Meet the Family Behind Mama's Lumpia
We've had the pleasure of working with Mama's Lumpia since we met at the Adobo Festival in 2020. They serve up mouthwatering Filipino food daily, including the best garlic noods, addicting ube crinkle cookies, and of course allll the lumpia. If you're a monthly Southeast Snack box subscriber, we featured their ube star candies in this month's box.
We're so excited to share a little more about Mama's Lumpia with all of you!
Mama's Lumpia is a family-owned and operated small business with a mission to share authentic Filipino cuisine and culture with our local community and beyond. Our team consists of Mama Haydee, Papa Romano, Kuya Gian, Ate Celina, and Bunso Simon. We are opening a takeout restaurant in Pacheco soon and hope to see you there!
Follow them on Instagram: @mamas_lumpia
What inspired you to become a chef/food biz owner?
Mama was inspired to cook because she didn't want her children and family to grow up eating takeout. Mama herself grew up eating homemade dishes made by her grandma. The Delos Santos family was inspired to become food business owners because we want to inspire other Filipinos to take risks and go after their dreams. We love what we do and the people that we get to share it with.
Why did you want to highlight the food you are creating?
Food is such an important part of Filipino culture, as it brings people together no matter what differences there are. Filipinos are known to be hospitable and joyful, so we believed that highlighting lumpia would be a great way to invite our community to learn more about the people and culture.
What is your favorite dish? Is there a story behind it?
Mama's favorite dish is Kare-Kare because she spent so long perfecting her recipe for Papa. Papa is Mama's biggest fan but also her biggest critic.
What does courage mean to you?
To the Delos Santos family, courage means believing in something so much that you're willing to do whatever it takes to achieve it even through the failures and doubts.
Where can we expect to see you in the next few years?
You can expect to see Mama's Lumpia established in Pacheco and hopefully in other locations in the next few years. We dream to have a storefront in the Philippines especially.
Recipe for Mama's Bistek
Ingredients: beef, soy sauce, calamansi or lemon, onion, pepper, sugar, vegetable oil, flour
Steps:
- Marinate thin slices of beef in calamansi or lemon juice, soy sauce, and pepper.
- Sprinkle flour on vegetable oil before pan frying the marinated beef (to avoid oil splatter).
- Set aside pan fried beef and slice an onion in round pieces
- In the same frying pan with the sauce from the fried beef, cook the onion and then put the beef and remaining marinating sauce back in the pan.
- Add water if you want it more saucy.
- Add salt, pepper, and sugar to your liking.
Thank you so much Mama's Lumpia for sharing their story with us! Tuk Tuk Box is proud to exclusively feature Southeast Asian ingredients and include refugee, migrant, and generational stories in every box.
If you, or someone you know want to share their story with us send us an email hello@tuktukbox.com. Stay tuned for future stories and the newest products by subscribing to our email list serv.
