Filipino restaurant Oriental Mart was hailed as one of the recipients of this year’s America’s Classics Award in Washington, United States of America.
The James Beard Award had Seattle Foodie Adventure announce Oriental Mart’s win on social media on February 18, 2020.
The Seattle-based Pinoy carinderia-style restaurant, located at the Pike Place Market, is known for serving Filipino favorite dishes such as adobo, sinigang, and pancit.
The James Beard Award is given annually to 6 of the best mom-and-pop businesses that have “timeless appeal and are beloved regionally for quality food that reflects the character of its community.”
The legendary Filipino food stall, famous for its signature dish salmon collar sinigang (sinigang na panga ng salmon), has been serving its patrons and customers for decades. The Apostol family who owned the grocery store since 1973 opened an adjacent eatery in 1987.
Leila Rosas, a self-taught cook who runs the kitchen, revealed in an interview with Seattle Times on February 18 that her family never imagined that the prestigious James Beard foundation would take notice and bestow an honor for their humble eatery which was described as “a restaurant that is just a hole in the wall.”
Oriental Mart joins the five other recipients of the 2020 America’s Classics Award which will be given at the James Beard Gala Night on May 4 to held at the Lyric Opera of Chicago.
Just last year, Olongapo native Tom Cunanan of Bad Saint was hailed as Best Chef at the James Beard Awards.
Also in 2019, Filipina pastry chef Margarita Lorenzana-Manzke made it to the semifinal cut in this of James Beard Awards Outstanding Pastry Chef category.
SEND CONGRATULATIONS in the comments below to Oriental Mart for winning James Beard’s America’s Classics Award!
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