“I'm a perfectionist. If I want the food cooked to my liking, it needs to be like that.”

So there was a Kawayan before?

Yep, this used to be just Kawayan. We kept the name. On Google it's Taste of Kawayan now, but it's our first restaurant ever, or at least my parents'. Mainly theirs. My dad's passion.

The recipes come from my dad's mom's side, back in the Philippines. They used to supply SM in Iloilo City, mom-and-pop stuff, tocino, pancit molo. My cousin's grandpa had a heart problem so they stopped selling, changed his diet, more vegetables, not too crazy on the fat. They gave us the recipes. My dad's been cooking from them since he was a kid, brought it here, and that's how Kawayan started.

Funny thing, stereotype, both my parents are nurses. My dad gave up his license, sold his home health business, and opened this. First step in water. We kept the name because we couldn't think of another one, and our lawyer was like, why change it? The restaurant had history. You keep the old customers and pick up new ones through word of mouth.

Did it look like this when you took it over?

Funny thing, my dad got upset with the contractor; he messed up this wallpaper. We hired a Filipino architect, good guy, his firm designed half of Northwestern downtown. We hired a Filipino contractor too. This was supposed to be three weeks of primer; he did two, and the wallpaper expanded out. New ones are three grand, so we left it. If we put sticky residue on top, once we remove it the paint comes off with it.

We had to change everything. Only kept the tables and the seats. The walls used to be bamboo. We added cushioned benches, changed the whole floor, swapped cement for waterproof wood flooring, lighter color so you can see specks and dirt. Funny thing, this room used to be bigger. You can't tell because the architect framed it with pillars to make it feel roomy. We moved the kitchen forward. So it's smaller but feels bigger.

What's still on the to-do list?

A lot. We're like 90% finished. Down the hallway to the bathroom, we were supposed to graffiti noodles flying, kitchen bowls, Manny Pacquiao. Never got to it. Those open holes were supposed to be vents. The architect made a mistake, and because this building's basically a tunnel, the wind has nowhere to go. That's how our door broke. It smashed open and we had to refix it. We pulled some panels so the wind has somewhere to escape.

What on the menu are you guys most proud of?

Everything. But especially La Paz Batchoy, if you search it up, it's listed number one soup in the world. That's what we're famous for in Iloilo City, near Cebu. That and chicken Manganesa, the two most famous dishes from Iloilo. And Iloilo City is the number one gastronomy in the Philippines right now. As an Ilonggo, I'm proud of that. Talk of the tongue, talk of the mouth.

What's next for the business?

Business is doing good. Not bad, good enough that we might open a new spot by end of this year or next. We're keeping this one. My dad wants to do almost a Panda Express, but Filipino. Not exactly Panda Express, but you see the wok, it's still authentic, just fast casual. An upgrade version.

Why fast casual instead of going for a Michelin star?

Michelin is very political. You basically need to be on a TV show first so you have a name, like Guy Fieri. My dad doesn't want to play that game, and he doesn't want to sell our authentic batchoy. If you sell a restaurant, sometimes you gotta hand over the recipe. So we keep this one, and the new spot moves quick. Look at Knock Knock Grill, Middle Eastern place, bought by KFC. Dave's Hot Chicken started selling tenders out of their house, just got bought for $9 billion. Not a Michelin star in sight.

What did you learn picking this location that'll shape the next one?

Free parking is really, really big. We had two other options. One was Isabel, a Filipino spot on a busy street, but no parking, you gotta pay for it. The other was inside a mall, hidden where you can't be seen. It doesn't need to be Jollibee or Maxim's, but you gotta be visible. And the mall rent was expensive. So we ended up here. Free parking, even though it's a hidden gem. Next location is going to be near the airport. Where it's busy is the best. You don't need to be the best food, Michelin star, whatever. Look at McDonald's. It's literally just location at the end of the day.

Would you guys play with the menu at all? Twists, fusion, anything like that?

Filipino, but with a twist. Not fusion. That's too much. Take siopao. You know how with Chinese food, the bun is so good, chewy. Our siopao isn't a fusion, it's just a twist. We put dinuguan inside instead of asado. Some people like dinuguan with puto, but you can't eat puto with rice, so why not put it in a bun? We've tried siopao with adobo too. Not bad, maybe needs a little rice on the side, but the bun is good with anything.

