FALL MENU RESEARCH

Thank you for dining with us at Archipelago. Our menu is driven by FilAm history in place, here in the Pacific Northwest. Beyond the archives and books used to guide this research, we honor the stories of community members still active - fighting to make the world better for all of us. Further, we thank all of our producers and food systems workers who make this experience possible. Our actions today shape history tomorrow - may the changing season bring you cherished beginnings.

Driving our menu forward this summer are the stories and places of ...

FIRE SEASON, PEOPLE OF THE BLADE, ZANTE FARMS, CRAFT WOODWORKING, MAXINE GONONG, “THE CASINO”, FUTURE ANCESTORS, THIRD ANDRESEN, HIGH ELEVATION, BELEN DE GUZMAN.

While you enjoy this deep-dive, listen to the Fall Experience that was played during your dinner.

MERYENDAS

FIRE SEASON

For Meryendas, which people of Philippine ancestry know as “snacks” or light meals, we are exploring the way that fire itself can be seen as an analytic to relate across geographies. When we think of the Pacific Northwest - oftentimes we are drawn to the forest. The hanging moss, the mist, and fern bounded paths.

The forests in the Pacific Northwest are home to so much life, history, and story. Like all landscapes affected by humans - it is a place of constant change. Sometimes, these places are stewarded - sometimes, these places are disregarded - devalued, and considered afterthoughts if at all. 

For this course we explore the parallels between the tropical rainforests of the Philippines and the temperate rainforests of the Pacific Northwest. United by more than name and process, they are also united by the raw forces of fire. “Fire Season” in the Pacific Northwest and in Washington is a volatile time. Yes, fire is needed for certain species to regrow - but wildfires here are burning hotter and longer than ever before. Many times started accidentally, fires in the Pacific Northwest can be devastating. 

Using the traditional ecological practices of fire-based agriculture in the Philippines can be a lens through which we view a respect for fire and the processes by which it transforms. It does not just destroy - it restores, and establishes a recycling of nutrients back to the soil and in turn feeds traditional crops. The kaingin process, once misunderstood and vilified, is now seen as a model of stewardship for these places that rely on fire and forests to sustain traditional ecological practices. 

Here, we were inspired by the possibility of this relationship to fire here in the Pacific Northwest. One which has historically existed in Native practices and relationships to this ancient place. What does fire mean to us, how do we respect it, honor it, and both use it to cook and inspire new life? How does our method of recycling nutrients to the soil, parallel those we transform through cooking to nourish?

Burn Morels – are featured heavily in this course. They are a species of Morel Mushroom that only grows in Pacific Northwest conifer forests and only after a forest fire. It is not just specific ingredients that anchor us here, it is also how we think about cooking with live fire. 

At Meryendas, we frame this course as a collision of both the old and the new - layers and history of eating with one’s hand, cooking and transporting with leaves, and perhaps most importantly attempt to understand archipelagos of connectivity that go beyond what manifests often as a land acknowledgment - instead to try and tell stories of nuance and position highlighting assertions of sovereignty.

We encourage all guests to explore on their own and learn about Native history from Native scholars and community workers. Seattle has great examples, to start see:

• Native Land

• Suquamish Museum

• wǝɫǝbʔaltxʷ Intellectual House

• Real Rent Duwamish

 Course 2

PEOPLE OF THE BLADE

There’s a lot of history behind a nickname. History that isn’t always remembered, but lives on and changes in every retelling and speaking of the name. FilAms are somewhat notorious for nicknames, family history recounted in every word.

Beyond the family, FilAms often took nicknames based on the occupations that they have. “Alaskeros” are one of the best examples of this - Alaskeros, Filipinos who worked in the Canneries up in places like Ketchikan and Seward, oftentimes doing work for less than the pay of their white compatriots. Who had to stay in segregated bunkhouses, but this place too was a site for large transformations. For organizing labor, for building relationships, a lifeline for new immigrants to the US, and a place where culture and writing - the birth of some of the most important Filipino American periodicals was generated. 

