Pamilya-Style: Celebrating the Filipinx American Experience with a Modern-Day Kamayan Potluck

It is in that spirit that I chose to not develop recipes for this year’s FAHM package, but instead lift the names of other Filipinx Americans who have been pushing our culture by sharing our food online and on social media, hosting pop-ups, and owning restaurants. I wanted to support Filipinx American creators as much as I could across this package. And what better way to celebrate being Filipino than to eat kamayan-style? I invited all the developers to my home to celebrate our culture with a kamayan-style potluck and eat the recipes they contributed to this package. Instead of the guests cooking their food and bringing it over, my assistant and I made their recipes. I just wanted everyone to relax and do what we do best: Eat and have a good time. 

Some of these folks I had already been acquainted with and some I have admired from afar. Each person is influencing how we think about modern-day Filipinx American cuisine; maybe our grandchildren will read about them and be inspired. I am so grateful for their participation in this package. Having tested all of their recipes I can tell you that their dishes are so delicious; I encourage you all to make them. Your mouth and belly will thank you.

• Rachel and Joel Javier: This husband-and-wife duo founded Flip Eats, which started as a pop-up at a Brooklyn bar and has grown into a food-focused business that offers everything from catering to cooking classes. Joel, who has worked alongside Michelin-starred chefs in New York and Europe, and Rachel, a special events pro, are an incredible team.
• Alyssa Kondracki: My amazing food styling assistant for this shoot. She makes beautiful food, is a talented writer, and also has some incredible pics of her family’s lechon parties in the ’70s and ’80s.
• Dapoy Manansala: After 20-plus years in the food industry — starting with pop-ups and including a stint at Jeepney — they started using the Philadelphia-based Kampar Kitchen as a platform to get their food out via a twice-monthly meal kit. You can also catch them at various locations around Philly (and beyond!) making awesome food. Two upcoming examples: a Sunday Filipino brunch at Juana Tamale and Queer Soup Night.
• Jen Phanomrat: Jen is the co-founder of Just Eat Life, a lifestyle video production company, where she explores the intersections of food, culture, and identity. Her vibrant, inspiring recipes and food content are influenced by her hometown of Queens, New York, along with her Filipino and Thai roots.
• Woldy Reyes: Chef and founder of Brooklyn-based Woldy Kusina, Woldy’s cuisine is centered around a simple philosophy — to provide good food and good experiences, with sustainability and culture at the heart of it all. As a first-generation Filipino American, he effortlessly infuses contemporary dishes with vibrant flavors and colors that are inspired by his Filipino roots.
• Neal Santos: This Philadelphia-based editorial and commercial photographer has a keen visual eye and a passion for food, too. He’s an urban farmsteader and was the co-owner of a Filipino restaurant in a Philly food hall. He and I teamed up last year on this Filipino recipe package I created and I’m excited to be working with him again this year.
• Genevieve Villamora: Genevieve is the co-owner of Bad Saint, an award-winning Filipino restaurant in Washington, DC.

Kamayan is a traditional Filipino style of eating, where various foods are laid out on torched banana leaves. The tablescape is piled with rice, garlic fried rice, cut fruit, and anything and everything from lumpia to longanisa to lechon. It is not only a feast for your belly, but also a feast for the eyes. The guests sit around the table and dig in — but not with a fork and spoon. Instead we eat in our indigenous style, with our hands. Kamayan literally translates to “by hand.” Eating kamayan predates colonization: American colonizers felt the need to domesticate Filipinos by teaching them Western etiquette, which included teaching us how to eat with a fork and spoon. So eating kamayan feels like an act of rebellion.

When eating kamayan, always wash your hands thoroughly before and after. We use our fingertips when eating — never the palms. Using your dominant thumb and fingertips, collect a small pile of rice. Press the rice onto the surface, and pinch to lift. Use your thumb to push the rice into your mouth. Use your less dominant hand to hold your drink, napkin, etc.

But in this time of COVID-19, keeping the utmost safety in mind, instead of eating with our hands we spread the food out in the traditional style but ate off plates. Another concern I addressed when spreading the food on the table was respecting individual eating choices. On the left I started with the vegan recipe, then moved into pescatarian, and then to pork. I also made sure to lift some of the dishes up off of the banana leaves to avoid cross-contamination. At the far right end of the table, I finished with dessert. 

It was a total pleasure to coordinate this package, but truly the best part was the fiesta. We spent the afternoon in communion, sharing experiences, tasting food, hugging (everyone was vaccinated and tested!) and enjoying each other’s company and laughing. It was an evening of Filipinx joy. Not only did I leave with new friends, but also a new “pamilya” and a renewed sense of community. Honestly, when I think about our time together, my eyes well with tears. It was a beautiful evening — one I sorely needed after 18 months in a pandemic, and one I won’t soon forget and hope to replicate with them all in the future. MABUHAY!