From Yemeni lamb to Polish perogies, metro Detroit is home to a rich variety of international cuisines. But there's one cuisine that's a little harder to find here in Michigan: Filipino food.
Dorothy Hernandez is trying to change that with Sarap Detroit. The pop-up restaurant holds events all around metro Detroit, where diners can experience Filipino-inspired farm-to-table food.
The dining events, which Hernandez hosts with her husband, chef Jake Williams, are meant to bring together Filipinos who struggle with finding traditional Filipino food in Detroit restaurants. But it also serves to introduce Detroiters to the cuisine and culture of the Philippines.
"I feel like diners in Detroit, they have an open mind and are willing to try new things, so when they see we have a pop-up, I'll meet a lot of new people, too. So it's a nice balance," said Hernandez.
Listen above to hear how a desire to move away from a career in journalism led to staring a pop-up dining experience, and some of the Filipino dishes inspiring the couple's menu.
Photos by Valaurian Waller.
Stateside's ongoing series "Beyond the Coney" highlights the growers, entrepreneurs, and culinary experts behind Michigan's diverse food economy.
(Subscribe to the Stateside podcast on iTunes, Google Play, or with this RSS link)
