MANILA, Philippines — Filipino restaurant and bakery Kasama, based in Chicago, USA, was recently honored with a prestigious Michelin Star, two years into their operations.
Kasama is managed by husband and wife Timothy Flores and Genie Kwon, both chefs and former members of the Oriole kitchen, which serves contemporary Filipino dishes and pastries, very unique in the Chicago area.
In their announcement, Michelin recognized the restaurant's evolution to "represent the true vision of what the couple had in mind... with a dinner tasting menu that emphatically displays this talented team's training, experience and heritage for an experience that is ambitious, clever, and distinct."
Some of the dishes Michelin mentioned in their acknowledgement were Kasama's Maitake Mushroom Adobo sauced with mussel emulsion, Pancit with thin squid ink noodles, shaved Serrano ham, and Kwon's version of Halo-Halo using Asian pear granita and pandan ice cream.
In an Instagram post, the restaurant said the one-star honor was "truly beyond anything we could have ever imagined," while thanking past and present employeers and their patrons.
Kasama was previously recognized by the New York Times on their 2021 Restaurants List, and are among the finalists for James Beard Foundation 2022 awards.
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