Filipinos, by nature, are known not only for being sociable but also for being discriminating food lovers. The typical Filipino cook has that peculiar penchant for food preparation and is skilled with numerous cooking techniques.
Their myriad ways of cooking had evolved over the centuries after being influenced by their country’s diverse ethnic groups; by the nation’s conquerors; and by barter traders. From the simplest preparations of kitchen aficionados to the most complicated ones by formally schooled kitchen connoisseurs, Filipino dishes remain to have been directly or indirectly influenced by Malay, Spanish, Chinese, and American original recipes.
Food, unquestionably, lays a significant role in “bridging the gap” or “setting the mood” in every customary and traditional association or meeting with friends and even, at the worse, adversaries. Generally considered to be one of the basic necessities in human life, aside from air, shelter, water, clothing, and education, food is a universal source of human energy as water is a universal solvent.
For the Filipinos, food is an integral part, if not the vanguard, of its entire cultural structure. As a country of more than 7,000 islands with distinct regional specialties, the Philippines is one of the world’s most intriguing tourist destinations because of its diverse food selections. Every foreign tongue with the most discriminating taste buds could easily find a dish or two that will definitely suit his preference. One could be a bit adventurous by trying something really quaint for his palate, or even challenge his own taste buds with limitless experimentation from a wide variety of odd-looking dishes and alien-tasting recipes with indigenous ingredients and exotic herbs originating from the country’s far flung regions.
The current fast-paced lifestyle saw the advent of instantly prepared or pre-cooked meals to meet every human need. As the lifestyle becomes even more fast, paced so would fast-food stores and restaurants abound.
An enterprising Filipino-American Maria Teresa Barde Morales from Woodbridge, New Jersey, wasted no time venturing in the fast food trend. The Cebu, Philippines native, not only seized the moment and grab the heat of this most opportune time, she also poured out on the table the voluminous culinary ideas crowding her mind. By nature a food lover and a self-proclaimed prolific kitchen wizard, Mayang (her pet-name), had already been toying the idea for years but was prevented from implementing it by the bondage to her job. This is aside from the fact that she was just starting to raise a family. Her constant visit to the nearest Filipino restaurant in her area (to save time and be freed from the hassles of marketing, preparing, and cooking) is like a tease. It all the more igniting her incessant drive to open her own.
Mayang, on occasion, would drive around scouting for a potential location while simultaneously studying the demographical set-up of the area. After years of thorough evaluation, she zeroed in to Franklin Park, an incorporated community in Franklin Township, New Jersey in Somerset County and one of the fastest growing suburbs in New Jersey with a diverse blend of races and culture.
“I discovered that Franklin Township is the only location where there’s an absence of a Filipino restaurant while nearby North Brunswick has Tagalog, Hamilton area has Kapampangan. That makes my plan feasibly possible,” Mayang said.
After receiving a Plaque of Appreciation for having worked as a Unit Secretary of the Medical Intensive Care Unit at St. Michael’s Medical Hospital for ten solid years, Mayang took the ceremonious occasion as her ticket to exit and a passport into an excitingly new but profitable endeavor.
It’s noteworthy to mention that Mayang initially worked as a Dunkin’ Donut crew in 1999 and went up the rank as a store manager before her employment in the medical facility that recognized her decade of loyal tenure.
September 24, 2012 saw her submitting an application to operate a restaurant but much to her dismay, she was only approved for take-out or OTCO (Over the Counter Orders) of ready-to-eat food after inspectors classified the place, although quite spacious, as unfit for dine-in operation. The disheartening verdict neither discouraged nor dampened her already heightened spirit. Whichever way it was, she’s raring to go and all set to start!
With no formal culinary background but ably armed with practical cooking know-how she inherited from her mother, the strong-willed food entrepreneur aggressively gathered all her resources (with, of course, the help of her family) and made the soft opening of her take-out orders and catering business last Saturday, March 9, which she proudly tagged, Kusina Pilipina (Filipina Kitchen) along 3171 State Route 27 South, (historically known as the Old Road or King’s Highway) Franklin Park, New Jersey.
Mayang’s supportive husband, Marcial, readily assists in the operation (whenever he has free times from his job as building supervisor) with their children Shannon Marion, 14, Justin Marcial, 12, and Megan Therese, 8.
“It’s absolutely different when I’m hands on and personally overseeing every aspect of the restaurant’s operational process. Every single problem that may occur is instantly resolved accordingly with the necessary adjustment,” she said.
