out the door when Oriental Mart reopens April 1. 

"I would not exchange my working life with anything else," the 89-year old Apostol says. "I love the people, my customers, the ethnic diversity. It's been an interesting place to work and raise kids. And they're all good kids. I'm proud of them."


Oriental Mart will be one of six 2020 “America’s Classics” recipients to be honored at the James Beard Awards Gala on May 4 at the Lyric Opera of Chicago.

Weekend Reading: Women producers in Hollywood, 10 essential Filipino dishes

Fall is arriving. I can feel it in the cooler air. With a hot cup of coffee, I watch the squirrels blue jays burying birdseeds and the squirrels digging them up to hide them elsewhere. 

This weekend, three articles not about politics caught my attention. Well -- maybe "politics"  is involved, but in a different context than what's happening in Washington DC.

In my last year in college, I decided I wanted to write screenplays and produce movies. For the next few years, I failed miserably. Without the training, mentors nor the essential contacts I couldn't make despite being kicked out of all the major studios. Battering my head against a locked door was a lost cause.

So I turned to my first love, writing -- and became a journalist. But I still have a great interest in films and television as a secondary hobby of sorts. I'm thrilled that other AAPI were not so easily dissuaded from pursuing their own Hollywood dreams. There are now dozens of showrunners on TV, scores of actors and a handful of writers and directors who are keeping the door wedged open for more people to barge their way in. 

Two of those people like Mindy Kaling and Nina Yang Bongiovi were featured in magazine articles last week.

My other hobby is cooking. I love t cook, so I really loved the article by Angela Dimayuga in the New York Times. 10 Essential Filipino Dishes is a must read.

Mindy Kaling didn't intend to become a role model. But her career path is a prime example of a woman of color succeeding in a field dominated by white men. She tells her story in Elle Magazine as part of its feature "Women in Hollywood."

As the one woman on the writing staff of The Office her experience was not as blatant as depicted in her movie Late Night, but there were still instances of bias. Of all the writers, she alone was asked to document her contributions to the show in order to qualify her for an Emmy nomination.

She is now taking on the role of producing more shows starring POC actors with a contract with Warner Bros. Her newest project is a coming of age story featuring an Indian American teenage girl . You can be sure her story will be far different young boy central to the Wonder Years.

READ THE ARTICLE

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It's not an easy road being a Hollywood producer.  (Read Mindy Kaling's story, above.) Just Ask Nina Yang Bongiovi. In an article from Deadline, she is ready to move into the Asian American genre.

It took 10 years learning the business and making mistakes including a stint in the Asian movie industry. a chance meeting with actor Forrest Whitaker and faith in a young, untested but talented filmmaker Ryan Coogler for Bongiovi to break through to do her first film, Fruitvale Station. That led to a series of movies with black themes and casts.

She has fended off criticism from Asian American craetives for not doing films about their communities. But she had been biding her time, waiting for the right moment. Crazy Rich Asians' critical success and box office appeal opened the door for the Bongiovi and Whitaker producing team. 

The producer and actor recently signed a first-look deal with Amazon and isn’t wasting any time in developing Asian American as well as other multicultural narratives that are often erased from history. She is keeping many of the projects under wraps but she guarantees that she has a slate of projects that will have Asian Americans in front of and behind the camera.

READ THE ARTICLE

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And lastly, I'm an amateur cook (not a "chef") who likes to putter around the kitchen and once in a while write about news of the day from an Asian American perspective I loved this article from the New York Times written by Angela Dimayuga. 

Her article on 10 essential Filipino dishes in the NYTimes was a big shot in the arm, not only for her recipies but also for giving exposure for an often overlooked cuisine.

Dimayuga, "the creative director for food and culture at the Standard hotels and a former chef at Mission Chinese Food in New York, grew up in Northern California, a daughter of Filipino immigrants, her grandmother a scratch cook. When (the NYTimes) asked her recently for 10 recipes that speak to the heart of Filipino cuisine, she didn’t just cook from her own memory. She went through her mother’s collection of her family’s recipes and combed through cookbooks drawing on cooking from across the archipelago. She studied. And then she cooked and cooked."

The recipes she presents are a great launching point for us to add our own touches to make it our own.

READ THE ARTICLE

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