started cooking at a young age, helping my Lola (grandma) make traditional Filipino dishes like and rice cakes, which are enjoyed by many where I grew up in the Philippines. When I was 10 years old, we moved to Kentucky, and I turned to Filipino food to feel less homesick. The more I learned about Kentucky cuisine and produce—and about Southern cooking in general—the more I fell in love with it. What I really love, though, is merging the two cultures together in
