Filipino chefs Melissa Miranda and Tim Flores have been hailed among the Best New Chefs in America by Food & Wine magazine.
Chef Miranda of Musang in Seattle and Chef Flores of Chicago’s Kasama made it to the list of 11 up-and-coming chefs reinventing restaurant culture in the American culinary scene.
This year’s honorees represent the rising generation of culinary talent who create innovative new concepts that reflect their social and cultural influences.
“Welcome to a new era of chefs who are refusing to compromise with the old status quo. Welcome to a rising generation of culinary talent that’s committed to leading and feeding others with a deep sense of integrity and hospitality—and to cooking up incredibly delicious, deeply personal, culturally grounded food,” restaurant editor Khushbu Shah wrote on September 12, 2022.
Melissa Miranda
Musang, Seattle
Chef Melissa Miranda is the owner of Filipino restaurant ‘Musang’ which is located in a former community center and temporary housing center for Asian immigrants in Beacon Hill, Seattle.
Miranda grew up cooking lumpia and adobo with her dad and was later inspired to open her own Filipino restaurant after working at various restaurants “from mom-and-pop spots to fine-dining establishments.”
The Filipino-American chef’s ‘Musang’ serves “deeply seasonal and local Filipino cooking” with a contemporary twist. The menu consists of Filipino favorites such as laing, which Miranda makes with collard greens, Swiss chard, or kale, and vegan bagoong, “with the hopes of making certain dishes more inclusive for all dietary restrictions.”
The community-driven restaurant also serves comfort food such as fried chicken, which is a tribute to the version found at Jollibee, the beloved Filipino fast-food chain.
Miranda has her sights set on expanding and aims to continue to build proudly Filipino spaces.
“The biggest thing about Musang is that it is for us, by us,” Miranda told Food & Wine magazine. “I look at this opportunity, this restaurant, and it’s so humbling and such an honor. What Musang represents and what it means for us, as a community, is just huge.”
‘Musang’ was named the Seattle Met’s “Restaurant of the Year” in Seattle, Washington, USA.
Tim Flores
Kasama, Chicago
Chef-couple Filipino Tim Flores and Korean-American Genie Kwon run Kasama in Chicago’s Ukrainian Village, which earlier gained the distinction of being the world’s first Michelin-starred Filipino restaurant.
Kasama is an acclaimed bakery and modern Filipino restaurant that serves delectable pastries and traditional Filipino dishes with a modern twist.
The couple’s debut restaurant is famous for their baked goods as well as their modern interpretations of traditional Filipino dishes and desserts such as adobo, kinilaw, and halo-halo.
Flores and Kwon have received an outpouring of support from the Filipino community. Some of Kasama’s customers traveled all the way from the Philippines just to try Flores and Kwon’s Pinoy meals served with a modern flair.
The Filipino restaurant earned its first Michelin star in April 2022.
Filipino chefs Carlo Lamagna and Thessa Diadem were named among the Best New Chefs in America of 2021 by the same iconic foodie publication.
SEND CHEERS in the comments below to Filipino chefs Melissa Miranda, the chef-owner of Musang in Seattle, and Tim Flores of Chicago’s Kasama, for being hailed among the Best New Chefs in America by Food & Wine magazine.
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