BRINGHE

If you have dined at Magna Kusina, chances are that Lester Cabigting has made your food. Most nights, you’ll find him working the line and turning out gorgeous food with love. As one of the younger chefs, Lester is part of the new guard at Magna and one of the restaurant’s rising stars. He is originally from Pampanga, a province in the Philippines located northwest from Manila, and he moved to Portland fairly recently in 2017. Lester developed a keen interest in cooking, but his parents wanted him to pursue a field that had better earning potential and benefits—something many children of immigrants can probably relate to. Although his family didn’t approve, he decided to apply for culinary school anyway and was accepted. Towards the end of school, he was accepted as an intern at Magna and eventually earned his spot on the line. His story is one of many that remind me that pursuing your dream with grit and grace is worthwhile, meaningful, noble.

When I came to visit Lester at the restaurant, he had all the ingredients for Bringhe prepped. Originating from Pampanga where Lester is from, Bringhe is an indigenized version of paella—a remnant of the Spanish colonization of the Philippines—and a favorite dish only seen during larger special occasions like a fiesta or holidays. It is typically used to supplement steamed rice during these larger gatherings so that rice is always present—those rice cookers can only work so hard! When asked what makes this recipe special, Lester shared that he loved harvesting the turmeric growing in the garden which would only be used for this particular dish.

It was so much fun watching Lester make his family recipe for me. Lester shared that his family typically uses chicken meat, gizzards and liver, but when he makes it he omits the liver because of his textural preference. We love how people personalize recipes based on their taste to make it their own.

Please enjoy some snaps from our hang out and look out for Lester’s first pop up .. coming soon.

❤️Jane

CHICKEN TINOLA

There is such comfort in a bowl of chicken soup, which is probably why so many different cultures have a version of it—tinolang manok is the Filipino take. This iconic dish is said to have been invented in the 1800s, with some believing is was developed even earlier. According to CNN Philippines, “the oldest record we have of tinola is from Jose Rizal, who loved the dish so much he wrote it into the first scene of ‘Noli Me Tangere.’”

Growing up, various members of my family would make their version of this dish when someone was feeling under the weather or when it was especially chilly out. The generous amount of ginger adds a little spice and intensity to the dish which I especially love now as an adult. I like to throw in some extra vegetables because we always needs more veggies in our lives, and I also highly recommended enjoying this with some rice because rice is life.

❤️Jane