Hidden Apron Radio Paolo Espanola

After a year’s worth of writing, editing, reflecting, then editing some more, we’ve finally finished our 33rd episode, four years after we had first launched this podcast and a year after we had published our last episode.  This is a long overdue reflection of sorts tying every one of our last 32 episodes.  Across them all, we’ve gathered the underlying truths that not only relate to food but also the experience of being.  This was the most challenging episode we’ve recorded not only because we wanted to give justice to the generous wisdom our guests have shared but because they themselves come from such varied backgrounds: farmers, tech startup founders, writers, educators, activists, and everyone in between.

In this episode, we go surface three broad themes that hold all our episodes, if not all of Hidden Apron, together:

- Food is never just Food.

- Our problems are real and difficult, but the fundamental solutions have always existed.

- It all starts with “Why” and the stories we tell ourselves.

We also include snippets of past episodes and they’re quite a trip back in time when many of our guests (and us!) were in different stages in our lives.  You’ll find a full listing of past episodes in the show notes below if you’d like to take a deeper dive with a guest who’s whetted your appetite.  Given that this is a season closer of sorts, we’d be remiss in not thanking everyone who’s been along for this side project of a side project.  From being one of the thousands of downloads, to providing us with valuable feedback, to one of those who’ve shared your own stories as a guest, maraming maraming salamat!

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For more information including notes to the show, please visit hiddenapron.com/podcast.

This is the third installment in a special series of conversations with fellow authors of the recently published cookbook and anthology, "The New Filipino Kitchen" (available on Amazon) that features Filipino cooks, writers, and thinkers all across the globe.  We take a peek into how they view the world and their cuisine.
 
For this “Halfsies” edition (all 3 of us are of mixed heritage, me being Chinese-Filipino and Alexa and Dalena being half Caucasian), we feature:  
 
- Alexa Alfaro (for another round!), an Alaska-born Milwaukeean who, after a 10-week trip to the Philippines, was inspired to open her city’s first Filipino Food Truck “Meat on the Street” with her younger brother in 2014.  This involved dropping out of her Engineering degree but weeks from graduation.  Since then, the pair have opened a brick-and-mortar slinging their famous BBQ sticks and pork adobo to the masses.
- Dalena Benavente, born and raised as one of the only Filipinas in the Southern state of Tennessee.  She has worked as a recipe developer and product tester for Kraft, filmed with Paula Deen, and hosted numerous cooking segments on a variety of radio and TV channels.  She is also an accomplished author with her memoir “Asian Girl in a Souther World”.
 
We talk about:
- The realities of straddling racial and cultural lines and what it’s like to go “back home” to the Philippines.
- The ways we balance being relatable to our many communities without diluting who we are.  
- Balancing the expansion of your business while serving your Home Team and your "Day Ones”.
- Balancing affordability/access with charging what you think you’re worth. 
- Staying sane be it in the Food Truck business or trying to balance a day job with the side hustle.  
 
There’s a lot of nuance in these conversations that I think often gets overlooked in favor of simpler narratives so if you’re also a Halfsie or find yourself straddling multiple worlds, “jobs”, and identities, give this episode a listen.  
 
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For more information including notes to the show, please visit hiddenapron.com/podcast.

This is the second installment in a special series of conversations with fellow authors of the recently published cookbook and anthology, "The New Filipino Kitchen" (available on Amazon) that features Filipino cooks, writers, and thinkers all across the globe.  We take a peek into how they view the world and their cuisine.
For this East Coast edition, we feature: 
Katrina and Kristina Villavicencio, co-creators of the Washington DC Supper Club Timpla along with their friends Aniceto and Paolo. Their simple vision of introducing modern Filipino cuisine to the city has grown to incorporate storytelling, design, and art to educate others about Filipino culture. Their combined experiences in food service (Kristina) and art (Katrina) make them a versatile team that is able to explore multiple facets of the Filipino culture.
Alexa Alfaro, an Alaska-born Milwaukeean who, after a 10-week trip to the Philippines, was inspired to open her city’s first Filipino Food Truck “Meat on the Street” with her younger brother in 2014. This involved dropping out of her Engineering degree but weeks from graduation. Since then, the pair have opened a brick-and-mortar slinging their famous BBQ sticks and pork adobo to the masses.
If I had to pick a single word for today’s show, it would be: Expectations.  Be it: 
Expectations around Filipino food (looks, tastes, methods, and costs).  
Expectations around our age and the need to balance respectful obedience and forging our own path.
Expectations around the immigrant experience and the constant theme of sacrifice.
Expectations around gender; something we don’t get to cover much on this show. I’m glad we talked about this topic in the wake of the #MeToo movement and the fortuity that a majority of the co-authors I’ve been touring with and are getting the much-deserved spotlight (seeing as immigrant women are the keepers of cuisine) are female.
Of note to me was how we can think about our relationships with women in and out of the kitchen and where we draw the line between demanding excellence at work and abuse.  
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For more information including notes to the show, please visit hiddenapron.com/podcast.

