Chef Alvin Cailan: Celebrating Pinoy cuisine
‘Filipino food is a treasure and should be shared. For generations, we’ve kept the secret of Filipino food within our families and now it’s time for us to share our bounty with everyone.’
Alvin Cailan was born in the United States but grew up in a Filipino household. During his recent visit to Manila, he was excited not only to dine in our Filipino-themed restaurants but taste street food as well. During his high school years, his parents got him a job as a dishwasher at a retreat house, which is where he discovered his passion for cooking. In a short time he was promoted as kitchen manager, cooking for and serving 150 people.
A graduate of the California State University, Fullerton, he moved to Oregon and trained at the Oregon Culinary Institute and went to work at the most prominent dining establishments on the West Coast and the rest, as they say, is history. There was no stopping chef Alvin, as he pursued his passion for cooking and, with his gift of gab, he became a television host for First We Feast the Burger Show. He released a Filipino cookbook, Amboy: Recipes from the Filipino-American Dream; opened one of the best burger restos in LA; and helped revamp another famous burger chain — Umami Burger.
In 2011 he founded Eggslut, which specialized in affordable egg sandwiches and dishes and has 14 branches worldwide: four in LA, two in Singapore, three in Korea, two in Japan, and three in the UK.
Here is why he believes that Pinoy food should be celebrated worldwide:
1 Filipino food is a treasure and should be shared. For generations, we’ve kept the secret of Filipino food within our families and now it’s time for us to share our bounty with everyone.
2 Filipino breakfast is pound for pound as delicious as any breakfast in the world. In fact, my favorite meal period is breakfast. That’s why Eggslut was my first baby.
3 We now have Filipino chefs who have been recognized as the best of the best and I believe that with the strength of our kababayans, we can help more talented chefs take the leap to popularity.
4 Metro Manila is the fastest-growing culinary destination in Asia!
5 The modern metropolis that is Manila, Makati and BGC will be the culinary epicenter of the Philippines within the next decade.
6 Balut, arguably the most celebrated Filipino street food, though tasty, should be retired and shouldn’t overshadow all the far more delicious delicacies we have in the Philippines.
7 Regional-influenced dishes from province to province will be the next food trend in Filipino America.
8 Kakanin is also emerging in popularity and the sweet, sticky rice dishes will be next to evolve and be modernized. Expect talented pastry chefs to take kakanin to the next level.
9 Lechon skin should be smooth, glossy, glass-like in crunch and still have a light chew. If the skin is perforated and bubbly, it is not Filipino lechon.
10 Filipino food gives us reason to celebrate the spoon, the best utensil for our cuisine. (We welcome your suggestions and comments. Please e-mail me at monsrt@gmail.com. Follow me on Instagram @monsromulo.)