The goal is to keep it Filipino. Even the siopao is Filipino. Just with a twist. Sisig tacos, that's fusion. We want to evolve the cuisine without leaving it.

Do you have any regulars who aren't Filipino?

Yes. Funny thing, since this is our first restaurant, we were surprised. We've had all kinds of people. We're proud of that. Filipino food, you can cook at home. Having other ethnicities walk in is the best feeling, because our goal is to grow from Filipinos to everyone else. That's when you know the food is good, when other people will try it. Doesn't matter what color skin you are, our goal is to invite all.

We had a catering once for Kaldereta. The customer was a Filipina. She walks in, no Filipinos in the place, every table full. She was a bit confused. My dad was so proud.

What's it like working with your dad?

Be honest? A pain. He gets mad when he cooks. That's his passion. Probably because of my grandma. She cooks, she gets mad too. He's a perfectionist. He always tells my cousin, "I'm a perfectionist. If I want the food cooked to my liking, it needs to be like that." You gotta make sure the customer likes the food. If you cook bad, you think they're gonna come back?

My dad tells me the same thing about how you dress. Anywhere you go, dress at least casual, because you never know who you'll meet. If you're in a tank top and a billionaire drives by, you think he's gonna talk to you? Same thing for cooking. He takes it with pride, with passion. If something's wrong, he gets upset.

There's a Filipino guy I met here, three-star Michelin chef from New York, used to work at the White House. Pastry chef. He's eaten here three times, said it's one of his favorites. Loves our crispy pinakbet. I asked him, working as a Michelin chef, do you encounter chefs who get mad? I didn't tell him it's my dad. He said actually that's where I get most of my experience from. You meet chefs who are angry, chefs who are cool, chefs who hammer on you.

What did that chef teach you about cooking?

I asked him, do you learn more from culinary school or from working for others? He said working for others. Culinary school only gets you to a certain point. If you follow the rules, just like in life, bird of a flock, what makes you different? It's not a cheat code, but he said, if Google Maps tells you the fast route is 30 minutes, sometimes you take the 40-minute route just to learn the road. You don't go to culinary school and come out a chef. You need to experience other chefs.

That's what working with my dad is. A guy who'll yell at you, who'll get mad, but you learn more than from any book. Why do you think Michelin chefs travel to other countries? They learn from grandmas. They learn from the food that's not known in that country, the food you see in the countryside. That's where you learn the most.

What's surprised you about the work?

Everything. I grew up not being lazy. Before this I worked three, four jobs, Discount Tire, Jewel-Osco, the dealership, festivals like Lollapalooza and Taste of Joliet. So I had some customer service. Then I worked here. That's when I say a restaurant is one of the hardest places you could work. Discount Tire was honestly more fun. Here it's fun too because I'm with my cousin and surrounded by family. But man, the restaurant industry.

What makes it a special kind of hard?

It's fast paced. No sitting down, no slacking. Even if there's less customers, there's always something to do. Cleaning, prepping, nonstop. And answering calls day after day.

What makes it special is meeting people. Doesn't matter the location, you meet at least one or two interesting people. Could get weirder, could get cool, connections with people you don't know.

And seeing people actually enjoy the food. My dad always tells us, we're not here to compete with other Filipinos, we want to make Filipinos proud. But hearing "your food is good," it gives a smile. We're thankful when someone says it. Hearing positive reviews is the best feeling ever.

What do you want for yourself in the future?

I day trade. S&P, NASDAQ, futures and options. It's been paying off. Besides that I'm into finance and business. Both my parents are in the medical field, so I told my mom two days ago, hey, I want to be a dentist. Day trading is good but it's not something secure that I have yearly. So I'm figuring it out. Going wherever God gives me.

But really, my dream is freedom. Money is second or third. If you're religious, it's God, then family, then the rest. Would I want to be a millionaire? Heck yeah. You have all the money in the world, you could give back. But the goal is freedom. Freedom where if I have a family someday and my kid asks what's for Christmas, I can say, wherever you want. That's the freedom I want. If you're not happy with what you're doing, even owning a restaurant, then why? Sometimes having a purpose or a goal or a dream, that's what keeps people alive.