Ai Aromin: The Ilocana and the New York restaurant she built

By Cristina DC Pastor

Aillen ‘Ai’ Aromin’s migration from Aurora province in the Philippines’ northern region to New York City where she now runs a restaurant is an engrossing story of grit, grace, and gratitude.

At age 7, she was cooking farm plants and vegetables for the family while her parents worked the rice fields. The eldest sibling, Ai is ‘ate’ to four sisters and a brother.

“Mahilig ako magluto. Basta gulay na dahon- dahon iluluto ko,” laughed Ai when interviewed by The FilAm. “Sa pugon lang kami nagluluto gamit ang uling at tuyong mga kahoy. Ang bahay namin sa Aurora province ay nasa gitna ng bundok, malapit sa ilog at dagat.

At age 15, her family relocated to her father’s hometown in Science City of Muñoz, Nueva Ecija where Ai went to high school. In Manila, she went to the Philippine Women’s University where she majored in Bachelor of Science in Tourism Management. She believes that whoever you become in life is what you have made of yourself. If you went to school, chances are it will usher in opportunities and land you gratifying and good-paying jobs. It has been that way with Ai.

After college, she went to Virginia in 2014 to intern with a luxury country club. Feeling unfulfilled, she left after a couple of months, went to New York City where her grandfather, Ramon Dizon, took her in and offered to get her foot in in the City of Dreams.

Ai worked in an advertising agency, a dental office, and took on other jobs until the idea of opening a restaurant specializing in traditional Ilocano dishes triggered a lightbulb moment. Today, Filipiniana Restaurant & Catering in Elmhurst in Queens, considered a newbie in the borough’s tough FilAm restaurant scene, is holding its own against its more seasoned, more well-known rivals. Five years since it opened, Filipiniana has positioned itself as a pit stop for those craving Ilocano dishes such as Kare Kare, Papaitan, Dinakdakan and Dinuguan.

As a young girl, 7 or 8 she stressed, she was already before a charcoal-fired palayok and experimenting with cooking. Over time she was left on her own and began to develop her own recipes which she unveiled in her NYC restaurant. Her Dinuguan tastes the sourness of fresh tamarind not vinegar. Her Kare Kare uses only the most succulent oxtail. Her Papaitan makes generous use of bile but without the acrid taste.

“Basta mahilig lang akong makialam sa kusina. I studied Hotel Restaurant Management for two years in Central Luzon State University pero hindi ko naman tinapos ang kurso. Kaya hindi naman talaga ako chef. I learned cooking on my own,” she said proudly.

Filipiniana, with a staff of six people, is a tiny spot in the vast and lengthy expanse of Queens Boulevard. It has two benches and a high table by the window. Food is turo-turo style from a glass shelf and served piping hot. Catering is a big draw, and Filipiniana has catered major events at the Philippine Consulate and community organizations.

Through her accomplishments, Ai has not forgotten family. She petitioned for her parents to come to NYC so her father could undergo surgery for a heart condition.

“That’s my biggest accomplishment,” she said.

She has sent all her siblings to school, even the friend of her sister who is studying to be a nurse.

“I don’t know why I’m sending to school someone who is not even related to me,” she chuckled. “Maybe I see myself in her and her perseverance to live her dreams.”

Just grateful, Ai is lucky to have people who took her under their wings and nurtured her until she is ready to take flight.

A marriage, then a son

On October 2023, she married Justin Lam, a U.S.-born Chinese American who works as a UX Designer for J.P. Morgan Chase. The two met at the advertising agency where she worked. They have known each other for nine years before they wed. Their first-born, Jaiden Kai, is a happy and healthy 9-month-old who got his father’s looks especially his eyes.

In a reflective pause she said, “I’m grateful to God that I’m here in the ‘City that never sleeps.’ I didn’t have too much of a hard time adjusting because I’ve always been an independent person.”

As a restaurant owner, she has had her share of disappointing hires where some of her staff would leave after they had been trained. “That’s life. People come and go specially in this kind of business. You just need to learn how to set boundaries.”

“Sometimes I get lonely and homesick. I miss my life in the Philippines,” she said.