As far as mainstream names are concerned, a very select few hold the torch for Filipino cuisine.
Above: Chef Gonzales| Below: Chef Laudico
Chefs Gene Gonzalesand Rolando Laudico, and the legendary icon Nora Daza, for instance, have been the obvious local pioneers who have put a face on the local Pinoy food scene. Daza, in particular, is arguably our “Julia Child,” and is a master of gourmet Filipino food, with housewives and culinary students learning the classics from her cook books.
Stateside, Chef Dale Talde, a Top Chef veteran and alumnus, has seen his career catapult from his stints in Chicago and, more recently, New York for the competition’s “All-Star” season. He now runs three NY restaurants with Mr. Dave Massoni and Mr. John Bush, and is one of the most popular contestants that the show has produced. While Chef Dale’s focus is geared towards a more all-encompassing display of Asian cuisine, it is not lost on Fil-Ams that he is a beacon of cultural pride, and it is an honor that I know he is very proud of.
Restaurateur Nicole Ponseca and Chef Miguel Trinidad, here in New York, have spearheaded the enthusiastic renaissance for our food – or at the very least, the efforts of slowly giving it an identity.
While Chef Romy Dorotan’sPurple Yam has also shed a very bright light towards the cause, it is Ms. Ponseca who has taken the challenge to a whole new level and visibility. Also, Chef Trinidad, who is of Dominican descent, is commendable for taking the burden that no Filipino chef would – to cook a Filipino menu, and not a “fusion.”
With the then pop-up restaurant Maharlika now a mainstay on 7th and 1st, and its newly opened ‘baby brother’ Jeepney making a lot of noise five blocks up, the response and demand for Pinoy food is steadily gaining positive notoriety.
And, of course, the latest champion from what is easily the best individual culinary competition here in the US, and dare I say, anywhere else, Season 9 Top Chef Paul Qui stands as the first ever Filipino to win (and second Asian national after Hung Hyunh), hailing from Texas via San Juan, Metro Manila. From first appearing on Anthony Bourdain’s “No Reservations” in Austin, Qui has now emerged as one of the fastest-rising chefs in the country.
Now, as far as the competition is concerned, both Talde and Qui have turned in dishes that were Filipino-inspired (Chef Dale with an avocado Halo-Halo dessert, and Chef Paul with Quail ‘Adobo’).
But in this current season (10) of Top Chef in Seattle, Filipino Chef-testant Sheldon Simeon‘s concept for “Restaurant Wars” paid dividends as it earned him the win.
It is just too bad that his victory was somewhat overshadowed by a cloud of controversy. But I won’t get into how Josie ruined the show and the season by coming back (from season 2).
Sheldon Simeon, one of this season’s emerging favorites, was one of two people who won the right to conceptualize a theme for a pop-up restaurant. Simeon won by creating a Filipino dish – the Sinigang – which is basically a sour tamarind soup with vegetables, usually string beans, spinach and radish, and protein (usually beef, pork or seafood, or a combination) all in a pot set to boil until the protein is cooked.
I also want to point out that Simeon beat a very formidable opponent. Kristen Kish, who was considered arguably the best contestant until her eventual elimination, and a fan favorite, was the other chef in charge for this contest. Kish, prior to Restaurant Wars, had won a number of elimination challenges, showing skill through techniques and execution. Her eventual doom was with inadequate and unprofessional help in the kitchen from Josie Smith-Malave, despite the talents and efforts of Liz Binder and Brooke Williamson.
Meanwhile, Sheldon teamed up with pork expert Joshua Valentine, and returning Chef-testant Stefan Richter (Top Chef New York).
And despite Richter’s poor tableside manners as a dinner host, Simeon’s “URBANO” team sent out great Filipino-inspired food that won the judges over.
The next dish was by Joshua, which was his take on a Balut. (Balut is the infamous fermented duck egg, and Valentine’s presentation was composed of duck in three ways.)
And despite the dish not really representative of what a Balut tastes like, the judges found it to be really good, and Valentine scored high marks.
The main courses were prepared by Simeon, starting with a Filipino take on noodle soup. His Miki supposedly needed more broth, but the tapioca noodles and a perfect prawn was a worthy improvisation on the dish.
Gail Simmons mentioned that the prawns were intense, and for a cuisine usually labeled as mild, this is a promising sign.
Miki is one of those dishes that is usually made in a really big pot, and is served for a big crowd. (Perfect for rainy or winter days, and Filipino social gatherings such as Manny Pacquiao fights.)
And, to follow up the Sinigang from the challenge before, Simeon creates another signature Pinoy dish – the Adobo.
To quote Head Judge Tom Colicchio, “Hands down, the best dish” that he had on the night. Chef Sheldon uses “mungo” beans and pork belly for this special version. Usually, a basic preparation for adobo is made with soy sauce, vinegar, garlic, onions and bay leaves, and you can use pretty much any protein that you would like.
In this case, the composition of the plate seems to be a separation of the protein and the sauce, instead of the usual one-pot-cooking method done with most Filipino dishes.
Finally, Valentine handles the dessert with a very modern take on Halo-halo. Plated as a deconstruction, a lot of the usual components were on the plate, with the exception of Ube or purple yams, and tapioca.
Personally, as far as mainstream visibility, I felt that this was a huge victory for our cuisine. We are in the early stages of realizing what Filipino food is, and while it will be a long and arduous process, there has also not been a lot of mainstream displays with what we can offer.
Sheldon Simeon gave America a small sampling.
I recently saw an episode of New York Chef Eddie Huang’s “Fresh off the Boat,” where he visits Little Manila in the Bay Area. And I bring this up because as he sits down in a Filipino restaurant, he wonders aloud how perhaps it might be a packaging issue, where presentation is key to how other people would respond to the food. (This is a virtue that Nicole Ponseca also vehemently believes in).
But later on, he also laments that it is a sad thing that people wouldn’t just eat it as how Asians or Filipinos would. Ironically, just as with most conservative Asian communities, he mentions that his parents weren’t quickly receptive to other people’s food, and I am sure our people have similar traits, regardless of what food it is.
Right now, of course, we are far from the realization of concretely defining our food. It’s still a mystery, and one can’t help but hope people realize it would be a delicious test.
For those who are fans of the show, I am one who merely would like to revert some of the attention back to who won that night. I understand the frustration, as my Twitter feed would reflect.
But our brother Sheldon did us proud that night. I just wish I was there to eat, too.
(Feature Photo Credit: Star Noodle Restaurant Website | Insert photos from BravoTV.com, Eater and OMG Foodie | Dale Talde photo by our own Elysha Chang.)
**Update:
Kristen Kish eventually came back into the competition, thanks to the show’s new twist called “Last Chance Kitchen,” and ultimately won the whole thing.