This is a special episode that is the first in a series of conversations with fellow authors of the recently published cookbook and anthology, "The New Filipino Kitchen" (available on Amazon) that features Filipino cooks, writers, and thinkers all across the globe.  We take a peek into how they view the world and their cuisine.
For this West Coast edition, we feature: 
Joanne Boston (previously featured in Episode 2!), the founder of JBKollaborations, a company that creates events promoting Filipino Food at the local and national level.  Joanne has been a part of the local food scene in the Bay Area for years and has written for places like CBS San Francisco and the San Francisco Chronicle.  She’s also a full-time student and works as a medical reimbursement specialist during the day. Robert Menor, aka Adobo Loko.  Born in Montana and raised in Little Manila, Stockton, CA, Chef Rob is a mestizo (half Filipino and Mexican).  He’s cooked in restaurants in places like Chicago, Ohio, and all over California, bringing his unique take on Filipino food.  He’s also quite the hip hop head and “remixes” his foods to straddle the diverse experiences he’s had throughout his life. Rodelio Aglibot, aka the Food Buddha.  A true industry vet.  Besides opening, working in, and with several critically-acclaimed restaurants from California to Chicago to Rome, Chef Rod has hosted his own TV Show also called the Food Buddha (he talks and looks like one…if Buddha was a boisterous Filipino).  He’s been featured in the Today Show, Good Morning America, Ellen DeGeneres, Food & Wine, Bon Appetit, Chicago Tribune…the list goes on forever!  Chef Rod is truly a foodie’s foodie.   We explore views that span the culinary gamut and proved again just how diverse our cuisine is.  While we spend a good amount of time on Filipino Cuisine and Culture and what this book means to us, we also take a broader look at things:
How to inspire others, pass on knowledge, and organize communities, all while staying sane and, How knowing your own history empowers you to break through subconscious barriers.  ----
For more information including notes to the show, please visit hiddenapron.com/podcast.

Today’s guest - in our own backyard here in NYC - is Mary Cleaver, founder of the Cleaver Co. and proprietor of the just recently reincarnated Green Table Restaurant in Chelsea Market and Table Green in Battery Park.  Mary has been living and breathing Local Food since the 80s long before it was cool at a time when it was even scoffed at for being “dirty”.  Her restaurant, the Green Table has thrived since 2003 and just this past summer has relocated to a different space (now known as Cleaver Counter) within the Chelsea Market.  Many describe her company, which also provides catering and event services as one of the most - if not the most - rigorous of its kind as a B Corporation, i.e. a business that adheres to higher standards of social and environmental performance, transparency, and accountability.  She’s one of the most influential people not just in the local food movement but in the entire food industry as someone who’s effects you’ve probably felt, even if you aren’t familiar with her name as she hasn’t pursued what many others do: a fancy Instagrammable space, a cooking show, or a loud, male chef.  
 
In this episode, we talk about the many facets of Local Food.  Not just why it’s important but why and how did we get to where we are today where we’re even discussing Local Food.  We talk about the history of American Agriculture and how the industry has evolved throughout the years.  This isn’t a rant against Industrial Ag but rather a clear look at why things may be the way they are and where we can go from here: 
 
- What should we be asking of our producers?  
- How can we as individuals shop better?  
- How do we cut through the noise of food marketing?  
- How can we leverage our (under)used power as Consumers and what are the quickest wins we can achieve today?
 
We also talk about her business seeing as it’s been a stalwart despite being in such a challenging industry in an equally challenging city: 
 
- Staying relevant through the good (and bad) times
- Recognizing the God of Big but also worshipping the Goddess of Smaller by taking a Values-driven approach to Growth 
 
Bonus, we also talk about that time she took a weekend trip to New Orleans to get married.  If there was ever someone today I would listen to when it comes to what it would take for us to eat in a way that’s good for us, our communities, our planet, AND our businesses…it’s Mary.  Please enjoy this conversation with Mary Cleaver.
 
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For more information including notes to the show, please visit hiddenapron.com/podcast.

Today, I talk with Isabel Moura (full disclosure: she is also my Portuguese professor), who, during my visit to Brazil, introduced me to foods beyond the stereotypical açai bowl and grilled meats.  She's a popular teacher on the Language Learning Community Platform iTalki where I met her and has over ten years of experience teaching and learning languages.  We:
- Demystify some of the misconceptions around language-learning (no you don’t have to rely on memorization),
- The systems one can use to make language learning not only efficient and effective but also personal,
- How one can create environments to learn a language even if they don’t have the resources to travel often or take intensive courses, and
- How they can apply their newfound skills abroad
Portuguese may have been the language I have dedicated the most time on but I cannot overstate just how much more delicious my experiences in food have been abroad just by learning some essential phrases.  That’s because the real food of a place is often in the homes and markets, hidden in plain sight in front of us tourists and I’m really excited to be taking this rather different look at food in today’s episode.  Então, senhoras e senhores, por favor, aproveite minha conversação com Isabel. 
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For more information including notes to the show, please visit hiddenapron.com/podcast.