Team Manila Machine (photo courtesy Heather Wong)

After rolling 2,500 lumpia by hand (by hand!), and after browning and braising 150 pounds of pork belly, Team Manila Machine was indeed a bit ragged and tired following last Saturday’s LA Street Food Fest. But our efforts at the Rose Bowl that day didn’t go unnoticed.

Aside from the positive feedback from the thousands of people who waited in line at our booth, The Manila Machine was also fortunate enough to win the praises from some of Los Angeles’ most discerning palates. With a judging panel consisting of Chef Susan Feniger, Chef Walter Manzke, LA Times Assistant Food Editor Rene Lynch, Bill Esparza of Street Gourmet LA, and Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, The Manila Machine’s Pork Belly and Pineapple Adobo was announced as the runner-up for “Best Nouveau Street Food“! (It’s a little known fact that pineapples are used in different pork adobos throughout different regions of the Philippines. The Manila Machine version is actually based on a dish I had on my uncle’s farm in Badoc, Ilocos Norte a few years ago.)

Our pork belly was second only to the Pork Spareribs of brick and mortar establishment Sedthee Thai! Many congratulations to Sedthee Thai restaurant, but we at The Manila Machine were very humbled and ecstatic to be announced as runner-up winners as well (we were told it was very very close). Heck, it was just cool having our name announced on the Rose Bowl’s JumboTron by the Mayor himself:

Team Manila Machine and the Mayor

Nastassia and Susan Feniger

Marvin and Walter Manzke

On top of everything else that night, we went effing crazy when we saw the following tweet from the one and only Jonathan Gold:

Formidable Pork Belly!

In all honesty though, accolades aside, it was really humbling to have such highly-regarded chefs, such as Susan Feniger and Walter Manzke, and a Pulitzer prize winner in Jonathan Gold, taste and appreciate Filipino food.

Thanks to everyone at LA Street Food Fest for giving us the opportunity to serve Filipino food to the masses!

–Marvin: Team Manila Machine