Having been out of sight and out of touch with what’s been happening in the food world, I decided to come out of our my shell and cover again.
The subject was Abi Balingit, a New York-based Filipino American home baker famous for her Adobo Chocolate Chip Cookies, Baked Alaska Halo-Halo and other modern takes on Filipino desserts. Her debut cookbook MAYUMU: Filipino American Desserts Remixed (Harvest Publishing, Oregon, 2023) won the 2024 James Beard Emerging Voice Award in Books, and was chosen by The New York Times as one of the Best Cookbooks of 2023. She also runs a lively baking blog called The Dusky Kitchen.
Abi Balingit | Photo: The Dusky Kitchen
It was great that my introduction to her was through Claude Tayag's book, The Ultimate Filipino Adobo: Stories + Recipes from the Heart, 2nd Edition (Anvil Publishing, Mandaluyong City, 2024). How could one not be curious about an adobo chocolate chip cookie? How could a reader like me not be curious about the disparate tastes—salty, sour, sweet—involved in such a cookie?
My first impression of Balingit was how she looked far removed from the renowned chefs of my time (a long time ago). Here was a representation of today's young in hairstyle, in makeup and dress. It was as if she were a fashion icon rather than an accomplished and award-winning dessert maven.
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Balingit at Lobby 385 during a recent visit to the Philippines | Photo: Lobby 385
When she joined our table of food writers and bloggers, she was surprised to be shown her page in Tayag's book. She had not known that she was in it and excitedly shared the news with her family—they were present to celebrate the accomplishments of one of their own, before bringing her to their hometown in Tarlac.
Of course, Tarlac is a "melting pot" province in the north where you can be a Pampango, a Tagalog, or an Ilocano and still consider it your home. Tayag said he was was drawn by the title of Balingit’s book, Mayumu, an indication, he said that she was from his home province, Pampanga. In Kapampangan, mayumu means both "sugar" and “sweet.”
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Book signing and meeting with Filipino food writers and bloggers | Photo: Lobby 385
One can say that her desserts are like Tarlac, the melting pot of so many flavors that unexpectedly work together. Like her famous Adobo Chocolate Chip Cookie, or the other desserts served to us that day—Hot Chocolate Pan de Sal Bread Pudding and Ube Macapuno Molten Lava Cake. The flavors are not unfamiliar to Filipinos but thank heaven someone decided to combine them.
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With the Ube Macapuno Molten Lava Cake | Photo: Lobby 385
Kalel Chan, chef-owner of modern steakhouse Lobby 385 in San Juan where Balingit presented her desserts, said he asked for her recipes in advance so he could work out adjustments due to the change in kitchens. After all, they had to be transplanted from "The Dusky Kitchen" (Balingit’s home-based kitchen in Brooklyn) to his own restaurant. The ingredients sourced in the Philippines are not exactly the same, even for something basic like the flour, for example. So he’s had to make adjustments in temperature, cooking time, and even the kind of ingredients available here. Chan is well-versed in this, having competed in culinary contests here and abroad. (More of what Chef Chan served that day in another story).
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Balingit with Chef Kalel Chan (right) at Lobby 395 | Photo: Lobby 385
Having restricted myself to no-sugar food for months out of experimental choice, what a welcome relief to get a sugar rush courtesy of this dessert-loving person. And how refreshing that a young dessert icon, Abi Balingit, has made it, reaped honors for the Philippines, and honored the Filipino love of good food.
Best of all, her iconic desserts have found a new home at Lobby 385, ready to redefine indulgence one bite at a time.
Follow Abi Balingit on Instagram: @theduskykitchen | Lobby 385 Is located at 385 P. Guevarra Street, San Juan, Metro Manila | Instagram: @lobby385ph.