In his new documentary, “Food Roots,” Dec invites viewers to see who he is under the iconic fedora as he travels to the Philippines to reconnect with relatives — uncovering culture, family recipes and parts of himself along the way.
Dec sat down with “Chicago Tonight” to talk about “Food Roots,” cooking with his family and the growing popularity of Filipino food.
On making a documentary:
“Originally, I was just documenting it so that when I was going back to the islands of the Philippines and learning the recipes of my ancestors, finding family and all these remote villages and mountains and beachside towns, … I wasn’t consumed with the process of writing things down. I just wanted to be present.
“But going back to the Philippines, you know, documenting it, and just going from food to family to life, all these things started to unwind. And when we got home, we noticed that the footage was unlike anything we ever expected. And an Oscar-winning producer, friend and an Emmy-winning Filipina director who knew the culture as well, saw the footage, and Apl.de.app from the Black Eyed Peas started putting music to it, and they made this magic.”
On Filipino food’s mainstream moment:
“Well, I think the genre of food is extremely exciting. It’s always evolving. It’s totally innovative. Part of its unique characteristics is that it’s been, you know, had influences from all around the world, and it’s so bright and beautiful and delicious and unique, but at the same time, it’s just been this genre of food that hasn’t really been explored. And I think with the explosion of chef TV and food adventurers and all these content creators that have made their way around the world to these beautiful 7,641 islands in the Philippines, they started to really create intrigue and excitement, demand and attraction to this, this type of food in this, this really beautiful part of the world.”
On being bullied over food as a kid:
“No one wanted to trade with me at lunch. You know, they had, like, Pop-Tarts, Wonder Bread sandwiches smooshed, you know, like old-school. And I had like these … fish and vinegar and things that people freak out about now and love. You know, you grow up loving what your grandma, my Lola, raised me on in the house. And once you hit middle school and high school, you begin to push away a bit because people make you feel a little uncomfortable. I think once I left for college and went on to be an adult, and especially law school and went away and lost my Lola, I really had a void. Something was wrong and missing. And that’s when we started playing around with Sunda (the restaurant), which is 18 years old. Now, we had to be very careful with the introduction of Filipino food back in the day, because nobody really was interested in it. So it’s Southeast Asian elevated, and it played with all these different countries around the region, including Filipino food.”
On the influences found in Filipino food:
“I like to say it’s very much a foundation of Southeast Asian flavors. … But then you get to integrate some things, especially from Spain and China are the big ones for me, but there’s, you know, Japan, Malaysia, India, U.S., you name it. There’s so many different influences. I think that there’s a really wonderful mix of umami, this burst of real savory flavor that people aren’t used to, combined with these fresh, bright citrus and fruits and vegetables that come from the Philippines, but, yeah, it’s just a mix. ... And again, it evolves. And that is what’s great about it. So it always is something new.”
On making lumpia in the Philippines:
“This was her (my grandmother’s) sister and the last remaining elder of that generation. I really felt, like, an incredible connectivity with her. I was really, like, flashbacking on cooking, or seeing my Lola cook, but also learning that there was a way in which she did it different from everyone, that really unveiled a family story and a story about Filipinos and perseverance and all these sort of things. She had grown up in another home, and I would have never known that unless someone told me that. But that’s what these journeys do back in time, when you really deep dive on what your ancestors did to come together, love and take care of each other, it unearths shocking stories.”
“Food Roots” airs on WTTW at 9 p.m. May 11. For more showtimes, click here.