Highlights
- Natutong mahalin ni John at Maria ang pagkaing Pinoy dahil sa kanilang mga ama.
- Nakahanap ng tagumpay ang mag-asawa sa mga festivals.
- Lechon, barbecue at ube soft serve ang ilan sa mga bestsellers nila.
"Cooking Filipino food makes us feel more Filipino even if we're not in the Philippines. It helps us delve into our culture, our traditions," saad ni John Viojan, may-ari ng The Filipino Project.
"And nostalgia," dagdag ng kanyang asawa at business partner na si Maria.
Malaki ang parte ng nostalgia sa pagkaing niluluto ng mag-asawa. Maliban sa pagtaguyod ng pagkaing Pinoy, ang pagluluto din ang paraan nila upang bigyang pugay ang mga amang nagturo sa kanilang mahalin ang pagkaing kanilang kinalakihan.
John and Maria Viojan [looking at camera] Source: John and Maria Viojan
Dahil kay tatay
Ayon kay Maria, ang pinakamagaganda niyang alaala ng pagkain ay ang lutuin ng kanyang ama.
"I remember him cooking arroz caldo [rice porridge with chicken], nilaga [soup with beef and vegetables], bulalo [beef shank and bone marrow soup]...a lot of hearty food. He still likes cooking for us now even if we don't live in the same house anymore."
Habang maaari pang matikman ni Maria ang mga lutuin ng kanyang ama, nabubuhay ang alaala ng ama ni John sa pagkaing natutunan niyang gawin sa kanya.
"He taught me how to cook my first egg. He taught me how to make kilawin [ceviche] and the process of curing the fish," saad ni John.
John and Maria with their respective fathers Source: John and Maria Viojan
"But my fondest memory is cooking barbecue with my dad. He was a very experimental cook. He loved diving into Filipino flavours but also pushing boundaries by using ingredients we have here in Australia."
Naysayers
Pinili ng mag-asawang ituloy ang pagbebenta ng pagkaing Pinoy; ngunit, marami sa kanilang sinabihan ang di naniwala na magiging tagumpay ang kanilang ideya.
"There wasn't much Filipino food in Adelaide. I think there were only two or three that had turo-turo [literally means 'point-point'; refers to pre-cooked food you select by pointing] style restaurants," saad ni Maria.
"Our non-Filipino friends would ask us what our food tasted like but we could never describe it. We wanted to share our food with others - that was the big thing for us - but it was 100% a risky venture. Everybody we spoke to said 'Don't go into Filipino food'. So many also said 'People aren't going to go out and try that when they know they can make that at home.' All that negativity and doubt - that was scary for us."
Ngunit mas naging malakas ang adbokasiya nila kaysa sa takot at kahit nagsara din sa huli ang kanilang restawran na Niño's Lamesita, nagpursigi pa rin silang itaguyod ang pagkaing Pinoy.
Niño's Lamesita, the couple's previous venture Source: John and Maria Viojan
Pan-teatro
"With a restaurant, it was a situation wherein we had to wait for people to come to us. In as much as we marketed and had word of mouth working for us, it was always a waiting game. It was a stab in the dark," saad ni John.
Nang matapos na ang lease nila para sa restawran, nabigyan sila ng oportunidad na magtayo ng stall sa venue hub na Gluttony noong 2016 para sa OzAsia Festival.
"With the festival, we had the opportunity to be immersed in the crowd. The atmosphere and the vibe were really good," saad ni Maria.
"With the festival, we had the opportunity to be immersed in the crowd. The atmosphere and the vibe were really good." Source: John and Maria Viojan
Ayon kay John, "With Filipino food, it's also about the theatrics - not just the taste. It's about watching the barbecued meat spin. It's about seeing the fat from the lechon [roast pig] hit the charcoal. It's the chicken cooking over a raw fire. That's what people buy as well - it's not just the food. It's the theatrics of the food being made."
"With Filipino food, it's also about the theatrics - not just the taste." Source: John and Maria Viojan
Apoy at yelo
Sa mga binebenta ng mag-asawa, ang pinaka-theatrical ay ang barbecue at lechon.
Ayon kay John, natuto silang magluto ng lechon nang magpunta sila sa Pangasinan noong 2019.
"We learned how to make lechon from a lechon master. We were immersed in the whole backyard culture. The way he taught us was so unconventional. No measurements. It was a true farm-to-table experience. We learned by watching him. Whatever we learned we brought back with us to Australia."
Dagdag ni Maria, "Our take on the ribs, on the other hand, is with a tocino barbecue glaze. People really wanted barbecue on sticks but we couldn't keep up with the skewering so we developed ribs as well."
"We learned how to make lechon from a lechon master." Source: John and Maria Viojan
Kasama sa mga maiinit na pagkaing kinilang niluluto ay ang popular nilang dessert na ube soft serve.
"The lechon and ube are the most visual items on our menu. People get intrigued by the colour of the ube. It's a hard flavour to explain," saad ni Maria.
Tawa ni John, "What's really cool is when you explain to adults what ube is - that it's from the potato yam family - the look of uncertainty is amazing. Kids get it right away though - it's sweet potato, it's purple and it's ice cream!"
Banana and jackfruit spring rolls with Ube and Leche flan soft serve Source: John and Maria Viojan
Pag-angkop
Malaban sa malikhaing menu, naging malikhain din ang Viojans pagdating sa kanilang business model ng mangyari ang pandemya.
"When we had our first lockdown because of COVID, we just finished our last day of the Adelaide Fringe Festival. We were thinking - what next? We were getting cancellation after cancellation like everybody else," pag-amin ni John.
Saad ni Maria, "It was hard. We lost the whole vibe of being in festivals. That was taken away and we had to change our business model. We started making take-home packs and longganisa [sausages]. People were supportive of small businesses, which was great."
Maswerte ang mag-asawa't ngayo'y nakakapagluto na silang muli ng pagkaing Pinoy para sa festival crowd.
Luckily, the pair are back to doing what they love most - cooking Filipino food for a festival crowd. Source: John and Maria Viojan
Saad ni Maria, "We live in a world that's so uncertain, so we have to be adaptive. But we're lucky we're in Australia. We're in a really good place."
BASAHIN / PAKINGGAN DIN
