How Filipino food entrepreneurs’ “sense of community” help them thrive

Curious City

WBEZ Chicago

Society & Culture, Education, Public, Chicago, Arts, City, Radio, Curious, Investigation

4.8 • 642 Ratings

🗓️ 6 February 2025

⏱️ 14 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Chicago is a city of food as much as it is a city of neighborhoods and cultural communities. Last episode, we talked about how Chicago may not have a concentrated Filipino enclave, in the way neighborhoods like Chinatown and Humboldt Park are cultural hubs. But the community comes together and supports each other nonetheless. And Filipino food in Chicago is definitely a part of that. This cultural cuisine has been on the scene for a long time, but only in the past few years has it really started to get its flowers. It’s even grabbed the attention of the Michelin Guide and James Beard Awards. Today, we taste some creations by serial entrepreneur, Francis Almeda as well as chef and owner of A Taste of the Philippines, Kathy Vega Hardy. And we talk about why Vega Hardy says “a sense of community” goes a long way for Filipino food entrepreneurs in the city.

Transcript

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0:30.6	What's up, Chicago? I'm Erin Allen, and this is Curious City.
0:34.7	Last episode, we talked about how Chicago may not have a specific Filipino enclave,
0:40.3	like say Greek town or Chinatown, but the community comes together and supports each other
0:45.3	nonetheless. Well, Filipino food in Chicago is definitely a part of that. The Filipino food scene
0:52.3	is actually getting its flowers right now in neighborhoods
0:55.3	across the city. Hello. Hi. What's going on? We went to a couple spots to find out more.
1:01.0	Frances Almeida. Oh, that's nice coming out. Isn't it? Yeah. It kind of rolls off the tongue.
1:06.0	First, I met up with Francis Almeida in one of his many Philippines-inspired businesses. You don't put any sweetener or anything, do you?
1:12.6	I do.
1:13.6	Oh, you do?
1:14.6	Absolutely.
1:15.6	I'm kind of addicted to macha right now, and you're hearing him make me a macha latte
1:20.6	sweetened with Ube, which is a purple Filipino yam.
1:23.6	Ube.
1:24.6	Just do the Ube.
1:25.6	Let's keep it, yeah, let's do that. I've never had Ube.
	...

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