The Night of Goodness!

What a soul-fulfilling night

Our 2nd Annual Noche Buena Celebration is complete and what a magical night it was! This event is about building community and bringing the flavor of the Philipines to YOU - Gatâ style - and we believe we did exactly that. So many of you came to experience the food but we do hope you left with the joy of the Filipino spirit in your heart.

This time of the holiday season is the hardest as an immigrant far from home, but I felt nothing but love circulating around that room, and I thank y’all for making it possible, making it happen!! There would be no celebration without the power of showing up and sharing it with those in our growing community.

From the lights to music and of course the food itself, the vibe of my Noche Buena was coming to life but the people who came to eat are those that made it so special. I overheard the laughter and appreciate the kind words so much from all those I was able to talk with. My team and the team at Union (the powerful Filipina servers & mixologist) gave the night all they had in celebration and created a smoother service for me than ever before! Though there is always something to improve upon, I want to celebrate them and say thank you for the professional efforts and value they brought to this event!

My family is dispersed throughout the world, as many Filipino families are. We keep in touch the best we can and visit as able but I have not been home since I left in 2009 as an 18-year-old.

My circumstances have not yet allowed for it and the pandemic made it that much harder to get there, so with your participation, I am able to recreate a little of that magic here in New Orleans - my home away from home - with Filipinos & Americans alike.

I want to give a shoutout to Union Ramen for hosting us, and all my mentors and OG fans who came out to support as they have done since my days delivering ube cheesecakes to their doorsteps! And to those of you that took the chance to try something new, I hope you felt the warm embrace of my Lola (grandma) at the end of midnight mass as I waited for our Noche Buena dinner to begin.

This is the memory I shared with you at my own Noche Buena celebration.

P.s.

Save the date for next year as this is our annual event!

Maraming Salamat!!