Chef Alvin Cailan: Celebrating Pinoy cuisine
‘Filipino food is a treasure and should be shared. For generations, we’ve kept the secret of Filipino food within our families and now it’s time for us
to share our bounty with everyone.’
Alvin Cailan was born in the United States but grew up in a Filipino household. During his recent visit to Manila, he was excited not only to dine in our Filipino-themed restaurants but taste street food as well. During his high school years, his parents got him a job as a dishwasher at a retreat house, which is where he discovered his passion for cooking. In a short time he was promoted as kitchen manager, cooking for and serving 150 people.
A graduate of the California State University, Fullerton, he moved to Oregon and trained at the Oregon Culinary Institute and went to work at the most prominent dining establishments on the West Coast and the rest, as they say, is history.
There was no stopping chef Alvin, as he pursued his passion for cooking and, with his gift of gab, he became a television host for First We Feast the Burger Show.
He released a Filipino cookbook, Amboy: Recipes from the Filipino-American Dream; opened one of the best burger restos in LA; and helped revamp another famous burger chain — Umami Burger.
In 2011 he founded Eggslut, which specialized in affordable egg sandwiches and dishes and has 14 branches worldwide: four in LA, two in Singapore, three in Korea, two in Japan, and three in the UK.
Here is why he believes that Pinoy food should be celebrated worldwide:
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