our story

the story behind the hut

Growing up as a young Filipino in the San Fernando Valley, I’ve always felt connected with the Latin culture. It was easy to feel at home with my friends, whose parents welcomed and treated me like family, and introduced me to Mexican food. I loved going over to their houses for dinner. Sharing meals has been how I’ve connected with friends and family from all different backgrounds, and those moments of connection are what inspired me to become a chef. However, I never quite saw a future with cooking Filipino cuisine due to wanting to assimilate into American culture. So I pursued my culinary study of classic French techniques and set my sights on the high-end fine dining industry.

I’ve spent many years working in Michelin Star restaurants, food trucks, small ”hole in the walls”, and catering for high-end productions. Yet, I began to lose my passion and lost my sense of drive. I realized that while I was passionate about my craft, I didn’t feel connected to the story behind my food. I wanted to be more authentic behind my work as a culinary artist.

The result was the birth of Rice Hut.

I was drawn to experiment with the traditional Filipino home cooking and Mexican cuisine that I grew up with. My mission was to create food that’s a marriage between the duality of my roots in a way that is elevated, yet pays respect to their origins. I wanted my food to not only feel and taste like home, but to resonate with my community and be more authentic to my own voice as a chef.