Born in New Orleans, raised in St. Louis by a Filipino father and a Southern Missouri mother, my dinner table was anything but boring.
My multi-cultural background infused my life with a passion for being in the kitchen. Picture this: my Thanksgiving plate as a kid came with traditional turkey, rice and the occasional chicken curry from an international student that was studying at Washington University via invite from my dad thanks to his job. I wouldn’t have it any other way.
Fast forward to today, I live and eat as a flexitarian, which is mostly a plant-based diet with a sprinkle of meat every so often—mainly because my brother decided to go vegan a while back and further led to being a norm for my family.
I’m currently working my dream job as the Associate Digital Food Editor for Better Homes & Gardens, so if you don’t see me as active on here lately, you can find me on BHG.com.
But wait, what’s halo-halo?
I know, it’s strange to name my blog something unfamiliar to most, unless you’re Filipino or know us Southeast Asians. It’s a traditional Filipino dessert that literally translates to “mix-mix” in their national language, Tagalog, and pronounced like “hallow-hallow” and not like the Beyoncé song. Basically, it’s a super sweet snow cone but with syrup-coated coconut, beans and more.
So there you have it, that “mix-mix” is what I aim to share with you here: a culinary journey of the visual and verbal ramblings through food I eat in St. Louis, while traveling and whatever’s cooking in my kitchen—which will likely be vegetarian and vegan versions of my favorite eats.
Kain na!
(“We eat” in Tagalog)