Jordy Navarra, Toyo Eatery (Manila)
Jordy Navarra Source: The Entree.Pinays
"People tend to eat out and let the traffic subside before going home," Jordy explains, "so in a way, this led to a restaurant culture which was less common before. In the past, people ate out during special occasions like birthdays or after church. But now, you can't go home straight away if you live in the city".
Jordy shares that living in the city also means having less kitchen space, which has altered the notion that Filipino food is food that is only cooked and eaten at home. While there will always be those who claim that "my mum's cooking is better than yours," a new generation of Filipino chefs are now seeing the commercial viability of the cuisine, of the emergence of quality Filipino food "you're willing to pay for".
And when it comes to Filipino food worth paying for, Jordy's Toyo Eatery is one of those restaurants undefined by categories but by the value of its offerings.
At Toyo Eatery. Manila sees an emergence of Filipino food in its burgeoning restaurant culture. Source: Toyo Eatery
"In the world of restaurants, there are so many categories. There's sit-down, casual, fine dining," Jordy says, "but for us, we lose the essence of the food and the experience of eating when we do this. So we used the ambiguous term 'eatery'. Don't think about whether it's fine dining or casual, just eat".
While the emergence of Filipino cuisine has brought about the culinary term du jour "fusion", Jordy tries to fight against this much-thrown-around word. Instead, Jordy honours the cuisine's traditions by utilising native ingredients and techniques, as well as highlighting the potential of every dish and every chef who passes through his kitchen.
"We want to focus on what else the Philippines has to offer, on what else the Filipino chef can do," he shares.
And what Jordy himself has been able to do was to build an establishment that has not only withstood the formidable Manila competition but has garnered the title of being one of Asia's Top 50 Restaurants in 2018 and 2019.
"We want to focus on what else the Philippines has to offer, on what else the Filipino chef can do." Source: Toyo Eatery
While Jordy shares that he's just happy that diners patronise his restaurant, New Yorker restaurateur Nicole Ponseca has a profound take on the Filipino chef's success.
"It’s hard to speak about yourself sometimes, but one of the reasons why I think [Toyo Eatery] has cut through and has stuck around is [that he is] executing a point of view and, not pandering to expectations," she shares, adding, "he’s doing what his education has taught him. When you’re doing it with such moxie [as he does], people pay attention."
Nicole Ponseca, Maharlika and Jeepney (New York)
Nicole Ponseca Source: The Entree.Pinays
New York restaurateur and cookbook author Nicole Ponseca wanted to make a point. She was working in advertising and, yearned to delve into why four-million-strong Filipino-Americans weren't given much of a culinary platform in the United States.
"For me, it was a sociological study," she shares, adding, "We speak English. We fought for the US military. Why are we still behind Vietnamese, Korean? I really wanted to figure out – why not us?"
Figuring out "why not us?" led her to answers rooted in colonialism which resulted in an unfounded belief that our food wasn't good enough. From these answers, she formed her own controversial opinions which then pushed her to fight against previously-held insecure presumptions.
And while presumptions held about Filipino cuisine were rooted in the insecurity of the self, Nicole carried none of the presumptions and none of the insecurity.
She shares that growing up in a gender-neutral household, she always believed that the "bathroom [she] went to never predicted [her success]. It wasn't until she was in her late 30's when she gained more success that she realised that "the air became more rarified for my gender".
"[Some of our guests in Jeepney and Maharlika would say to me] 'Oh you make such a great host! You are an amazing hostess! Your boss must be so proud of you! Then I would say that I am the boss," she laughs.
At Jeepney. "Oh you make such a great host! You are an amazing hostess! Your boss must be so proud of you! Then I'd say that I am the boss." Source: Jeepney NYC
As a boss and restaurateur in New York City, Nicole has learned to take on the hard knocks and successes in one of the toughest industries around and in one of the most competitive cities in the world.
She remembers the first food event she created featuring Filipino food.
"I put adidas [grilled chicken feet] and balut [boiled duck embryo] [on the menu]. I remember my partner’s mum at that time was like, Why are you putting adidas and balut on the menu?" she shares, adding, "but lo and behold, the first couple that came in was looking very Abercrombie and Fitch, and they not only ordered one of each, they ordered two. So I was like, okay we’re on the right track".
And while she puts in effort to promote the cuisine to people outside the Filipino community, she's sceptical of the notion that Filipinos need other people to tell them that their food deserves to be noticed.
Balut, one of the dishes Nicole first featured in a food event, is also part of Maharlika's menu. Source: Maharlika Filipino Moderno
"I think when we look to others to validate ourselves we can get into a very dangerous playing field," she shares, adding, "I'd rather say, it took them a while to catch up. You gotta stand up and say this is what the food is - unmitigated".
Yasmin Newman, food writer and author (Sydney)
Yasmin Newman Source: The Entree.Pinays
"I’m very much both parts of my identity," she shares.
While Yasmin was born and raised in Australia, she continues to feel connected to her Filipino roots because of "a mother who is very Filipino but who didn’t impose her culture on us" but instead, helped them "absorb who we are as Filipinos through the food that she made for us".
Growing up, Yasmin and her family would often visit the Philippines. She continues this tradition with her own family today. These trips not only help her contextualise her mum's "quirks", but also halts any confusion she could have had regarding what it was to be a Filipino.
Growing up, Yasmin and her family would visit the Philippines often. She continues this tradition with her own family today. Source: Yasmin Newman
"It became a sense of pride. I loved everything about the Philippines. I loved sharing those stories with my friends and it definitely was the driver to become a journalist, a food writer. There was always this questioning," she shares.
Questioning led to her realisation what Filipino cuisine has done for her - that is, embed a love of food.
"I think here [in Australia,] food can be somewhat functional, whereas food in the Philippines is communal," she shares, adding, "It's more than eating together. It brings you together. In the Philippines, [food is] used much more as a communication tool. Food is how you talk to each other. It’s how you say thank you. It tells someone that you’ve been thinking about them. That to me, is what shaped my notion of food more than anything."
Her notion of food and her love for Filipino food gave her a sense of self-imposed responsibility to help people better understand the cuisine.
Using her own platform, Yasmin spread the word about the cuisine through the outlets she wrote for such as SBS Food and Delicious. She further promoted her advocacy through her book, 7,000 Islands.
"I genuinely felt that there was an interest there. It’s not as if people weren’t interested in Filipino food. They didn’t know how to find out more. There were no restaurants to go to here. There were no books to refer to. It was like I needed to provide a resource for people to know and understand what Filipino food is."
Yasmin talks about her book and love for Filipino food during the Melbourne Food and Wine Festival. Source: Yasmin Newman
And there is no one as proud of the resource she has provided to people than her mum.
"My mum is immensely proud of what I’ve done; but in the process of writing, there was a lot of vetting," she laughs, adding, "there [will always be] very strong opinions from one’s mother - especially [when she's a] Filipino mother".
Ross Magnaye, Rice Paper Sister (Melbourne)
Ross Magnaye Source: The Entree.Pinays
While Rice Paper Sister Head Chef toiled in the kitchen during the Barrio dinner series, he knew his effort was part of something bigger. It could be the beginning of Filipino cuisine's foothold in the Australian culinary scene.
"I think [Barrio is] just the start of it. I don’t think we’ve actually scratched the surface yet, but people are starting to take notice," he shares.
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