Traditional Filipino Cooking in Metro Manila with Isaiah

Meet Isaiah

Isaiah, also known as 'Seya,' is a passionate chef from Manila with over 30 years of culinary experience. His love for food began at the age of six when he started learning to cook by observing his family in the kitchen. Though he often got into trouble—burning himself and getting wounded in the process—his determination to master the art of cooking only grew stronger. His fascination with food was fueled by a desire to create delicious dishes and the joy he felt when discovering new techniques. Currently, Isaiah works as a corporate chef for a food manufacturing company and a group of restaurants, where he continues to showcase his culinary expertise. His dedication to promoting Filipino cuisine is evident in his active participation in cooking competitions, where he aims to share traditional Filipino recipes with a wider audience. Through his Manila cooking classes, Isaiah invites travelers into his home to explore Filipino cuisine, sharing his passion for cooking and the cultural significance of traditional dishes.

What to expect

Please note menu might vary. If there are particular dishes you are interested in trying, please include your request in the booking form.

In-home meal (1 - 5 guests) Isaiah lives with his family of six in Mandaluyong city in Metro Manila. He is excited to share homecooked Filipino dishes using family recipes and fresh, seasonal ingredients. Filipino cuisine is highly regional, with over 7,000 islands offering a diverse array of unique dishes. It commonly features ingredients like coconut, garlic, chilies, ginger, and aromatics. Isaiah believes that one of the best places to enjoy authentic food in Manila is at the home of a local family, a truly culturally immersive experience. A few dishes that you might try at Isaiah' home are lumpiang sariwa (fresh hearts of palm spring rolls) or lumpiang shanghai (crispy fried meaty spring rolls), sinigang na karne sa gabi, calamansi and sampaloc (stew of pork with taro, local lemon, and tamarind fruit and leaves) and chilled buko pandan salad (young coconut with mixed seasonal fruits, pandan jelly and coconut cream).

Cooking experience (1 - 5 guests) Join Isaiah in his beautiful, spacious kitchen for a 2.5-hour hands-on cooking class in Manila. During this immersive cooking experience, you’ll learn to prepare 2-3 traditional Filipino dishes from scratch with a local expert. Master the step-by-step process of cooking lumpiang sariwa (fresh spring rolls) or lumpiang shanghai (fried spring rolls), sinigang (pork stew), and chilled buko pandan salad (young coconut with seasonal fruits, pandan jelly, and coconut cream). Isaiah will share his family recipes, his deep knowledge of traditional Filipino cooking, and the cultural significance of each dish, along with personal stories of learning to cook these dishes as a child from his family. After cooking, sit down with Isaiah and his family (when available) to enjoy the meal you helped prepare.

Market visit (1 - 5 guests) Join Isaiah for a guided tour of Cartimar in Pasay, one of his favorite local markets. He prefers to start the tour early so that everything is fresh and abundant. Cartimar offers a plethora of ingredients from fresh seafood to live poultry and a wide array of vegetables. After meeting Isaiah at his home, enjoy a short 20-minute drive to the market, where you will be introduced to local produce used in Filipino cuisine, interact with vendors and pick fresh, seasonal ingredients for your cooking class. Back home, Isaiah will teach you to cook three traditional Filipino dishes using the ingredients you bought at the market.