As Filipino cuisine catches on, Vermont’s Filipino-American community connects
March 10, 2023 | By Willie DoctoGeorge Sales (left) chats with Travis Burns (center) as Jerry May Lopez (second from right) and Patty Travis (right) try the chefs’ feast. Photo by Willie Docto
When I moved to Waterbury in 1996, I knew of only a couple of other Filipinos in the area. Estimates back then showed about 300 Filipinos lived in Vermont. The latest U.S. Census numbers show that only about 2% of Vermont’s population is Asian.
But in recent years, a growing number of Filipinos have moved to Vermont, giving rise to the Filipino-American Community In Vermont, a social group that builds community and promotes Philippine culture and heritage through events such as festivals.
In addition, Filipino-owned restaurants have been sprouting up around the state. While Americans may be more familiar with Thai, Vietnamese, and certainly Chinese offerings, Filipino cuisine is now hitting gastronomic radars around the country and certainly in Vermont. An archipelago of more than 7,000 islands, the Philippines takes advantage of its abundant access to seafood and tropical fruits and vegetables. Many dishes are influenced by indigenous ingredients as well as Chinese, Malay and Spanish traditions.
Potluck attendees at Moose Meadow Lodge & Treehouse. Standing, left to right: Author Willie Docto, John Grenier, Nicole Grenier, Emma Perez with baby Áine Perez, Paul Lopez, Jerry May Lopez, Pao Conta, Marlyn Brown and Peter Brown. Kneeling from left: Greg Trulson, JR Perez, Patty Burns and Travis Burns. Photo courtesy Willie Docto
I’m thrilled that so many entrepreneurs are seeing opportunities to bring Filipino cuisine and culture to Vermont. So, I recently decided to invite as many Filipino chefs and restauranteurs that I knew or had read about for a first-ever meet-up at Moose Meadow Lodge.
In attendance were George Sales of Pica Pica in St. Johnsbury, Patty and Travis Burns of Kuya’s at One Main from Randolph, Nicole and John Grenier of Stowe Street Café in Waterbury, Marlyn and Peter Brown of Si Aku Ramen in Barre, and the four owners of the new Nagueños Filipino American Diner in Essex Junction - JR and Emma Perez and Jerry May and Paul Lopez - along with Nagueños’ cook, Pao Conta.
Other Filipino chefs who were invited but were unable to attend were James Kitchens of Adventure Dinners who host dinners in unique settings; and pop-up restauranteurs/caterers Marites and Robert Hart of Hart’s Filipino & Korean, and Raven Antonio of Maritela’s Filipino Cuisine.
The event was an opportunity for Vermont’s Filipino restauranteurs to meet and share experiences of bringing our culture to Vermont. The potluck dinner included specialties such as Filipino spaghetti (with sweet tomato sauce), ube cookies (made with purple yam) and Sans Rival cake (a buttery meringue layer cake). Some chefs steered away from bringing traditional Filipino dishes (it’s a tough crowd) and opted to bring other styles such as jerk chicken and rice and chicken curry. I made creamed spinach with chicken crepes (not at all Filipino). The evening also included a fun game of Filipino trivia, which made many of us realize our lack of historical knowledge but it certainly made for a hysterical night.
The gathering gave us an opportunity to make new bonds and to learn about each other’s businesses. The chefs and restaurant owners plan to have more meet-ups and hope to develop co-marketing partnerships and events in the future. I’m thrilled that Filipino entrepreneurs are seeing opportunities to bring our food culture to Vermont and adding to the diversity and richness of our beautiful State.
Born in Manila, Philippines, Willie Docto moved to Vermont in 1996 to establish the Moose Meadow Lodge & Treehouse in Duxbury with his husband Greg Trulson. In addition to innkeeping, Docto is a member of the governor-appointed Vermont Travel & Recreation Council and is a board member of the Vermont Chamber of Commerce, where he chairs the Diversity Equity and Inclusion Task Force.