Lemuel Teofilo Lorenzana Balagot, celebrated restauranteur and beloved owner of LA Rose Cafe, Hollywood’s long-running Filipino cafe, passed peacefully in his sleep surrounded by his family on October 17th, 2024. He was 73 years old.
His death came after he endured an encephalitis infection followed by a two-year bout with myelodysplastic syndrome that resulted in the development of acute myeloid leukemia. Lemuel (or Tito Lem, as he was known to many) was known for founding and operating LA Rose Cafe, one of the longest-running Filipino cafes in Los Angeles with his partner in life and business, Ray. Together they built a clientele that spans the Filipino community, a litany of curious foodies, and East Hollywood neighbors as well as a robust catering clientele including The Grammy Offices, PriceWaterhouseCooper, numerous film sets, and City of Hope, whom he eventually turned to for care.
More importantly, he was known as a pillar of the Fil-Am community and a pioneer of Filipino cuisine in America. LA Rose Cafe evolved over the years to be a local favorite for authentic cuisine as well as community space where hundreds of Filipino families celebrated birthdays, anniversaries, graduations, and more. Patrons would often remark at Tito Lem’s generosity and unendingly charming hospitality. He could often be seen pulling up a chair and chatting with guests for a stretch and always making sure they ordered dessert.
To family, Tito Lem’s cafe became a place of joyful reunions, graduation parties, annual pilgrimages, and a place to treat friends to an unforgettable night of food and classic Filipino hospitality.
Nieces and nephews could be seen grabbing condiments out of the kitchen and snatching ensaymadas from the pastry case. Occasionally, a night of Filipino karaoke featuring the baby grand piano would ensue. Above all, his signature spirit of warmth, kindness, and sing-song cheer is what made LA Rose a local institution beloved by far-flung family and locals alike. To this day, LA Rose Cafe remains open. Ray will continue running the business they built together in Lem’s memory.
His storied career began long before he opened the green french doors of LA Rose. In 1976, he accepted a position as the Night Manager of the newly remodeled Manila Hotel, the Grand Dame of Philippine hospitality. Eventually he took on the role of Entertainment Director as well as Director of the hotel’s Bay Club, an exclusive members-only club for the Manila elite. He was the youngest executive at the flagship five star resort, eventually overseeing 14 restaurants including the internationally renowned Champagne Room.
During his tenure, he would often count then-First Lady Imelda Marcos and her entourage as a few of his late-night party guests. He later recalled that one of his proudest moments at the Manila Hotel was hosting Dionne Warwick, whom he had met personally while working in San Francisco, as the special guest performer for the resort’s New Year’s Eve soirée.
Updated 10/22/24 1:00pm EST
From there, he was invited to be the first Food and Beverage Director of Philippine Airlines, a position that had previously only been held by KLM consultants. As Food and Beverage Director, he was immensely proud to introduce Filipino food to the airline’s in-flight menus for the first time in the airline’s 30-year history. He later recounted that, in response to boardroom pushback, he had stood up and declared, “We are the flag carrier of the Philippines. Any passenger who walks through our gates, no matter who they are, will feel our hospitality, our culture, our ways through our food. We will make them feel like they are already stepping onto one of our islands.”
As a result of his work, the airline was awarded “Best Airline Food” by Chaîne des Rôtisseurs in 1978.
It was this spirit of hospitality that eventually led him to open a small breakfast and lunch cafe, named LA Rose Cafe after its principal collaborators, in East Hollywood in 1982. The cafe began as a simple 23-seat breakfast and lunch room where Denver omelettes were served next to longganisa, tocino, and arroz caldo. In 1987, he bought the building the cafe occupied on the corner of Fountain and New Hampshire, and the rest they say, is history.
He met the love of his life, Ray Osmond Medrocillo, in the summer of 1999 while Ray was touring with the Himig Singers, a Filipino community choir from Davao, Mindanao. Together they grew LA Rose from a one-room establishment to its current dining room serving family-style Filipino favorites and kamayan feasts. It was Ray who built the catering business that has served thousands of meals to adoring wedding guests and business executives alike. They were married on May 18th, 2022 after a lifetime of sharing both love and business.
Lemuel was born on May 3rd, 1951 in Manila to Vergilio Balagot and Luz Lorenzana Balagot. As an exchange student with Youth For Understanding, he graduated from Grosse Pointe North High School in Grosse Pointe Woods, Michigan. He went on to attend Ateneo de Manila University before enrolling in then-called TriState College in Fort Wayne, Indiana —also as an exchange student—where he studied Business. His first job was managing a Sheraton in Shreveport, Louisiana.
He is survived by his husband Ray Osmond Medrocillo, his three younger siblings Lorelei Balagot Blau, Vergil Balagot, and Vivianne Balagot Twigg, brother-in-law David Twigg, nieces and nephews Vanessa Blau, Aaron Blau, Andrea Blau, Lindsey Twigg, and Jasper Twigg, great-nephew Kian Blau, mother-in-law Elsa Medrocillo, sister-in-law Cecille Madayag, as well as a small army of line cooks and front-of-house staff that he was proud to call his family. He was predeceased by his parents Luz Lorenzana Balagot and Vergilio Balagot as well as his brothers-in-law Hank Blau, JR King, and Angelito Madayag.
An open casket viewing will be held on November 6th from 10am to 8pm, followed by a closed casket visitation on November 7th from 10am to 8pm. A memorial service will be held on Saturday, November 9th at 9:00am at the Church of the Recessional, Forest Lawn Glendale with a reception at LA Rose to follow at 12pm. The family requests that flowers be directed to Forest Lawn Glendale.
