Portland-based Filipino chef Carlo Lamagna, one of Food & Wine's Best New Chefs 2021, on the dishes he craves for and what fills up his pasalubong stash when he returns to the Philippines
Carlo Lamagna's path to becoming one of Food & Wine's Best New Chefs 2021 is winding, to say the very least.
His story starts in Detroit, where he spent his early childhood. Even then, Lamagna had developed a strong sense of family and a close relationship with food and produce, raised amidst the genteel sensibilities of the Midwest. Soon after, he and his younger siblings were sent to the Philippines to live with their father and establish a deeper connection with their own Filipino heritage. It was here that an adolescent Lamagna graduated from high school and attended college, where he would eventually be kicked out.
Emboldened with the newfound Filipino culinary knowledge learnt from his father, Lamagna flew back to Detroit, gained restaurant experience working numerous stints around town, and finally enrolled at the Culinary Institute of America. This opened up a world of opportunity after graduation, leading him to Germany, France, and Spain before returning to the US. This time, his destination was Portland, Oregon, set to helm Clyde Commons as its executive chef. But as fate would have it, a serious economic downturn plagued the market, and Lamagna lost his post.
As they say, fate is a funny thing. This was a challenging, stressful time for Lamagna—but it was precisely these pressures that pushed him to open his very own Filipino restaurant, Magna Kusina.
See also: Two Filipinos Named Best New Chefs 2021: Meet Carlo Lamagna and Thessa Diadem
Somewhat of a successor to his pop-up concept Twisted Filipino, Magna Kusina is a realisation of Lamagna's love for Filipino food, particularly his affinity for street food and other pulutan fare (more on that, later). Dishes like charcoal-grilled fishballs and isaw, meaty lumpia, and crisp sisig pair excellently with the slew of beer, wine, and Filipino-inspired cocktails on offer. Unafraid to flex his creative muscles, Lamagna continues to expand the menu with creations like beef kilawin (on the menu soon) and has even launched a collaborative Pacific Northwest-Philippine dinner with JEM supper club.
Despite his worldly background, his intentions and inspirations remain rooted in the Philippines, citing his parents as major influences at Magna Kusina and noting his late father, Willie, as the chef he reveres the most. Indeed, his infatuation with our cuisine stirs a rousing hunger whenever he thinks of home. “What I seek out are foods that trigger amazing memories,” he shares, reflecting on the dishes he craves for when he's back in the Philippines.
Read all about Lamagda's favourite eats, bucket-list restaurants, and must-pack pasalubong when he visits, here:
See also: The Food Evangelists: Meet The People Promoting Filipino Cuisine Across The Globe