00:00 Well truly nothing tops Filipino food but there's still a lot of things that we can
00:04 explore.
00:05 Now to put a fresh spin on our classic Pinoy recipes like Adobo and Sinigang and to tell
00:09 us more, joining us live is Locavore Executive Chef and Partner, Miquel Zaguirre.
00:13 Miquel, good morning.
00:15 Good morning.
00:16 Alright, this is a great way to start our week.
00:19 Bringing that in your inception of Locavore.
00:22 You know Locavore is, it's become a real sort of watering hole for people looking for classic
00:28 Pinoy food that's really sort of been, I don't know, elevated, changed, put a twist on so
00:34 to speak.
00:35 What was your thought and what was the process behind coming up with the concept of Locavore?
00:40 Well, my partners now, clients before wanted really to open just a normal Filipino restaurant
00:47 and bar so that they have a place to go.
00:52 And then I was saying like I was really, really proud of our cuisine and the culture before
01:02 was like we weren't proud of our food, right?
01:06 It's all looks the same.
01:08 It's a wampa wonder.
01:11 Everything with brown.
01:12 Correct.
01:13 So it needs plating.
01:15 And I was so excited to share ideas to them like how can we repackage or how can we show
01:25 this or present this to a whole new level to different people, to foreigners, to locals,
01:32 to everyone basically.
01:34 And have something different.
01:36 So then I pitched it to them.
01:38 We were all excited to open it and now we're at our ninth year.
01:45 The rest is history so to speak.
01:48 Nine years, several branches down the road and accolades left and right.
01:53 Obviously it was an idea whose time had come and it's an idea that continues to work.
01:57 Fusion and I don't know, putting a fresh spin or a fresh twist on classic Filipino recipes
02:04 is obviously something that does work.
02:06 What are some of the examples of ways that you've gone about reinventing, reinterpreting
02:12 and really sort of putting a new lens?
02:16 Yeah, looking at Filipino food in a different lens.
02:19 Our signature dish called the Sisig Sinigang.
02:23 It's a sinigang without the soup.
02:25 It's a sinigang that's dry.
02:27 It's been called many, many names.
02:29 It's deconstructed.
02:30 The elements are there.
02:32 The flavor is there but it's just different.
02:35 So we want to play with food like that but we make sure that 80% of the soul of the dish
02:42 is there.
02:44 Not just playing around with textures but we want to bring it home.
02:50 We want to make it as Filipino as possible in terms of sharing it like communal.
02:58 For Filipinos, it's sharing.
03:02 It's that X factor in the food industry of Filipinos.
03:06 And I think you've really sort of hit the nail on the head in terms of sharing what
03:09 we have to offer, our flavors and the way that we, like you said, share food in a communal
03:16 family style sort of way but really opening the eyes of oftentimes visitors, foreigners
03:22 who may not be too familiar with, okay, so it's a soup.
03:28 I love to eat sinigang, classic sinigang.
03:29 I love to get a boiled soup and I put my rice right in there in the bowl.
03:33 So that's a sort of very foreign concept and sort of an unusual way to eat.
03:37 But I think you've found a way to really sort of make it more an easier step, first step
03:43 to take, particularly for visitors who may not be too familiar with the textures and
03:47 the way we serve things to just sort of appreciate Filipino food for what it is.
03:52 And lokavor, I think by its definition is eating local or eating what is available locally.
03:59 How else have you sort of, I don't know, taken that to heart in terms of where you've taken
04:05 your cuisine?
04:06 Well, at first it was just the ingredients.
04:07 It was the cuisine.
04:08 It was locally made products.
04:10 But as we went along and grew, it's the stories or the inspirations behind it.
04:21 We want to tap into the Korean market, the Korean craze.
04:26 And then there's a kimchi sinigang.
04:29 So it's spicy, sour sinigang.
04:32 It's traditional, but adding elements of Korean stew, like tofu, some sesame oil and some
04:41 kimchi, just tapping to a different market that makes it really still Filipino.
04:48 And I think it does keep things fresh at lokavor.
04:51 Now what particular recipes go well or do well in terms of reinvention or sort of reimagination?
04:59 Like you said, there are certain things like the Korean sort of flavor that would work
05:04 well with certain soups maybe?
05:07 We had our fair share of very successful dishes and not so successful dishes.
05:14 We're still learning up to now.
05:17 One example is that we-
05:18 And tastes change.
05:19 Like you said, trends come and go and people's flavor-
05:22 But sometimes it's also the story or how we were used to it.
05:27 Like I did a crispy pata boneless, really, really soft, breaded with breadcrumbs.
05:36 I thought it was going to fly.
05:37 What's that, Chef?
05:38 You're hungry to talk.
05:39 But apparently, Pinoys love to nibble on the bone.
05:44 And make it, you know, kamay and himay.
05:47 The bone has to be there.
05:49 So, you know, sometimes it's not so successful.
05:53 But we just make sure that we try to give in new experiences.
05:57 Right.
05:58 Well, you know, I was going to ask you how much of, I don't know, legacy recipes or heritage
06:02 recipes, how much of that soul has to remain and how much, how do you choose what part
06:07 of that recipe becomes, okay, that's written in stone, we can't change that.
06:10 It sounds like you really just learn by experience, trial and error.
06:13 Yeah, it's also based on seasons.
06:17 Like if the summer is coming, we want to make sure everything's light and fresh.
06:25 So we touch on dishes that are more citrusy like kilawins, some ihaw.
06:31 If you're on vacation, it's impossible not to grill some.
06:36 Things like that.
06:38 Not really into it.
06:43 Like we're not OC on, oh, this dish has to be like this or like that.
06:46 I guess we just have to try it out and base it from inspirations and stories.
06:53 Sure, Ebo, I think food is an emotional experience.
06:56 You sort of have to just follow your heart.
06:59 There's no one recipe, I suppose, that you have to really stick to.
07:03 Listen, the idea of where Filipino food or maybe Locavore's food and menu is, what direction
07:11 is it going to be heading into, what do you want to focus a little bit more on?
07:16 Obviously, I think you're still sticking to your roots of surprising us with the different
07:20 ways we can view Filipino food and the idea of eating local.
07:25 Is sustainability a big part of what you guys are trying to embrace?
07:29 Ever since, sustainability has been a big part of our menu, especially when we do perfect
07:37 cuts of meat.
07:38 Yeah.
07:39 And there will be trimmings involved.
07:41 And we have to use it in another dish.
07:43 Nothing goes to waste.
07:44 Nothing goes to waste.
07:45 It has to be, from the very beginning, it's really ingrained in our menu.
07:50 Now, moving forward, the more batches that we make, the better circulation of sustainability
07:56 also goes with us.
07:58 It becomes more efficient.
07:59 Correct.
08:00 Fantastic stuff.
08:01 Well, we've got a long holiday coming up, and I think a lot of people will be looking
08:04 for places to celebrate and eat well.
08:07 And definitely, Locavore is one of the favorites.
08:09 Chef Miguel, thank you so much for joining us.
08:11 - Thank you so much for having me.
08:11 - It's your new day.
08:12 - Thank you.
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