I was born in the Philippines & moved to the U.S. when I was 8 years old. While in the Philippines, I lived with my grandparents as a baby until I was 5 years old when my mother came to pick me up to live with her. Living with my grandparents, we were one big family with a home that housed 3 families. We gathered together around our large table, under a tin roof with one light bulb, & a dirt floor beneath our feet every night to enjoy every single meal that was placed in front of us. My grandfather would leave through the night with a basket on his back & a small sack of food while he would go out to hunt for snails to bring back for the family. We dug up peanuts & rode water buffaloes that hauled produce from the farm. It is with these memories & appreciation of food that has sparked my passion.
Living with my mother I learned to be very self sufficient. I learned to do household chores & cook simple things. From my mother I learned to cook traditional foods, & by sight, smell, & taste. When I turned 15, I lived with my aunt & uncle in Wisconsin. My aunt taught me how to cook a large and wide variety of American cooking including different desserts, treats, & snacks. Through the years I’ve had several family, friends, & strangers tell me that I should open up my own restaurant. It wasn’t until I was set back with a health issue last year that I began to seriously think about myself & my family’s future. It was during Christmas of last year that I decided it is time to follow the path I was meant to follow.