“Something that always makes me feel like we did something right is when people say, ‘I feel like I’m just eating in your home.’”
by Amanda Ong
“The three pillars of our restaurant are first, our personal identities, and then that identity as it relates to our second pillar, which is culture. Our third pillar is empowerment, which is a really important aspect of what we do,” chef Aaron Verzosa, cofounder of Archipelago, said in an interview with the South Seattle Emerald.
Identity, culture, and empowerment. It’s not what you would expect from a fine dining establishment — most of which might, at a guess, say something about quality, innovation, and service.
Archipelago, a nationally recognized Filipino restaurant located in South End’s Hillman City neighborhood, was recently broken into, possibly reflecting a disturbing trend for local businesses.
Amber Manuguid, co-owner of Archipelago, had spent the morning of Nov. 7 playing with her son, since Sundays are her only day off, and found out about the incident about two hours after it happened.
“I grabbed my phone to play him [son] something and saw the alerts from our security system,” Manuguid said. “Our security timeline says there was a brief power outage when they entered.”
Intentionalist is built on one simple idea: where we spend our money matters. We make it easy to find, learn about, and support small businesses and the diverse people behind them through everyday decisions about where we eat, drink, and shop. #SpendLikeItMatters
October is Filipino American History Month, and we at Intentionalist want to encourage you to #SpendLikeItMatters at the incredible Filipino-owned small businesses in the region.
Filipino American History Month was federally recognized in 2009 and brings awareness to the vital role Filipino people have in American history. Filipino Americans are the second largest Asian American group in the United States. The Philippines is made up of over 7,000 islands, each with their own unique cuisine and culture, so the experience of Filipino Americans can be similarly varied and unique.
This month is not only about honoring the rich history of Filipino Americans but also celebrating the Filipino Americans making history today. Here are three Seattle-area eateries that are celebrating their Filipino history and heritage while building a legacy for themselves:
