#basically figuring out how to draw Sebastien

[the-pyooster]

Sof n' Seb

[melodymgill49801]

New York City Is in the Middle of a Filipino Pop-Up Renaissance

In a scene playing out across sidewalks all over New York City these days, the makeshift patio in front of Kabisera, a small coffee shop in Manhattan's Lower East Side, is now so bustling on the weekends that one might wonder what alternate universe the critics claiming "New York is dead" inhabit.

Over the course of the pandemic, Kabisera has become a Filipino food hub, not just for their own menu but also for a rotating cast of pop-ups that share their space. The line of people outside might be waiting for drinks from Kabisera and food from the stand on the sidewalk, as a vendor grills skewered meat over coals. To Augelyn Francisco, who owns the shop with her boyfriend Joey Payumo, Kabisera's adoption of the pop-up scene is a way to pay back the community.

Francisco started Kabisera's coffee run in April, bringing baked goods and drinks to frontline workers at dozens of hospitals using donations of food and money from the community and other businesses. Through this effort, she connected with new people and organizations, and when Kabisera began to re-open, she reached out to those new friends to offer a platform to sell their products. "It started [as] a small payback for all of our friends who have been helping us through the pandemic," she said. Through the pop-ups the shop hosts on the weekends, Francisco finds it "very beautiful" to see "how everyone here thrives from what's happening."

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The specter of being "the next big thing" has hung over Filipino food in the United States since at least 2012, when chef Andrew Zimmern shared this forecast, and it shaped how American publications have covered the cuisine ever since. It is always "up-and-coming" and just on the verge of breaking through to a white American audience, though it's never clear what's needed to tip the balance before it's no longer "the next" big thing, but simply a popular part of American dining. In New York City, it's time to stop framing Filipino food as something “on the rise,' and to firmly declare it as not only here to stay, but an integral part of the community.

With options from traditional to re-invented, affordable to high-end, meaty to plant-based, pop-up to brick-and-mortar, the Filipino food scene is growing, diversifying, and even thriving—even amid a pandemic that has hammered the restaurant industry. When it comes to pop-ups in particular, the city is in the midst of a Filipino food renaissance, with so many event options some weekends that it can be hard to figure out which one to visit.

The old school Filipino joints in Queens' Little Manila and mainstays like Jeepney and Purple Yam set a baseline for Filipino food in New York, but with that basic familiarity established, new food entrepreneurs are taking more liberties with their approach, especially through pop-ups. As newcomers have entered the Filipino pop-up scene over the past seven months, joining existing projects like Flip Eats and Woldy Kusina, they've also helped diversify the city's Filipino food.

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As one of 2,000 people laid off from Union Square Hospitality Group in March, Kimberly Camara started Kora, a doughnut pop-up that had a waiting list of 800 people as of last month. Lamon Lagok wants to expand the idea of Filipino food beyond lumpia and pancit through modern dishes paired with tiki drinks, drawing on the long history of Filipinos in the tiki scene. With dishes like chopped cheese silog, Big Papas Tapas makes "Filo-New Yerrr"-style breakfast bowls that riff on the formula of garlic rice, fried egg, and meat. The Dusky Kitchen describes its desserts as Milk Bar meets Red Ribbon, with nostalgic options like ube cheesecake with SkyFlakes saltine crumbles; The Boiis Co. makes cookies and balls of mochi. Mama Guava cooks Hawaiian Filipino food, while Sweet Angel Baby's brings Filipino cuisine to Ridgewood. You're not lacking for options if you're looking for Filipino food in New York.

It might seem like a bad time to start a food business, with the continued restrictions on indoor dining and predictions that as many as half of the city's restaurants could close permanently within the next year. But the rise of pandemic pop-ups makes sense, as Taste and Resy have explained: Without ties to establishments, cooks—especially those out of work—can be more flexible and creative, and the pop-up format makes their food easily accessible, at the same moment as diners look for new experiences.

So Sarap NYC Filipino street food pop-up outside Kabisera | Photo courtesy So Sarap

Though the pandemic initially seemed to dampen launch plans for So Sarap, a new street food pop-up, it actually forced the hand of co-founders VJ Navarro and Sebastien Shan after both were furloughed from their jobs. "We were thinking like, what better time than now?" Shan said. "We're at home doing nothing. Let's just do something." Serving barbecue skewers and fried fish balls from a curbside cart just as Navarro's father did as a street food vendor in the Philippines, So Sarap is now booked for the entire month of October, with events in Manhattan and Queens.

That's, in part, a result of So Sarap having established popularity at Kabisera. To Shan's recollection, all of So Sarap's September appearances took place at the coffee shop, as a way of giving back after Francisco and Payumo welcomed them with open arms. "I think doing pop-ups is great because it's a good way for us to help small businesses, or big businesses, that have been suffering and have been hit hard," Shan said. Though pop-ups have historically been seen as a path toward traditional establishments, pandemic pop-ups can be a survival strategy.

The Lamon Lagok pop-up, for example, operates out of restaurants during their downtime. Though co-owners Gelo Honrade, CJ Lapid, and AJ Palomo were ready to go all in on a restaurant of their own, they chose to pursue pop-ups thanks to encouragement from the East Village Filipino restaurant Ugly Kitchen. (In a testament to the small world of New York's Filipino food community, I learned during reporting that my father knows Lamon Lagok's co-owners.) This model has worked well, and Lamon Lagok is now aiming to hold events every two weeks. "It's just the spirit of COVID and hospitality where people try to help each other out," said Lapid, a co-owner and a bartender who was briefly put out of work by the pandemic. "It's always a win-win thing for both parties: for us, for the establishment."

The logic of the "next big thing" tends to position food cultures, especially those outside immediate white American familiarity, as fleeting trends that have the spotlight only until something bigger and newer comes along. It implies that there isn't room for everything to succeed all at once, and that idea of scarcity can breed competition as people vie for the same rare, few spots. But New York's new Filipino pop-up scene is proof of a model that sees success as a shared effort, rooted in collaboration instead of competition.

The patio outside Kabisera during a pop-up event | Image courtesy Craig Nisperos

At Kabisera, Francisco helps new pop-ups by tasting the food to make sure it's good; notifying sellers of interest online so they can prepare accordingly, without food waste or hungry guests; and if there's more than one vendor at once, making sure their menus don't overlap so the pop-ups aren't at odds with each other. The idea isn't for one to be the most popular pop-up, but for all of them to drive business to each other through complementary menus. Instead of a model that puts a few projects on a pedestal at the top of the scene, this network of Filipino pop-ups is making space for more people to succeed.

"That's actually what we're [trying] to create: that it's becoming stronger and louder if we go all together as one pop-up," said Francisco. "It's hard to promote if you're a single business and you're doing a pop-up, but if you are collaborating [with] four or five pop-ups, you help each other, promote each other. It will become louder."

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Bundesliga Team of the Season: The Expert’s View

After nine months of riveting action, the Bundesliga campaign is about to come to a close and FOX Sports football analyst Rhysh Roshan Rai picks his Team of the Season.

Bayern Munich may have once again emerged as champions of Germany, although several teams like Schalke and Hoffenheim also had seasons they can be proud of.

As ever, the stage was lit up by some of world football’s biggest names but only 11 can fit into the Team of the Season.

Having kept a keen eye on the Bundesliga throughout the course of the season, FOX Sports football analyst Rhysh Roshan Rai takes his place in the manager’s chair by picking his best players from 2017/18.

GOALKEEPER: Lukas Hradecky (Eintracht Frankfurt), Jiri Pavlenka (Werder Bremen), Philipp Tschauner (Hannover)

53′ GOOD SAVE!

Aubameyang has another good opportunity to score but is denied superbly by Hradecky.#SGEBVB pic.twitter.com/IbzlAnqskq

— FOX Sports LIVE! (@FSAsiaLive) October 21, 2017

66′ GOOD SAVE!

Hradecky comes up big time to deny Pulisic with a fine stop.#SGEBVB pic.twitter.com/qdEOrFTo9y

— FOX Sports LIVE! (@FSAsiaLive) October 21, 2017

Roshan’s pick: Hradecky. He’s been very consistent for Frankfurt, commands his box well and he’s saved them on a few occasions when opposition teams have found their way in behind the defence. It’ll also be interesting to see where he is next season with reports suggesting he’s leaving for Leverkusen.

LEFT-BACK: Philipp Max (Augsburg), Wendell (Bayer Leverkusen), Marvin Plattenhardt (Hertha Berlin)

Philipp #Max this season:

Breaks @philipplahm's #Bundesliga assist record ✅ Sets up more league goals than @MoSalah ✅

Need we say more?

Vote for him to be in the @EASPORTSFIFA #Bundesliga #TOTS now! 👉 https://t.co/OE0xB6Vmjt pic.twitter.com/XAYmN2nMTe

— FC Augsburg English (@FCA_World) May 1, 2018

Roshan’s pick: Philipp Max. I’m personally a big fan of attacking full-backs and he’s in double figures for assists (12). That’s very impressive for a full-back and he plays a key role for an exciting, counterattacking Augsburg team, especially with his relationship down that flank with Caiuby.

CENTRE-BACK: Naldo (Schalke), Dayot Upamecano (RB Leipzig), Benjamin Pavard (Stuttgart)

82' WHAT A GOAL! 2-0 @s04_en

Naldo absolutely hammers in a thunderous free kick into the net. Burki didn't even move!#S04BVB #Revierderby pic.twitter.com/ulHQGVStXk

— FOX Sports LIVE! (@FSAsiaLive) April 15, 2018

90+4' GOAL! 4-4 @s04_en. FOUR-FOUR

Naldo heads home the corner to draw Schalke level from 4-0 down!#BVBS04 pic.twitter.com/L77KiTvJ4s

— FOX Sports LIVE! (@FSAsiaLive) November 25, 2017

Roshan’s pick: I think Naldo has to be there. He’s one of the top-scoring central defenders in Europe (7 goals) and has shown his leadership qualities with a Schalke side that has pushed for Champions League football and finally gotten in. Especially with [Benedikt] Howedes leaving the club, Naldo has really stepped up and added a lot of composure and is a calming influence alongside 21-year-old Thilo Kehrer.

CENTRE-BACK: Mats Hummels (Bayern Munich), Carlos Salcedo (Eintracht Frankfurt), Jerome Boateng (Bayern Munich)

Roshan’s pick: Personally, I am a big fan of Mats Hummels so I’m going to with him from those three, simply a matter of his style and what he adds to Bayern is as a ball-playing centre-back. Coming up against teams with a defensive approach, he can hold on to the ball, pick the right pass while breaking the lines and carrying the ball forward.

RIGHT-BACK: Joshua Kimmich (Bayern Munich), Lukasz Piszczek (Borussia Dortmund), Benjamin Heinrichs (Bayer Leverkusen)

38′ GOAL! 2-1 @FCBayernEN

James puts the champions ahead after some fine work from Kimmich on the right flank.

What a quick turnaround! The 27th #Bundesliga title beckons?#FCAFCB pic.twitter.com/UcqjePjXtL

— FOX Sports LIVE! (@FSAsiaLive) April 7, 2018

Omg I love Kimmich so much. Germany are set. Philipp Max is NEEDED ahead of Jonas Hector. Love my boys. pic.twitter.com/Di7BmgEf0P

— ione "No L" Messi 🎗💜 (@Busquessi) May 10, 2018

Roshan’s pick: It has to be Kimmich. This guy has pretty much owned the right-side for Bayern all on his own, allowing [Arjen] Robben to drift inside. Defensively, he’s very sound as well and has all the traits of a top-level full-back with a high number of assists (10) too.

LEFT MIDFIELD: Leon Bailey (Bayer Leverkusen), Thorgan Hazard (Borussia Monchengladbach), Marco Reus (Borussia Dortmund)

Thorgan #Hazard‘s goal contributions in 2017/18:

7⃣ ⚽️⚽️⚽️⚽️⚽️⚽️⚽️ 7⃣ 🅰️🅰️🅰️🅰️🅰️🅰️🅰️ pic.twitter.com/2sgjRuWmbO

— Bundesliga English (@Bundesliga_EN) January 22, 2018

Roshan’s pick: I think I’ll go for Hazard. In what has been a poor season for Gladbach plagued by inconsistency, he’s been one of their bright starts. From a team balance point of view, I can also see him drifing in and working well with the overlapping Philipp Max.

