Exploring Filipino Kitchens

On this episode we chat with Iona and Paolo Fresnoza, co-founders of Kapé Philippine Coffee. We talk about our memories of growing up in the Philippines, the complexity and depth of defining home after moving to Canada, and what a cup of coffee can tell us about the time and place it's from. We also learn about the realities of coffee farming in the Philippines, through Kapé's partner farmers and the stories from the communities they live in, and cultivate their coffee trees in.

On this episode we chat with Chef Nuit, Jeff, and Joel Regular, co-owners of a restaurant called Makilala in downtown Toronto. We learn about their journey to building Sukhothai, Pai, Kiin, and their other Thai restaurants - truly some of the best in the city - and we talk about how Makilala has become a quintessential part of the family. This year, Makilala landed in Toronto Life’s Best New Restaurants List, inviting more people than ever to the Filipino table.

On this episode, we visit the Yangil valley in central Luzon’s Zambales province, where a documentary called “The Foresters: A Story of Climate Keepers” follows an indigenous Aeta community and the challenges they face through a rapidly changing climate. It's also about how organizations such as MAD Travel have begun and continue to expand on massive reforestation and agri-tourism projects together with the local community. To date, over 130,000 trees have been planted in the valley!

On this episode we chat with Bettina Makalintal, senior reporter with the national team at Eater, one of today’s best-known brands in the global food media space dedicated to all things food and dining. We chat about a range of topics on Filipino food and culture through a diasporic lens, so let’s get to it!

On this episode we chat with Abi Balingit, author of the cookbook Mayumu: Filipino American Desserts Remixed. It landed on the New York Times’ Best Cookbooks list in 2023, winning Abi an Emerging Voice award from the James Beard Foundation the next. I’m a huge fan!

On this episode we listen to the stories behind Istorya, a Las Vegas-based pop-up restaurant that aims to showcase the diversity of cuisines across the Philippines, interpreted by chefs in the diaspora. The menus at their dinners are crafted with care and symbolic of the team's own journeys to rediscovering the history and heritage of the Philippines through through food. And we got to collab on a dinner series about the Manila-Acapulco galleons this year - how amazing was that?

On this episode we chat with Chef Earl Briones from Coterie Restaurant and Wine Bar in Edmonton, Alberta. Earlier this year, Earl and other local chefs led the “Flavours of the Philippines” sessions at the Terroir Symposium in Canada. When I learned he also presented at the Kain Conference, I knew we’d have lots to talk about!

On this episode we chat with Reena Gamboa, whose work with the amazing team at Slow Food Negros has collectively led up to the first Terra Madre Asia Pacific Conference happening in Bacolod, Negros Occidental, on November 19-23, 2025. The event’s inaugural theme is “From Soil to Sea: A Slow Food Journey Through Tastes and Traditions”. What I’d give to be there and hear those stories!

On this episode we chat with Abi Marquez, known online as the Lumpia Queen for her wildly popular “What if we wrap this in lumpia wrapper?” series on TikTok.

Abi has millions of followers across social media platforms, and today we talk about testing recipes, cooking at home, and getting judged by your content - alongside all the amazing things that can happen when you put in the work, and really believe in what you do.

On this episode we chat with Chef Budgie Montoya, who envisioned and brought to life Sarap and Apoy - two uniquely Filipino restaurants in the heart of London, UK. I caught up with Budgie on his last few weeks in El Nido, Palawan, where he’s started work on his next project - a visiting guest chef program linking cooks and local food producers with the tourist market in El Nido. We talk lots about other things that overlap in our diasporic worlds, too!

On this episode we delve into the evolving landscape of global Filipino cuisine with restaurateur, hospitality consultant, and author of the “I Am A Filipino” cookbook, Nicole Ponseca. We chat about seeing ourselves in the industry, the success of her restaurants Jeepney and Maharlika, things we think about when we go out to dinner, strategies to mindfully and continually grow the presence of cuisine from the Philippines across the U.S., and how one after-school snack stop with her dad left a lasting impression.

On this episode, we chat with Luisa Brimble, a photographer based in Sydney, Australia. She's worked with some of the most influential publishers and authors in the industry, and has been recognised by the James Beard Foundation. Her Substack newsletter “In the Foreground” explores the deep contrasts of food, and how it shapes identity, memory, and belonging. We talk about food from the Bicol region, the centralness of sourness, about food at home and away. A kindred spirit!

On this episode, we chat with author Mia Manansala about the world of her characters in the Tita Rosie’s Kitchen Mysteries Series novels. My kind of winter reading!

It's hard to believe I started the podcast eight years ago. I've gone on all kinds of adventures since, including a really epic one across the Philippines! In April 2023 I visited Lake Sebu, South Cotabato with a friend from Toronto and it was an experience that changed me.

On this episode, we meet Isabelle, Mila, John Paul, Shannon, and Gabriell, and get a glimpse of their life in Toronto.

Life has, as it always will, taken a bit of its toll on me over the last few months. But things are moving along, and I wanted to share a few updates! Like where I've been working, what it was like to host some pretty amazing talks on Zoom, and why I'm very excited to see my name in a literary anthology.

This episode, we dive into the world of traditional Philippine bakeries - called "panaderia" - with authors Amy Uy and Jenny Orillos. Through the breads, biscuits, cakes and other treats found in panaderias across the Philippines, Amy and Jenny share with us a little bit of the history - and a whole lot of the culture - surrounding foods like pan de sal, ensaymada, biscocho and plain unfrosted chiffon.

We'll also hear about baking with sourdough in New York, making hundreds of ensaymadas during the lockdown, and how a classic panaderia treat makes its way to homes across the US.

You might want to find - or make - something fresh out of the oven soon!

On this episode we talk to Dr. Stephen Acabado, an archaeologist who wrote a book about the Philippines' famous rice terraces. We talk about changing contemporary narratives around the history of the terraces, empowering local youth, and why we can't afford to simply let the truth lie buried under the rubble.

This episode we chat with Edgie Polistico, author of the Philippine Food, Cooking and Dining Dictionary. From growing up in Leyte to travelling across the archipelago - and eating everything along the way - Edgie shares his journey to writing what I consider one of the best resources on contemporary Filipino food culture.

It’s been awhile, and in lots of ways it really does feel like everything’s changed. On this episode, I chat with Tiffany Tarampi and Nathalie de los Santos of Pilipinxpages about finding books that speak to them. And if you’ve never listened to a podcast from the Philippines, now’s the time! Meet podcasters from five local shows I really enjoyed, and take home a broader perspective on voices.