On Global Filipinos: Watch out, world. The Filipino Food Movement is here

By Loida Nicolas Lewis

In 2010, Sonia Delen, senior executive at Bank of America Global Leasing, invested in a fine-dining Filipino restaurant in the San Francisco Bay Area. This experience introduced her to many talented Filipino American chefs. 

Inspired to celebrate their talent, she approached the Philippine Consulate General in San Francisco with a plan to organize a culinary competition for professional and amateur Filipino chefs in the area. Together with then-Director Rene de los Santos and Debbie Gallano of the Department of Tourism, they established the very first Kulinarya Showdown in the United States.

For four years, the semi-finals and final competitions of the Kulinarya Showdown attracted Filipino chefs from San Francisco, Los Angeles, Honolulu and New York.  

During this time, Sonia met PJ Quesada, vice president of Ramar Foods, the largest

manufacturer of Filipino food products in the U.S.  Passionate about raising awareness of Filipino cuisine, PJ started an exhibit on its history and advancement in the U.S. He invited Sonia and other volunteers including Al Perez of Pistahan, Pearl Parmelee, Joann Boston, Pauline Vela, and Susie Quesada (CEO of Ramar Foods) to form the Filipino Food Movement™ (FFM) in 2014.

FFM, a 501(c)3 non-profit organization, is dedicated to preserving, promoting and

progressing Filipino cuisine in the mainstream U.S. It is driven by dedicated volunteers who aim to raise broad awareness, appreciation and enhanced investment in Filipino culinary arts through education and community building. They have engaged chefs, food purveyors, and foodies across the nation and have expanded to other countries, including chapters in Canada and Australia, with potential to further international growth. 

FFM established the first Filipino American food community through events, mainstream media advocacy and social digital platforms.

Since then, Filipino cuisine, along with its chefs and restaurants, has been featured in major publications such as The New York Times, L.A. Times, the San Francisco Chronicle, Bon Appetit, Sunset, and more. These talented chefs and restaurants have garnered awards from the James Beard Foundation, and recognized by Michelin.

FFM has also empowered many FilAm chefs to be more visible, vocal and proud of their work and cuisine in social media and local publications.

Filipino food events began to flourish.

In 2018, FFM held its inaugural event, Savor Filipino.   Thirty-six chefs from all over the U.S. came to San Francisco for a one-day event at the Justin Herman Plaza. From an expected 10,000 attendees, the event saw 30,000 visitors by the end of the day. Alongside the proliferation of Philippine food and beverage, music, dance, and cooking demonstrations enlivened the event. 

During the pandemic from 2020 to 2023, Savor Filipino transitioned to a virtual format.

FFM hosted forums where participants from all over the world discussed how they pivoted their businesses, secured financial resources, operationalized and marketed programs to assist chefs and restaurants developing their products and to remain resilient and sustainable.

FFM launched Kulinarya Live!,  a weekly online live cooking demonstration, hosted by FFM board member, Keesa Ocampo, featuring guest chefs from the U.S., Canada, UAE, UK, Philippines, Argentina, Germany, Australia, Italy and Greece. To-date, FFM has over 100 chefs and videos available on its Facebook page. 

FFM also coordinated food donations to the first responders and medical professionals during the height of the  pandemic. FFM supported restaurants during the pandemic by creating a global directory of establishments offering takeout or delivery service. Registration and inclusion in this directory are free and on-going.

Patikim (Taste) is another FFM project where culinary products were offered from local artisans in the San Francisco Bay Area. 

Most importantly, in partnership with the Philippine Consulates General in the United States, the Filipino Food Month is celebrated in April in all major cities. 

In 2018,  FFM Introduced Filipino cuisine at the James Beard House Foundation in New York City,  a very prestigious event where five FilAm chefs cooked at the kitchen of the prestigious James Beard House.They were Francis Ang (Abaca San Francisco ) Melissa Miranda (Musang Seattle), Carlo Lamagna (MagnaPDX), Lou Boquilla (Perla, Philadelphia) and Nicole Ponseca (Maharlika team).

In April 2024, for the second time, Merienda was held in a sold-out affair at the James Beard House organized by FFM board members, Nicole Ponseca and Mike Ang with six culinary chefs.

The board of the Filipino Food Movement™ continues to march on to Switzerland, the U.K., France and other parts of the world. Whenever Sonia Delen travels for business or pleasure, she is committed to preserving, promoting and advancing Filipino cuisine wherever the Filipino Diaspora thrives. 

NEXT: Filipino Food Movement Board Member Nicole Ponseca