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| Cafe Gabriela's Pulled Pork Adobo Sandwich by Penny Baldado |
Meet Penny:
I am a result of all my past experiences. I came to the US 15 years ago. Started my restaurant/cooking career by bussing tables at a Filipino restaurant in the Peninsula, waited tables and eventually learned to cook and lead the kitchen for 8 years. I can describe myself as a self taught dreamer, passionate with what I do, hardworking, determined, problem solver, a leader, queer, proud of where I came from, where I started. I always try to learn from each experience that I have and that has definitely helped me create Cafe Gabriela.
Current Gig: I am one of the owners of Cafe Gabriela.
Website: Cafe Gabriela on Facebook
Hometown: I was born and raised in Davao city, Philippines.
Current Locale: I consider Oakland, California my home for now.
Tell me how Cafe Gabriela came to be.
Cafe Gabriela came into being when I was frustrated with my old job. I felt like there was a lot of exploitation and people not really caring about their workers, the product that they where creating. I worked so hard but I felt unappreciated. So I educated myself on how I can create my own business by going thru small business classes/courses, aligned myself non-profit organizations that guided me thru the process, read a lot of books and dreamt and thought about Cafe Gabriela a lot.
Why did you name your restaurant after our Pinay heroine?
I named Cafe Gabriela after Gabriela Silang because I needed an inspiration when things got rough, when people said NO I definitely cannot own a business, when I have my own self doubt, I thought about her and all the people especially women in my life that has inspired and supported me, taught me how to become a better person thru their actions and words as well.
I am also proud of where I came from and the revolutionaries that fought for freedom. I also thought about myself and the actions I am taking to change my life, become more self sufficient, happier, and can contribute to the community I am living in thru Cafe Gabriela.
What other goodies can we find at Cafe Gabriela?
Cafe Gabriela serves Blue Bottle Coffee, local pastries and other goodies from small local purveyors. We have a small menu but we keep it tight. For lunch we serve 4 types of sandwiches, 3 salads (we make our own vinaigrette) and a daily soup option that we make from scratch, we make our own veggie broth - please refer to the menu.
Cafe Gabriela's Pulled Pork Adobo Sandwich
Cafe Gabriela's Pulled pork adobo sandwich is created with the intention that it will be served in a cafe style setting, with the customers in mind that it is 9-5 working people who have limited amount of time for lunch/snack.
I specifically thought of the perfect balance of soy sauce, vinegar and complement it with the sweetness of the sautéed yellow onions, the crunchiness of the toasted French sweet baguettes compliments the texture of the pulled pork adobo.
In your time of selling and promoting your food, what is something that you are proud of?
I think every moment that a new person/customer in Cafe Gabriela is skeptic about it and tries the Pulled Pork Adobo Sandwich or any offering that we have from the coffee, pastries and other sandwiches or salads or soups that we have comes back the next day or so and say that it is the best thing that they had, come back with a friend or a loved one and even their moms or other family...
That definitely makes our heart swell with pride...
Was there someone in particular in your family or past who inspires you to cook Filipino food?
My mom has always been an inspiration for me inside and outside the kitchen. She is innovative, always find joy in what she does, and she makes such delicious food that was her way of taking good care of us and the rest of our family.
Aside from adobo, name a Filipino food that everyone should try at least once:
One of my favorite dishes is kare-kare. One should try it because it has so many elements to it. It has the earthiness of the peanut sauce, the vegetables on it (I make it with eggplant, petchay, sitaw and banana blossoms), the oxtails and tripe, then pair it with saltiness of the bagoong and of course, steaming rice. There is so much details to cooking it as well. The consistency of the sauce, the taste should not be too overpowering yet has the sweetness to it, the bagoong needs to balance that out. The vegetables need to be crunchy still and not over cooked, the oxtail and tripe as well... It is a labor of love...
What is a special memory you have about Filipino food?
Filipino food in general is a reminder for me of my loved ones/ family gathering where one shares food, stories, a celebration of life and love.
It can be as simple as adobo and rice in the dinner table or a feast with lechon, pancit, caldereta, kare-kare where my mom, titas, lola has planned days or weeks in advance or has been planning as they eat their last meal.
If you can share your adobo with anyone (alive/passed on or even a fictional character), who would it be and why?
I would definitely have Gabriela Silang try our Pulled Pork Adobo Sandwich... Why? I think because she would be so happy and proud that Cafe Gabriela is in existence and was named after her...
If you had a round trip plane ticket that could take you to ANY 5 destinations in the world, where would you head to? Starting at Oakland as your destination point, GO!
Oakland-Philippines-Brazil-South Africa-Spain-Philippines again-Oakland
Cafe Gabriela
988 Broadway, Oakland, CA 94607
(510) 763-2233
988 Broadway, Oakland, CA 94607
(510) 763-2233
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Would you like to be a part of Project:Adobo?
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