In our research, we found other nicknames - some that are far more ancient. To neighbors in Palau, Filipinos were known as “People of the Knife” for the ways that steelcraft and blade designs were honed throughout the Archipelago. Just scratching the surface of blade culture in the Philippines reveals a depth of knowledge and sharing that few have mastered, and some have taken on in their practice of Martial Arts. Here in Seattle, we have a few studios dedicated to teaching Filipino Martial Arts - as well as are home to the resting place of the famed Martial Artist Bruce Lee - who trained with Dan Inosanto. 

Our Sous Chef Nette traveled to the Philippines this summer and in her travels connected with local bladesmiths to think about how these instruments often used for agriculture could be brought back to this setting and used in our experience. 

Blademaking and metal crafting culture is an ancient technology and tradition in the Philippines that continues to be transformed and innovated on as a form of artistry to this day. Connecting with artisans and supporting their craft to re-imagine our own continues to invigorate the team and inspire our relationships to our craft. 

 Course 3

ZANTE FARM

According to an interview with his wife, Dorie, Federico Zante got lost on his way from the Philippines to Seattle, seemed to always be getting on the wrong boat. First, it was to China where he spent quite a bit of time, and then to Japan, where he spent quite a bit of time again in 1927. He was always looking for adventure and to experience new things, she recounts. Dorie would go on to take over Zante Farms after Federico’s passing.

When he first got to Seattle, like many other Filipinos he was taking hard jobs that did not pay well. He was a houseboy - effectively a servant, and a sharecropper. But somehow, in 1929, in the face of immense challenges and in the wake of violent protests and discrimination against Filipinos and many other people of color, he managed to purchase his own farm in Woodinville, WA. Once he purchased his own farm, he quickly became known for his farming skills.

“It was like a kaleidoscope” – people recount when they recall his farm. He was always growing food differently, in a way that was ecologically rich with layers of vegetables and flowers together. His farm paved the way for Filipino Americans to own their own farms today, which builds off one of the central themes of this course – generational change and impact. 

Always vegetable forward, this course explores the foundations of our agricultural fabric here in Washington. From the wheat of the pandesal, to the fermentation and freshness of the vegetables together.

This story is also one of generational loss. Zante Farms and farmstand no longer exists, although it was one of the first and most important sites of Filipino American agricultural history in the US. The changing hands of land, those who prioritize it, steward it, and see value in it adjust over time. With the passing of time and stories that are forgotten – we must ask ourselves the same questions that some, even those we have already explored like the Society of Golden Agers, what counts as a historical site? What counts as a place of significance, and to whom? When we are gone - who will speak for us? 

Records of Zante Farmstand still exist, but Zante Farm was rendered to a zone on a planning map, demarcated as having little current value, and the land was changed again.

For current and new farmers, we know that the road isn’t easy. Our partners have faced changing climates, floods, and labor conditions without steady incomes and even things like health insurance. Working together to imagine new food systems is at the core of this generational change and this dish. We must be able to demonstrate the value of what we create, what we produce, and to be able to show how that comes together for our generation and the next.

COURSE 4

 CRAFT WOODWORKING

Vicente Labrador Jr was a self-taught master of his craft. He sought opportunities to learn more about woodworking all over the US. He traveled to places including Virginia, Hawaii, and Guam, and spent significant time in the Philippines. He founded Abella Woodworking here in Seattle and then later, opened up a shop in the Philippines where he merged design elements from the Philippines with methods he learned during his apprenticeships. He made custom furniture, outfitted offices, and made one-of-a-kind commissioned products. In the 1970s, his work was featured in Architectural Digest and he became a famous designer in the Philippines.

As we have already mentioned the parallels between the Forest in the Pacific Northwest and the Forests of the Philippines, there was another individual who thought of this through the parallel of his craft. 

His family remembers him as a boundless creative spirit. In highschool, his family would talk about how he would create incredible vessels, and art - sometimes in unexpected shapes and forms. This passion of using his hands to make everyday and functional designs would translate to him working in pursuit of his craft as a woodworker. Later in life, his work was featured in Architectural Digest, and he became a household name for his exclusive designs that combined mid-century modern influences with traditional Philippine materials and design inspirations. For example, like rattan, local woods, and elevated structures.  

