TGIF Feature: Filipino flavors finding itself onto food shows

PBS

Marcus Samuelsson (center), host of 'No Passport Required' enjoyed a laugh and a Filipino breakfast in Seattle.

Filipino cuisine got a big boost this month as it is featured in too food-centric television shows, The Great Food Truck Race and No Passport Required.

The food of the Philippines, long overlooked in favor of the food of Asian neighbors, Vietnam, Thailand, China, Korea and Japan, took a big step into American kitchens this month when the food truck Lia's Lumpia food truck made it into the finals of The Great Food Truck Race and famous chef Marcus Samuelsson checked out Filipino American restaurants in Seattle for the first episode of the second season of No Passport Required.

The Great Food Truck Race, held its finale Wednesday (Dec. 18) with Lia's Lumpia, crewed by amateur chef Hunter Spencer, his mom Lia Santos-Hunter and friend Tanya Garcia,  during the winter, a far cry from the San Diego, Calif. climate they're used to.

In the finale, Lia's Lumpia was squared off against the Big Stuff food truck manned by Brad Brutlag and Eddy Cumming, two professional chefs who work on private yachts for very picky and wealthy clients. They were joined by their marketing whiz friend Mike O’Neill.

They were the final two trucks in the shortened four-episode season which took place in  wintry New England with five-trucks in the competition.

From the beginning, Lia's Lumpia had to overcome the New England customers' unfamiliarity with Filipino food by serving up familiar New England flavors, such as turkey stuffing, apple pie  or lobster mac'n cheese in lumpia wrappers.

In the end Big Stuff won the competition, serving up items in tacos didn't have to explain their food because Mexican-inspired tacos have become part of America's diverse cuisine.

But because of their efforts to always to proudly present their Filipino heritage through their lumpia and adobo, New England is a little bit richer and little bit more aware even as Lia's Lumpia introduced their traditional pork shanghai lumpia and chicken adobo.

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The Lia's Lumpia team was made up of Lia Santos-Hunter, Spencer Hunter and Tanya Garcia.

Meanwhile, on the opposite coast, Samuelsson, who made his mark with his award-winning restaurant Red Rooster Harlem, went to Seattle, where he spent time with immigrant and second-generation Filipino Americans who are taking charge of their city’s food scene. 

As Filipino food gains more national, mainstream recognition, members of the community are working to tell the story on their own terms. In this episode, Marcus meets chefs and restaurateurs who have been serving Filipino food in the city for decades, including in Seattle’s iconic Pike Place Market, and also gets to know younger chefs and entrepreneurs to see how they put their spin on their culture’s food traditions.

What I love about the premise of Sanuelsson's show is he uses food as the entryway to the ethnic community. In the episode, Dorothy Cordova, leader of the Filipino American National History Society headquartered in Seattle, explained the immigration history of Seattle's Filipno American community. 

Also, activist/comedian Sara Porkalob was able to tell Samuelsson how the ethnic enclave of Seattle's International District created a mini-UN of different ethnicities and how they were forced to ally themselves with each other to counter the racism they encountered.

From chicken adobo to ube cheesecake, with longganisa, arroz caldo, and lots of lechon in between, the food in this episode represents a community that’s proud of its history and its future.

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What's cool: If you go to the the No Passport Required PBS website, you can get recipes for pork adobo, pad de sal and oyster kinalaw.

The late travel/food TV host Anthony Bourdain predicted that Filipino food would be the next big thing among foodies and did a couple of shows in the Philippines. Because of shows like The Great Food Truck Race and No Passport Required, Filipino cuisine is gradually moving out of lola's kitchen and into the American culinary landscape.

EDITOR'S NOTE: No Passport Required airs on your local PBS station on Fridays, 9 p.m.  The Seattle episode is available online. Watch Lia's Lumpia's journey on The Great Food Truck Race on the Food Network app, Hulu or on demand. Check their website to find out where the pop-up kitchen will be at variouis locales around the San Diego region. 

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Cheer on Filipino American food truck on 'Great Food Truck Race'

FOOD NETWORK

Lia's Lumpia food truck is crewed by, from left, Spencer Hunter, mother Benelia Santos-Hunter and Tania Garcia.

The Food Network’s newest season of The Great Food Truck Race features a Filipino American food truck, Lia's Lumpia.

Unlike earlier seasons that took place in warmer climes, this four-episode season was filmed last winter across several states in New England.

Among the five teams competing for the ultimate prize — the last truck standing wins $50,000 — is ta crew from San Diego, Lia’s Lumpia, led by executive chef Spencer Hunter.

Hunter is an executive chef who specializes in Filipino food and started a catering company, Hunter’s Home Kitchen, with his mother Benelia Santos-Hunter. Joined by their friend Tania Garcia, their truck concept serves up the traditional Filipino dish Lumpia, a delicious cousin of the egg roll. With Spencer’s cooking skills, Benelia’s big personality and Tania’s hands-on help, this team is ready to deliver their delicious dishes on the go

RELATED: Sigsig is the gateway dish to Filipino cuisine, said Anthony Bourdain.

Hosted by celeb chef Tyler Florence, the show tests the truck teams’ cooking business and marketing skills.

In the first episode on Nov. 27, Lia's Lumpia earned the most sales and will continue into the next episode on Wednesday, Dec. 4.

Besides the traditional lumpia, the truck serves several new versions from apple pie, mac and cheese and pork belly ramen.

Hunter, told the San Diego Union Tribune, The Great Food Truck Race experience has inspired his team to purchase their own food truck or food trailer as the next stage of his catering company; the mobile kitchen should hit the streets in early 2020 with regular stops at breweries, festivals, and other special events.

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