In this episode of Hungry Heroes, we spotlight Abi “Lumpia Queen” Marquez — a creator who turned a humble Filipino staple into a global conversation.

From filming in her home kitchen to winning a Webby Award and earning a James Beard nomination, Abi’s journey is more than viral success. It’s about representation, creativity, and the power of food to carry identity across borders.

Through her signature “what if we lumpia that?” approach, she invites millions to rediscover Filipino flavors — not as trends, but as culture, memory, and pride.

This episode blends narration with Abi’s own words, tracing how passion, personality, and persistence can transform everyday cooking into cultural impact.

Because sometimes, the smallest wrapper holds the biggest story.

Featuring excerpts from:

• Rappler Talk Entertainment: Abi Marquez on content creation, Filipino food
• Making Lumpia with the ‘Lumpia Queen’ (PIX11 / New York Living)
• Influencer Abi Marquez Talks About Youth Creativity and Digital Innovation
• LA Currents: Abi Marquez Interview
• RX931 Heard on Thursdays: Abi Marquez

In the heart of the 11th arrondissement, Abang Brian found home the moment he opened the door to The Hood Paris. A buzzing café and restaurant that has become a soul-restoring haven for modern Asians and a vibrant cultural bridge for Parisians. In this episode, Pearl and Crystal, the co-founders of The Hood, share their incredible journey. They detail how they went from careers in finance and accounting to pioneering Southeast Asian cuisine in one of the world’s most demanding food capitals. Their mission was never just about food; it was about creating a community-driven kopitiam where everyone feels at home, breaking down stereotypes that label Asian food as merely "cheap takeaway." This episode explores the delicate dance of cultural identity in how they adapt the heavy, rich flavours of rendang and Curry Laksa for the French palate, their thoughtful use of MSG, and the audacious idea of pairing Nasi Lemak with natural wine. It’s a story of passion, pride, and the kind of food that is so comforting, it becomes a universal language.

0:00 - Intro

01:05 - Finding Home: From Finance toKopitiam

05:25 - The Pandan & Kaya Revolution

11:15 - Breaking Bread, We Break Rice

16:05 - How Chicken Soup Won Over theFrench

21:45 - Produce, Terroir, and the MSGDebate

27:35 - "Cheap Asian Food"

32:00 - The Oeuf Mayo Sambal Fusion:Adapting Flavours

41:15 - The Soul of The Hood

43:55 - The Mother Ship Concept: Nonette& Future Plans

47:10 - The Sambal Survey

Timestamps:

This week, The Hungry Immigrant travels to rainy Seattle to sit with one of the most important voices in Chinese-American cuisine today.

Hsiao-Ching Chou grew up in her family's Chinese restaurant in Columbia, Missouri — a restaurant that started as takeout from a converted Hardee's and grew into a full buffet. As she puts it herself, cashew chicken and crab rangoon paid for her college education. She went on to become an award-winning food journalist, the author of three cookbooks on Chinese home cooking, and the former chair of the James Beard Foundation's Book Awards Committee.

This conversation goes well beyond recipes. It is about what immigrant hustle really looks like from the inside, why the pursuit of authenticity in food might be the wrong question altogether, and what it means to pass down a culinary identity to the next generation — including co-writing a cookbook with her teenage daughter during the pandemic.

This episode covers:

• From a converted Hardee's in Missouri to a 40-seat dining room: the real immigrant restaurant story
• Why buffets changed how America eats — and why that is complicated
• The one stir-fry mistake everyone makes, and the real secret behind wok hei
• Behind the James Beard Foundation: how books are judged, who gets heard, and what equity in food media looks like
• "I want to be an influencer and get free food" — what social media gets dangerously wrong about expertise
• Feasts of Good Fortune: writing an intergenerational cookbook with her daughter Meilee
• The Sambal Survey, Seattle edition
• The Hungry Journal closing question: "The story is not over"

Guest: Hsiao-Ching Chou — author of Chinese Soul Food, Vegetarian Chinese Soul Food, and Feasts of Good Fortune (with Meilee Chou Riddle). Former chair of the James Beard Foundation Book Awards Committee.

The Hungry Immigrant is a podcast about Asian food culture, identity, and the stories that connect us across borders. New episodes from Seattle, Paris, Kuala Lumpur, Michigan, New York, and Virginia.

Keep your plates adventurous and your hearts open.