Social Bites: A taste of the Philippines with a New Orleans twist in CT

By Cristina DC Pastor

What happens when a French-speaking, New Orleans-born chef meets a Filipina with a dream of becoming a caterer?

In Shelton, Connecticut, the answer is Social Bites, a Filipino restaurant that has grown from a simple charcuterie cart into a full-fledged neighborhood restaurant, and has now been serving customers for about a year.

It began with a love story.

The chef, Alex Justrabo, met his wife Denise Saracho 15 years ago at a conference in New Orleans. She was working for a nonprofit organization that hosted international exchange students and was at the conference recruiting families willing to open their homes to students.

He was there for a much less noble reason.

“I was just there for the conference because they had free beer and food,” he recalled with a laugh when interviewed by The FilAm.

A mutual friend connected them, and the rest, as they say, is history.

Denise was born in Iloilo and moved to Manila at age 5, where she grew up before coming to the United States after college. She first lived in the San Francisco Bay Area before settling in Connecticut in 1995.

The couple lived in Stamford before making Shelton their home five years ago.

“She had always wanted to become a caterer,” he said.  But when COVID-19 changed the rules for food businesses, they discovered that operating a catering business required access to a commercial kitchen.

That requirement ultimately changed their plans.

“What started as a charcuterie cart became a full-blown restaurant,” said Alex.

Social Bites officially opened last year, with the mayor of Shelton Mark Lauretticutting the ribbon for the occasion.

More than a business

Running a restaurant, however, is not an easy proposition especially with the soaring cost of food, he said.

“Everything, the cost of food is crazy,” he said. Even restaurants buying ingredients at wholesale prices are feeling the squeeze.

He is quick to point out that getting rich is not the motivation.

“I’m not trying to get rich,” he said. What gives him satisfaction is creating something different for the community. “I like having a place that is not a pizza place.”

That uniqueness appears to be attracting diners from well beyond Shelton.

One of the first questions he asks customers is where they are coming from. The answers have surprised him: Social Bites has drawn customers from communities throughout Connecticut. For a small restaurant, that kind of reach is encouraging.

The chef

The chef is not Filipino.

“I’m white,” he said. “I’m mostly French, and my surname is Basque, from northern Spain.”

He also speaks French. He can understand Tagalog but does not speak it fluently. Their daughter is in much the same situation.

Still, Filipino food has become an important part of his life through his wife, and Social Bites has become their way of bringing those flavors to a wider audience.

The restaurant represents the blending of cultures that is increasingly characteristic of American food. They serve dishes such as Lumpiang Shanghai, Baked Macaroni, Pancit Bihon, Lechon, Pork Belly Adobo, Ube Pandesal, Barbecue, and more.

“The food was incredible from start to finish,” writes satisfied diner Sasha Rivera. “The pancit was delicious…”

Alex still works full-time for the Wilton, Connecticut school system in maintenance.

“I have to keep that job because of the affordable health insurance,” he explained.

Fortunately, his school job comes with vacation days and holidays, giving him some flexibility to devote time in the kitchen.

Yet beneath the business calculations is something more personal.

“I like to see people happy.”