Born and raised in the Philippines, Llera migrated to America in 2004 to study culinary arts, with the ultimate goal of opening his own restaurant. After graduating from the Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park, New York, Llera moved to Los Angeles where he hit the ground running. He found himself working in some of the hottest kitchens in the West Coast with Chefs Neal Fraser, Nyesha Arrington, Walter Manske, and more prominently as the sous chef to Ori Menashe at one of the city’s favorite restaurants, BESTIA.
Llera also became the Culinary Director of the h.wood Group, developing its culinary program, and creating restaurant concepts across the US, including its premier signature establishments – The Nice Guy, Delilah, 40 Love, Harriet’s and SLAB. He left the company in 2019 and in 2022, he finally decided to open up his very own restaurant, Kuya Lord, located in Melrose Hills.
Llera, who owns Kuya Lord, an elevated fast casual restaurant featuring regional Filipino dishes that he grew up eating in Lucena City, Quezon Province, Philippines, won the James Beard award for Best Chef in California last June 10, 2024.
Established in 1973, SIPA, on the other hand, emerged during the Asian American movement by community leaders to serve the Filipino American community in what is now known as the Historic Filipinotown neighborhood of Los Angeles. In the 80s-90s, when much violence rocked Los Angeles amidst gangs, riots and protests, SIPA served as a safe zone and pillar of strength for the community. Then and now, SIPA continues to ensure that the needs of underserved Filipinos and residents of Historic Filipinotown are addressed, especially for youth and their families.
SIPA’s mission is to enrich and empower generations of Pilipino Americans and others by providing health and human services, community economic development, arts and culture, and a place where people of all backgrounds come together to strengthen community.
The 2024 FAHM event also highlighted the documentary “Nurse Unseen”, a feature-length documentary that explores the little-known history and humanity of the unsung Filipino nurses risking their lives on the frontliners of a pandemic, thousands of miles from home.
The film unearths the colonial ties between the Philippines and the United States that have led to Filipino-American nurses becoming the unknown backbone of the United States health industry.
“We are also going to feature “Nurses Unseen”. This is the story of our nurses during the pandemic. We are still suffering from the effects of Covid-19. Covid is still there but you know, highlighting that, highlighting the sacrifices that Filipino caregivers and nurses made during the pandemic is really again a testament of how resilient we are and how committed we are to provide that services,”Reyes said.
Filipino Americans are the second-largest Asian American ethnic group in the United States. Over 150,000 of them are residing in the city of LA. The yearly recognition of FAHM began in October of 1992 after a proposal by the Filipino American National Historical Society (FANHS) in 1991.
California officially recognized the heritage celebration in 2006, when the California Department of Education placed FAHM on its official calendar.
The month became formally recognized by California three years later, when state Senator Leland Yee introduced a resolution to declare October as FAHM, which was later passed by the California State Assembly.
In 2009, the history month obtained federal recognition when the Senate of the 111th Congress passed a formal resolution proclaiming October as FAHM.
In October 18, 1587, it marked the first recorded arrival of Filipinos in the United States specifically in Morro Bay, California – a state that continues to be home to a large sub-population of Filipino-Americans.