CENTRAL MIDFIELD: Naby Keita (RB Leipzig), Leon Goretzka (Schalke), Shinji Kagawa (Borussia Dortmund)

Last @Bundesliga_EN Sunday on @FSAsiaLive of the season. #Mainz hosting #RBLeipzig. Mainz need points to get out of relegation playoff spot and Leipzig need 3 points to keep champions league chase alive. Also, see what the fuss is all about with Naby Keita. He’s brilliant.

— Rhysh Roshan Rai (@RhyshRai) April 29, 2018

Roshan’s pick: Easy – Keita. It’s a no-brainer. The way he carries the ball forward through the lines and gets past defenders really helps the team out tactically. He has so much energy to perform both a defensive or attacking role. He’s been far and away Leipzig’s best player and all that talk about him being distracted by his impending move to Liverpool has been proven to be nonsense.

CENTRAL MIDFIELD: Kevin-Prince Boateng (Eintracht Frankfurt), James Rodriguez (Bayern Munich), Michael Gregoritsch (Augsburg)

His 1️⃣3️⃣ goals this year are the most EVER scored by an #FCA player over one #Bundesliga season 🔥

Make sure to vote Michael #Gregoritsch into the @EASPORTSFIFA #TOTS here! 👉 https://t.co/OE0xB6Vmjt pic.twitter.com/JiiHdRlOAA

— FC Augsburg English (@FCA_World) May 8, 2018

Roshan’s pick: I’m going to go with Gregoritsch because – similar to Max – he’s playing for an Augsburg side that players on the counter and he’s been huge for them scoring goals from an advanced midfield position. He’s been one of Augsburg’s He’s actually Augsburg’s top scorer ahead of [Alfred] Finnbogason and has been a real good signing.

RIGHT MIDFIELD: Daniel Caligiuri (Schalke), Thomas Muller (Bayern Munich), Christian Pulisic (Borussia Dortmund)

How cheeky was that from Pulisic! 🔥#BVBH96 pic.twitter.com/xL4hc4j0fG

— FOX Sports LIVE! (@FSAsiaLive) March 18, 2018

Roshan’s pick: This one’s tricky because Caligiuri is a right wing-back and, if the choice was in that position, I would have picked him. But I’ll have to go with Pulisic only because this is his proper position and – for a 19-year-old – he’s been incredibly consistent for Dortmund and got them out of trouble on a few occasions. He’s destined for much bigger and better things.

STRIKER: Timo Werner (RB Leipzig), Robert Lewandowski (Bayern Munich), Alfred Finnbogason (Augsburg)

90′ GOAL! 6-0 @FCBayernEN

This time, he makes no mistake from the spot. Robert Lewandowski scores his hat-trick as well as his 100th goal for Bayern!#FCBHSV pic.twitter.com/XPaknG3IIV

— FOX Sports LIVE! (@FSAsiaLive) March 10, 2018

Roshan’s pick: The thing with Lewandowski is he plays for a team that creates so many chances but, still, you have to go with him. His main job is to score goals and he’s doing that at an incredibly consistent level. It’s amazing the amount of goals he scores season after season, even when he was at Dortmund.

FORWARD: Nils Petersen (Freiburg), Michy Batshuyai (Borussia Dortmund), Sebastien Haller (Eintracht Frankfurt)

68′ WHAT A GOAL! 2-1 @scfreiburg

The visitors win the ball from 40 yards out and Petersen lobs Burki from that far out!#BVBSCF pic.twitter.com/2E5hWfrgCJ

— FOX Sports LIVE! (@FSAsiaLive) January 27, 2018

Roshan’s pick: Petersen. If Freiburg survive relegation, then obviously his goals have been a huge factor in keeping them up. He’s basically been the only one who has consistently scored goals for them.

Want to be a Bundesliga manager too? Have your say by voting for YOUR Team of the Season HERE!

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Bundesliga Team of the Season: The Expert’s View was originally published on 365 Football