From the Philippines
to Oxford.
Manila Skillet is about more than food. It's about home, family, culture and sharing the flavors that bring people together.
Food has always meant home.
I was born in Mandaluyong City in the Philippines and grew up in Bulacan. My parents came from Mindanao — my papa from Cagayan de Oro and my mama from Davao City — and food was always an important part of our family.
My parents loved cooking and trying dishes from different parts of the Philippines. Growing up around those flavors gave me a love for food that started at a very young age.
One of my earliest cooking memories is standing at the stove trying to make rice. I remember watching the water begin to boil and being so excited that I was actually cooking something. Not long after that came frying Filipino hotdogs — I was probably seven years old.
Cooking became more than something I enjoyed. It became one of the ways I connect with people, family and home.
A love for cooking that kept growing.
My papa is a great cook, and one of my favorite dishes he made was chicken curry. I remember volunteering to make it myself one day. He told me the ingredients and let me figure out the rest.
The first attempt wasn't very good.
So I tried again.
I kept working at it until I got it right. That same persistence has followed me throughout my life and, eventually, into Manila Skillet.
By high school, whenever friends got together, I was usually the person volunteering to cook whatever everyone wanted to eat.
How Manila Skillet came to be.
Where the flavors began.
Growing up in the Philippines meant being surrounded by dishes and cooking traditions from across the country. Those family meals, regional flavors and childhood memories became the foundation of the food Irish would one day share through Manila Skillet.
A new country. A taste of home.
Irish moved to Nashville in 2013 after meeting her husband, Lucas. Being thousands of miles from the Philippines wasn't always easy, and food became one of the things that made America feel more like home.
After cooking Filipino food for family and friends, encouragement began coming from the people around her: you should sell this.
The idea became a business.
Manila Skillet began in the Nashville area in 2016. What started with coconut macaroons, chocolate crinkles and food for friends grew through word of mouth into Filipino parties, special events, catering and pop-up service.
It was a chance to share the food Irish loved while giving other Filipinos a little taste of home — and introducing Filipino cuisine to people trying it for the very first time.
A new home in Mississippi.
In 2020, our family made the move from Nashville to Oxford, Mississippi. We wanted to be closer to family, find a wonderful place to raise our children and become part of the Oxford community.
Irish never lost sight of Manila Skillet. She began introducing her food locally while continuing to work toward the bigger dream of bringing Filipino cuisine to Oxford.
The dream is rolling.
Today, Manila Skillet has a home on wheels.
Our food truck serves the Ole Miss community Monday through Friday from 7:00 AM to 3:00 PM on Business Row, in front of Holman Hall and next to the Lyceum.
We serve freshly prepared breakfast and lunch, bringing together Filipino comfort food, campus-friendly favorites and the sweet and savory flavors that have been part of Irish's story from the beginning.
A taste of the Philippines in Oxford.
The Philippines is a crossroads of cultures, and its cuisine reflects generations of regional and international influences. The result is food that's wonderfully diverse — savory, sweet, tangy, comforting and meant to be shared.
Many of the dishes on the Manila Skillet menu are traditional Filipino favorites or dishes that have a personal connection to Irish and her family.
You don't have to grow up eating Filipino food to enjoy it. Part of the fun of Manila Skillet is introducing someone to their first taste.
Come taste our story.
Every bowl, plate and order is another opportunity to share a little piece of Filipino culture with Oxford and the Ole Miss community.