“After just more than a month, everything is being routinely executed as if I have mustered the daily sequences chronologically even with closed eyes…that’s how smoothly it is going. And I have to admit, it’s really exhausting. But I don’t complain though. I love what I’m doing. This is my passion,” she also said.
Amazingly, Mayang endures traveling 18 miles (approximately 24 minute-drive) everyday. She wakes up as early as 5:30 to prepare breakfast, drive kids to school then to the restaurant, leaves for the market. (yes, she goes marketing everyday to consistently serve nothing but only freshly harvested farm, poultry, and livestock products) and back to the restaurant to cook. The whole day has been full of action, thanks to her spacious kitchen which could accommodate interacting rapid flows smoothly. Closing time is left for the family to clean the area, empty hot food shelf, replenish stock and stuff, account for the things needed for tomorrow, and set the place ready for another hectic operation before they could finally call it a day.
Mayang, in all her full culinary capacity, comes up with various sumptuous Filipino cooked dishes to tables of diverse ethnicities like the ever-timeless adobo (chicken or pork braised in garlic, vinegar, soy sauce, and pepper corn slowly cooked until dry), pancit (noodles), barbecue (skewered marinated pork or chicken), bistik or Filipino beefsteak (sirloin beef with onions, lemon juice, and soy sauce), afritada (chicken or pork simmered in tomato sauce and vegetables), sweet and sour fish, menudo (pork stew), fried pork chop, kare-kare (oxtail and vegetables cooked in peanut sauce), sinigang (meat or seafood cooked in sour broth), torta (omelette), giniling (stewed ground beef), and sweet and sour meatballs.
The enterprising kitchen enthusiast was surprised to discover that a lot number of other races like Caucasians, African-Americans, Hispanics, and fellow Asians regularly drop by her restaurant ordering the same dishes. Some even want to try everything, even those that are quite new to them. Some not-so-common dishes that cater to non-Filipino palates are lumpia (fresh spring rolls), pinakbet (mixed Philippine vegetables with shrimp paste), paksiw na lechon (roasted pork in vinegar, liver sauce, and pepper), tokwa’t baboy (boiled pork and fried tofu with vinegar, soy sauce, and spicy condiments), ginisang munggo (mung bean soup with shrimp and thinly sliced pork), chicken curry (chicken in curry powder), ginataang alimasag (crabs cooked in coconut milk with squash), and ginisang ampalaya (bitter melon sauted with shrimp, meat, and beaten eggs),
Mayang’s take on taho – the Chinese original comfort snack that became a Filipino all-time favorite-became an instant hit especially among students. Her litsong baboy (roasted pig) has attracted continuous patronage because of its distinctly delicious taste, mouth-watering crispiness of crackled skin, and savory sauce.
If there’s but one dish non-Filipino customers would take second thoughts before even tasting it, that would be dinuguan (pig’s blood cooked with vinegar, spices, and long green pepper) for they find it nasty-looking and one really needs a lot of guts to try it, just like the balut (cooked pre-hatched egg).“But once they tasted it, they commented that it’s not that bad at all but rather appealing,” Mayang said.
Marcial, her equally hard-working husband who has been a professional baker for a little more than three decades, is relegated to prepare, cook, and serve his specialties: siopao in different flavors or fillings: chicken, asado, bola-bola, and beef.
Aside from the usual desserts like leche flan (egg custard), cassava cake, fruit salad, and other rice cake varieties, Mayang also proudly endorses her special turon (deep fried sliced plantain with strips of jackfruit and brown sugar rolled in phyllo wrapper) which every customer could not leave without.
“Mayang has indeed created a welcome change to normal home cooking,” said Marissa Cordova, a regular customer connected to a pharmaceutical company. “My sister brought me here after she was convinced that we have around here the best option for original homegrown recipes. And since then, I always pass by to pick up my favorite fried tilapia and barbecue which Mayang cooks minutes before my arrival,” she said.
Another Latino-looking middle-aged guy commented while waiting for his ordered pork chop: “What I actually like about here, aside from the sumptuous food, was her openness to suggestions. She creates new ideas, and even accepts constructive criticisms.”
Mayang, in her earnest desire to satisfy her customers, firmly concentrates on the quality of the food than the quantity or portion served. “My mantra is never to sacrifice flavor and nutrition for optional ingredients just to save and earn more.”
This early, Mayang is already planning to expand by renovating the adjacent stall into a cozy dining area with a private function room.
Committed to serving only the freshest and best-tasting dishes a traditional kitchen could offer, Mayang always has regular food trippers who crave for comforting cooked meals in mind when she prepares her menu and allow them to discover a new insatiable eating experience away from home.
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