His work and designs would become sought after. Often custom pieces they would have a bespoke quality that showed the artistry of each handmade design. 

At Archipelago, our sourdough miki noodles are handmade every morning by our nicknamed “miki-master” Louis Lin. In a world of mass production and standardization - every day begins a new opportunity to work in the moment, to assess the environment - the dough, and the conditions that inform it. From there, it is crafted into something beautiful, unique, and entirely of the present. 

COURSE 5

MAXINE GONONG

During the 1940s, at a time when few women were in positions of leadership - Maxine Gonong was elected the first woman president of the FCS. Throughout her life, she led a celebrated career of activism, writing, public speaking, and diplomacy.

She was known to celebrate traditional filipina fashion, often testifying and public speaking in terno or traditional Philippine dress and aesthetics popularized at the turn of the 20th century. Unifying her word and her aesthetics made her an iconic symbol of women’s power in politics and beyond. After her time in Seattle, she moved to San Francisco where she worked at the helm of multiple Filipino-American organizations. She wrote her own column in the newspaper, as well as hosted a variety of events for dignitaries, presidents, and to honor the hardworking generations that came before.

One of the most interesting images is of Maxine Gonong hosting a celebration for the pensionados in service to Fish and Wildlife. The pensionado generation and program was a US sponsored opportunity to earn one’s education at a university in the US. Many Filipinos came to the US to earn degrees, and then took this knowledge back to the Philippines. The granularity by which we understand our relationships with place can be seen in these historical vignettes. The forests and lands of the pacific, and the broader landscape of the american west, was deeply educational to Filipinos and Filipino Americans, who in turn brought that knowledge back to the Philippines - much of Filipino forestry and the knowledges that have historically contrasted Indigenous forest management methodologies. 

 COURSE 6

“THE CASINO”

We are so delighted to have learned about “The Casino” from Cynthia Mejia-Giudici, an incredible community historian who also helped out her mother there when she was young. She recounts how this place, called “The Casino” wasn’t actually a casino, rather, it was a social dance hall where many filipinos found themselves spending time together. 

Dance Halls and pool halls were some of the most popular and important venues for Filipino – usually filipino young men - to come and gather. It was here, during a game of poker or over drinks, chismis spread. Rumors, details, and stories were shared - perhaps it was information on which restaurants paid their staff the most, who was new in town, and later – it was information on how to build collective power through labor unions, which became sources of incredible change in the 20th century. So much so that people in their work were able to bring democracy back to the Philippines. 

The CID, and now we know Pioneer Square, formed areas of density and life for Filipino Americans. Recently, the CID was commemorated as a Manila Town - one of many in the US that have historically been home to places where Filipinos and Filipino Americans established businesses, lived, worked, and sought entertainment.

Here in the Casino on 172 S Washington St, taxi dances were held, people drank and danced together. According to Mejia-Giudici, plates of food were handed out including rice cakes, biko, and others. It was certainly a place you would never go hungry.

 COURSE 7

FUTURE ANCESTORS

We are truly lucky to be a home for artists. Many of whom share our culture, and some that do not. Alexa Villanueva, or Lexa Luna, is a dear friend and multi-disciplinary artist from which we are so excited to share. Her work is both gentle and provocative, deep-seated, earthy and maternal. She brings another layer of magic into what cooking already seems to do, transforming the everyday into something more and nourishing our souls.

As we continue to develop our friendship with Lexa, she has commissioned several forms that have spoken to how our cooking and ideation have evolved. Her goblet, for example, conceals layers in its simplicity. Her craft allowed Aaron’s dream of having an elegant three-component dish come to life.

One day, we will all become future ancestors. Now, it is our task to reflect on the legacy and impact and emotions we hope to share with others today. Lexa Luna’s tarot cards remind us to live in a way where we can be advised to step into those relationships. Where culture and food is so profound that it transcends time and space. And leaves an impression of what meaning and love means.

For us, this position marks deep meaning - and grief. It comes upon one full year of transitioning the entire menu each season. Exploring the craft as it changes with time, ingredients, and method. It also serves as a reminder to us everyday of Miranda Qassis, our beloved team member, who we lost too young. Her innovations on this halo-halo dish were felt from the moment she presented it. Using melon and creative technique, she turned our understanding of this timeless Filipino dessert on its head. She is our ancestor now, and with each night a piece of her spirit can live on in us, and continue to touch all those that come and share food and space with us.

