Focus on Filipino Food With Filipino Food Oregon

Chicken adobo from Baon Kainan

From June 23 to July 1, 2023, Filipino food will be the focus in our state through Filipino Food Oregon, with notable events in Salem and Portland. In Salem, there’s the World Beat Festival in particular, and here in Portland head to the city’s great Filipino restaurants and food carts during Filipino Food Week. Filipino Food Oregon, a “culinary heritage celebration highlighting Filipino cuisine,” is hosted by Philippine Department of Tourism SF.

From what I can tell, there’s an event on Friday, June 23 in Portland; the World Beat Festival in Salem on Saturday, June 24; and specials at Portland’s Filipino restaurants from Sunday, June 25 to Saturday, July 1. Normally I don’t highlight much in the way of Salem happenings, but there are Portland chefs active down there during Saturday’s World Beat Festival, and I’d like to let you know about that.

June 23, Portland

Soft Launch pop-up with Chef Melvin Trinidad of Barkada PDX. This kickoff event will be the soft launch pop-up of Chef Trinidad’s brick-and-mortar-Filipino-Hawaiian restaurant, Hapa Barkada. You’ll get to preview a selection of his favorite dishes planned for Hapa Barkada’s opening later this fall. This event will be at Hapa Howie’s food cart. Chef Tinidad was Willamette Weekly’s Portland’s Best Chef 2020.

Head to NW Portland at 2299 NW 23rd Avenue from 11am to 2pm, and 5pm to 8pm to enjoy the food.

June 24, at the World Beat Festival in Salem

Food demo with Chef Carlo Lamagna of Magna Kusina. Chef Lamagna just opened his second restaurant, Magna Kubo, a lechoneria (“the art of rotisserie meats from the Philippines”) in Beaverton. He was named one of Food & Wine Best New Chefs 2021, and was a 2022 James Beard Finalist for Best Chef: Northwest and Pacific. Head to the Cultural Center at the World Beat at 2pm to see Chef Lamagna’s demonstration.

Christina McAlvey’s collaboration. Fil-Am cook and Portlander Christina McAlvey is collaborating with a brewery to do a dish for the festival – likely a trio of tacos (adobo, longanisa, tocino). Christina McAlvey was a Finalist of 2022 The Great American Recipe.

Special mocktail! At the World Beat festival enjoy FFO’s 2023 Signature Mocktail created by Chef Trinidad called “Project 7”, named after his father’s neighborhood in the Philippines. It is a mixture of Calamansi juice, 7-UP, soda water, splash of grenadine, garnished with mint, cherry, and lime.

Not food, but sounds awesome: “Harmony of Cultures: Celebrating Philippine Festivals and Dances.” From 5:45pm to 6:45pm, at the Riverfront Amphitheater during the World Beat, enjoy five of the most popular festivals in the Philippines, complete with ultra colorful costumes, drums and percussions, choreographed by Ric Decatoria who also designed and made all the costumes.

June 25, Portland Metro Area

From June 25 to July 1 is Filipino Food Week. Local Filipino food restaurants, food carts, and food businesses will participate and give you a chance to focus on the deliciousness that is Filipino food. Filipino spots in town mentioned by the food week organizers include Baon Kainan, Fork and Spoon Food House, Grindwittryz, Kubo, Shop Halo Halo. There’s also Magna Kusina and Magna Kubo, Tambayan, St. Barbra Pinoy Bakery, and Kuya’s Islander Cuisine for choice Filipino food.

Filipino food is truly delicious and I hope you get a chance to try and enjoy the range of flavors and products during this upcoming week. The festival in Salem sounds pretty great, too.