Hidden Apron Radio

Lola Rosa’s MN is comprised of two sets of brothers - Mike & Erick Ervas + Ryan & Randy Limbag - who also happen to be cousins to each other who decided to get into the catering/pop-up food scene shortly after their lola (grandmother) passed away. Almost overnight, they were slingin’ their fusion Filipino street food (think chicken adobo baos, pork belly “Cebuanos” [a twist on Cubanos]) at large-scale events and was just recently named as one of the most surprising things that happened in the Twin Cities food scene by Eater. Sold out event on top of their day gigs in banking, teaching, hospitality, and music!

We talk about:
- what aspects of the food business they had to learn on their own and what they had to ask for help for
- balancing their many obligations including newborns, graduating college, and day jobs
- how they became successful despite their “un-traditional” approach to cultural food
- their advice in finding people to support your dreams...even if they aren't family

More information can be found at hiddenapron.com/podcast.

Joanne Boston is a born connector of people especially when it involves food. She started out like most bloggers covering her own dining adventures but moved on to banding people together and providing chefs with the necessary market to test out the menus they’ve always wanted to cook. She’s helped organize massive food festivals in the Bay Area and is now the force behind the Filipino Food Movement and Savor Filipino Instagram accounts which have grown exponentially over a short period of time. No matter the channel, Joanne’s found a way to band people together in the shared art of feasting.

We talk about:
- how to start and grow communities whether online or in-person
- having the confidence to practice your craft despite all the noise on the internet and the dreaded “Comments” section
- leveraging writing and social media to cultivate and democratize dialog
- what Filipino food looks like all around the world

More information can be found at hiddenapron.com/podcast.

My first guest on the show was one of my earliest collaborators and really stretches the boundaries of what a “moveable feast” means. Yana Gilbuena, who calls herself a “gypsy chef” of sorts, completed 50 pop-up dinners in all 50 states within a year. A task that most would consider completely insane since at times she didn’t even know where she would be sleeping at night. Through her critically-acclaimed “SALO Series”, she’s now bringing regional Filipino cuisine around the world.

We cover:
- transitioning from her job as a designer into the world of cooking (with little professional training at that!)
- the minimum skills and equipment you’d need to learn to cook for yourself and others
- what the concept of “dining” really means
- introducing new flavors to people who have never tasted them before and doing it successfully

More information can be found at hiddenapron.com/podcast.

This is the first episode for Hidden Apron Radio and is the result of many attempts to try and tell the rich stories that people have shared with us since we've begun our food-filled journey. Rather than attempting to summarize it into the written word, we wanted to let them speak directly to you via this podcast. You'll get the chance to hear from a broad range of people: grizzled veterans, caterers, bloggers, farmers, restaurateurs, and regular home cooks. They'll cover everything from quick kitchen tips and tricks, advice on running a side hustle, the cultural aspects of food, behind-the-scenes (or kitchen?) sentiments on how our food gets to our plate, and many more gustatory topics.

For this first episode, I’ll quickly summarize why we decide to start this podcast and what we’d like to see out of it: more appreciation for the food we eat and for everyone in the world to feel confident in becoming chefs in their own right. Think of this as setting the stage and guiding all our future episodes.

More information can be found at hiddenapron.com/podcast.