New and Old ways
Evolving Filipino food, July's IHOB
INTERNATIONAL HOUSE OF BREAKFAST
at Chifa
IN PARTNERSHIP WITH ARROZ & FUN AND CIPOTA COFFEE
FILIPINO BREAKFAST
Sunday, July 12th is the next installment in our International House of Breakfast series. This time, we’re bringing you a Filipino breakfast from Nico de Leon of Ako and Otto Markel of Nananu Ka.
Tickets on sale now! (These will go fast!)
We’ll be offering four time slots: 9:00AM, 9:45AM, and 10:30AM, 11:15AM.
Chef Nico is an old friend of Synonym — he was featured in our very first issue talking all things shaved ice and his halo-halo pop-up, Tito Rudy’s then served up those icy treats at our inaugural release party. Now he’s back, collaborating with us again for IHOB alongside Chef Otto Markel of Nananu Ka.Otto has been a friend for just as long. You might know him as the smiling face behind the counter at one of our favorite bookstores, Now Serving, or from his Instagram deep-dive recreating every variation of Jell-O, or from his famous bibingkas at a pop-up. Come to think of it, whenever you run into Nico or Otto, they greet you with the warmest smile — and you can taste that in everything they make.
A little about Chef Nico:
Nico de Leon is a Filipino American chef from the greater Los Angeles area whose work has helped define LA’s Filipino food movement. Through projects including LASA, Lasita, Tito Rudy’s (read about this in our first issue!), and Ako, he explores the intersection of memory, seasonality, and identity, creating food that reflects his evolving experience as both Filipino and American.
A little about Chef Otto:
After studying food policy, farming, and terroir at Evergreen State College, Otto moved to Los Angeles and started working in food. Primarily a cook (more craftsman than artist), he has also worked as a butcher, a farmer, a Jell-O obsessive, and a cookbook merchant. Through extensive research, lots of trial and error, and a decent amount of luck, Otto focuses on making Filipino food the old way.
We’ve gotten a sneak peek at the menu for Sunday, July 12th and trust us, we’ll be the first in line.
RECAP of June’s IHOB
A quick recap of June’s iteration of “International House of Breakfast” with Arroz and Fun and A Manos at Chifa. A nice, cool day for June was welcomed with plantain waffles and savory soy milk. The community was dyeing which was led by the fiber artist Cayetano. Thanks to all that came.
Issue 05: Sweets is being wrapped up as we speak! We’ve got lots of plans to unveil and merch to reveal. Stay tuned and be sure to be subscribed for advance notice!
LOS ANGELES: One of our editors, Tien Nguyen, will be in conversation about food stystems and culture in Los Angeles at the LARC (Los Angeles Reporting Collective) Food Media Summit on July 9th. Get your tickets here.
July 30- Aug 02: We’ll be at Hardcore Art Book Fair at Lago Alto in CDMX. Our editors, Remy Ramirez and Lisa Butterworth will be in attendance, come say hi!