 COURSE 8

DR. THIRD ANDRESEN

As a teenager Third Andresen was featured as a young community organizer in Time Magazine. He worked for a summer with a union corps helping workers fight for their rights. Like many Filipino Americans, he described growing up feeling out of touch with the broader history and legacy of belonging in the US. It was not until the start of his career in college, when he first learned about the depth of Filipino American history, that he started to see himself as an educator, and a researcher deeply interested in and passionate about education. 

His work now at the University of Washington focuses on local history, with an emphasis on working for the Central District. Recently his work has focused on hip-hop cultures, both in the Philippines and in the new sounds that Filipino-Americans make. Remixing old and new, here and there, he believes that art and music hold the keys to deliver hard truths. We are continuously inspired by Dr. Third Andresen’s work, a fellow creative and a local legend, whose praises we can hardly sing enough of. 

At Archipelago, we think through the culture and the cuisine similarly. In this course, we showcase a PNW Chocolate, made entirely from local ingredients. We take something familiar, break it down, and put it back together in ways that help us reimagine what the local can hold.

 COURSE 9

HIGH ELEVATION

Regie Pablo was the first Filipino to summit Mount Everest in 2007. His journey and ascent was not easy, and it was a harrowing experience. He trained globally for this endeavor and had sponsorship, but that was unfortunately taken away to his surprise. He scrambled to get prepared for the expedition, and had to seek private funding and crowdsourced for the trip. For preparation, he trained in the Cascades and in Alaska, as well as in high altitude and alpine environments in India and the Himalayas, and New Zealand. His work helped to co-found the Mountaineering Federation of the Philippine Islands which has exploded in membership over the years. Now, he has multiple engagements in advocating for conservation, building the mountaineering community in the Philippines, and educating about his work.

Further, the culture of outdoor mountaineering and recreation in the Philippines has inspired new perspectives on fashion, the use of innovative local materials, and in some cases a decision to deepen one’s understanding of the past. Looking back to traditional dress for inspirations on rain gear, working in collaboration with Indigenous communities to preserve their land and land rights.

We are inspired by the echos of places united in their elevation. From glaciers and steep mountain passes, to the sheer levels of mental fortitude and resolve it takes to best such places. Washington is home to many places - beautiful vistas and alpine lakes, and in the fall - a blanket of golden aspens. Using high-elevations to explore our culture through food, we honor the legacy of Regie Pablo and continue to explore how we engage with these precious and challenging places.

 COURSE 10

BELEN DE GUZMAN

Belen De Guzman was one of only three women in her graduating class at the University of Washington in 1938. She graduated with a degree in home economics, the same degrees that many of her contemporaries did. Home economics as some already know, was a powerful force creating new preparations and diets in the Philippines. But also are some of the earliest sources for recorded Filipino and FilAm recipes, of which we are certain Belen also refined.

Her work at the Maryknoll school in Beacon Hill is especially profound. The Maryknoll school had many students of Filipino American and Japanese American descent, and as such it weathered many challenging moments, especially during WWII. Her work nourishing the next generation is an inspiration, and something to celebrate and honor.

Here, we have hoped to build from that work - inviting students from local schools to dine with us for a special luncheon and through work building out curriculum with the Filipino American Educators of Washington. Our work continues to take us into the future, and we continue to need your help to do so.

* gold star if you’ve read this far! *

Belen reminds us that we need the voices and contributions of ALL OF US in order to help shape our understanding of our collective history. Of what is precious to us, even if it does not seem that way at the time. Our stories are deeply valuable. While we have already discussed FANHS, we want to do more for us and them. We want to build our own archive, connect to our communities and make lasting impact.

Do you have a story you would like to share with the team?

Do you know more about the stories we have shared?

Do you have a family member you would like to reach out to and conduct an oral history?

Do you have family history you need assistance sorting through?

If so, please contact han@archipelagoseattle.com for a personal consultation, or fill out this form!