Some of the best memories are created gathered around the table.
Sandra Tan, Fides Santos-Arguelles and Grace Guinto of share some of the Filipino food memories that have motivated them to push for a wider appreciation for the cuisine.
Sandra Tan
Sandra Tan Source: The Entree.Pinays
Sandra acknowledges that Filipino food had a hand in making it possible for their family to migrate to Australia.
In the 1960s, her grandfather owned a popular restaurant on Roxas Boulevard that was frequented by celebrities and politicians. Because of the success of the restaurant, Sandra's family had the financial capability to move to another country.
"We have a lot to thank [Filipino] cuisine for," she shares, adding, "For me, [promoting Filipino food is about] giving back something to that cuisine and those memories that I was raised with."
And when it comes to the food she was raised with, one of Sandra's favourite is the cassava cake her mum has managed to perfect throughout the years.
"I remember one time she started to make it a lot healthier because we were eating it so often that it was ridiculous. She started to lessen the sugar, and the condensed milk; but then, people started complaining," she shares, laughing.
Sandra Tan's mum and her famous cassava cake Source: Sandra Tan
While the experience of her mum's cassava cake continues to be revived in the Tan family, Sandra's 2010 trip to Abra was once-in-a-lifetime.
Sandra recalls immediately being piled into a van after an 8-hour flight from Melbourne to Manila, and being driven up north nonstop for 10 hours.
Not only was Sandra able to reconnect with her roots in Abra, she experienced her people's warm welcome and their reverence for the meal everyone was to partake in.
Sandra reconnected with her roots on a 2010 trip to Abra. Source: Sandra Tan
"They killed a pig for us and, we ate that one pig for the whole week. The village came the first night," she shares, adding, "We were eating the innards. We were eating every single piece of that pig. By the end of the week, it was done."
She also recalls being able to participate in the preparation of kalamay (rice cakes) by helping pound the rice.
"Those are the kind of tactile memories that [I] have. It’s hard to let go of those things because we lose connection with those things here in Australia," she shares.
Fides Santos-Arguelles
Fides Santos-Arguelles Source: The Entree.Pinays
Growing up in Olongapo meant growing up with "a lot of meat" and, being surrounded by great cooks who always had a better version of the best whatever-dish you've ever had.
One food item though that stands out for Fides only needed basic frying - luncheon meat.
Fides has fond memories of her childhood in Olongapo. Source: Fides Santos-Arguelles
"You know you go back home and you bring a Balikbayan box. My lola would always want Spam. It's kind of a luxury item," she shares, adding, "My parents worked in Subic Bay [American ship port] and, I remember my mum bringing home grapes and other fruits [which were] rare [at that time]."
While grapes and the like were hard to find, one fruit that was endemic to the Philippines was the guava, which her grandmother used to make jelly.
"My Lola [Victoria] who’s passed away, I've seen her make guava jelly from scratch in the backyard. It was amazing! I feel like I'm missing out on having [cooking] experiences [like] slow cooking," she says.
Although Fides might be missing out on the more traditional cooking techniques practised in the Philippines, what she certainly isn't lacking is the persistent belief that Filipino cuisine can be successful in Australia.
"My Lola [Victoria] who’s passed away, I've seen her make guava jelly from scratch in the backyard. It was amazing! Source: Fides Santos-Arguelles
"[I] grew up here. It’s really about being able to share and celebrate and showcase Filipino food in the biggest possible way," she shares, adding, "[We called our event series 'Barrio'] because it’s really about collectively doing it together. The collective voice is so much stronger than a single voice."
Grace Guinto
Grace Guinto Source: The Entree.Pinays
"I can get started and hopefully not start crying about this but, I lost my mum about five years ago. [Food] is one of those things that enabled me to feel more connected with her again," she shares.
Being a mother of three young children, Grace felt that the way she could reconnect with her mum was to further their culinary memories by sharing her love for food with her children. From this want, she put up Sweet Cora, a small bakery business she named after her mother.
"It’s a dedication to my mother and also a dedication to my culture and cuisine. That’s my key motivation - the memories of my mum," she says.
And a vivid memory of her mum was the turon (banana spring rolls) she used to prepare for merienda (afternoon snack).
"Being a mother of three young children, it was important for me to carry forward the culinary memories I had with my mother, their lola." Source: Grace Guinto
"[The banana] is rolled in brown sugar; so by the time it cooks in oil, it caramelises [from the inside out]. When you cut into it, it basically has that crunch and, the softness and the sweetness of the banana," she says.
Wanting to reinvent the dish and introduce it to her children, Grace created a Turon Cake made of layers of banana cake, dulce de leche mousse, jackfruit pieces, dulce de leche buttercream and bruléed turon pieces.
"When you bite into it, you have the crunch of the original, but the taste of the reinvented," she says.
Grace Guinto's Turon cake Source: Grace Guinto
"It's delicious," Sandra and Fides exclaim, almost in unison.
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