Feast for the Future | Celebrate Filipino Flavors at Lamon, the Bay Area’s First Zero-Waste Food and Wine Summit

October is Filipino-American History Month, so get your calendar out and make some plans because its going to be a jam packed month celebrating the very best of our culture. This year, the Bay Area is set to kick off the festivities with Lamon, a groundbreaking event you won’t want to miss. Imagine a vibrant gathering that showcases the heart and soul of Filipino culture, a new food festival brimming with mouthwatering food, exquisite wines, and an unwavering commitment to sustainability. Lamon isn’t just another food event; it’s the first-ever zero-waste Filipinx Food and Wine Summit in the Bay Area, blending culinary innovation with eco-consciousness.

We had the chance to catch up with Yana Gilbuena, the visionary behind Lamon. Keep reading to discover her inspiration and what makes this event a can’t-miss experience

1. Tell us about yourself, Yana. 

I am primarily a chef. I founded Salo Series, which took kamayan to all 50 states in 50 weeks. I started a new venture, called Lamon - the zero waste Filipinx Food and Wine Summit taking place on October 6th at the Southeast Community Center in the Bayview neighborhood of San Francisco. 

I was born in Bacolod, Negros Occidental and I grew up in Iloilo, Philippines. I studied Psychology with a minor in Marine Biology at the University of the Philippines (UP) Diliman, Manila then moved to Los Angeles after graduation. 

2. Tell us about your journey and how you got to where you are today.  

At 23 years old, I was in a major car accident and that really shook things up for me. It made me think about what legacy I want to leave and how I want to live out the rest of my life. That’s when I had a coming to Jesus moment. 

At that time, I thought design is how I could make an impact. Design is everywhere from clothes and watches that you wear to the toothbrushes that you use. That’s when I decided to attend architecture school. After finishing, I quickly realized how misogynistic that industry is and how unfriendly it was to women and women of color. I went into interior design because it was friendlier and it provided instant gratification. I worked for several furniture companies then the recession happened. I stayed in Los Angeles for 7 years then moved to New York. 

Because the pay wasn’t that great, I did other work for supplemental income. One of my side jobs was writing for a neighborhood blog covering food events. I got fed in exchange for writing. Free food with wine, amazing! I got to attend amazing supper club events, and after interviewing all of the hosts and people involved, I learned that most of them didn't have a culinary background. They were passionate about food and cooking and gathering people together. It takes the pretense out of dining, and I love the conversations that happen at the dinner table. It’s organic and everyone was open to something new. 

I started doing pop up dinners in New York because I was inspired by the underground supper clubs movement. I wanted to use that platform as a way to educate folks about the diversity of Filipino cuisine. In 2012, no one really knew what kamayan was at that time. All they really knew was adobo, pancit and lumpia. Pop up dinners were low overhead, and it provided an intimate dining experience. 

I eventually got laid off from my main job as an interior designer. I didn’t know it then, but I was “quiet quitting” which I didn’t have the vocabulary for. My bosses figured that out and so they eliminated my role. After consulting with my mentor, I decided to take the leap. In 2014 - 2015, I traveled to 50 states, then went on to do a Canadian tour for 3 months. Then I went to Mexico for one month. By 2016, I did Colombia, Europe, Australia and kept on touring. I came back to San Francisco to work on my citizenship in 2017. That kept me grounded for a while, and that’s when I took the time to write and self-publish my book, No Forks Given, which I launched in March 2019.  

3. How were you able to make it through the COVID-19 pandemic? 

During the pandemic, I lost my purpose. I lost my identity because I couldn’t travel or cook in social settings. I had to explore other parts of myself like painting and going through death doula training. I wanted to help folks go through death, which is a really taboo topic but it’s inevitable and it’s the cycle of life. The more that we accept that death is part of life, the more we can start living because it puts things into perspective. Once you know that you have limited time, you have more discernment on how you spend your time.  

In 2023, I was done cooking and that’s when I conceptualized Lamon. I was ready to come out of hibernation and ready to explore this new phase in my culinary career. I am now at the age where I need to think of my body and the toll that cooking takes on being on my feet for long periods of time, so I had to think of what else I can do. So here I am, paving a path for the next culinary ambassadors.   

4. What is Lamon? How did you come up with this concept? 

During the pandemic, I learned how broken our food system was. Farmers had to trash their produce because no one was picking up the produce. There were no customers because there were no farmers markets during the lockdown. I really thought about how do we prevent this from happening again? How can the community support them?   

We can’t support all the farmers, but we can at least support Filipino farmers. There are Filipino restaurants, fishermen, and wineries. We need to create a closed loop system of a community that continues to feed each other. That’s where Lamon came into the picture. Lamon means “ to devour”. The logo is a bakunawa, which is a mythical sea serpent that devoured the seven moons. It eats its own tail, so it’s feeding itself and devouring itself – it’s symbolic of a closed loop system. 

We need to reclaim the meaning and put meaning into these words. We need to give ourselves permission to be unapologetically ourselves, to take space, and devour and eat with purpose. We need to accept that we have an appetite, and take it all in. 

5. What can people expect at Lamon? 

It’s a four part event packed into one day: 

1. The Grand Palengke: aka The Grand Market which is a nod to the grand pavilion of Food and Wine Aspen and other bourgeois food and wine festivals. Local Bay Area makers, purveyors, chefs, food vendors, and Filipino-food adjacent vendors will be taking part in this marketplace. If you BYOB: Bring Your Own Bag and Baon (aka to-go container) – because this is a zero waste effort after all –  attendees will get 10% off all purchases. There will be no compostables and no food waste. In addition to the vendor market, there will be family-friendly, intergenerational activations, local artist performances, TNT Karaoke + Story-cording, and an opportunity to create-your-own upcycled swag! 

2. The Inuman Pavillion: aka The Drinks Pavilion will be honoring the centuries-old tradition of pairing food with drink. We will be celebrating over 20 Filipino-owned wineries, distilleries, winemakers, and non-alcoholic drink brands for a vibrant tasting experience, paired with workshops and talks. 

3. The Bukambibig Symposium: aka The Word of Mouth Symposium is part symposium, part immersive discussions and workshops. We will bring in leaders of thought and practice with focus on education, Filipino-American history, diasporic Filipino culinary history, business and entrepreneurship, agriculture and sustainability as well as wellness and hospitality. 

4. The Grand Kamayan Table: We will be setting a record for the longest Kamayan table in California with 500 seated guests featuring an all star Filipino chef cast, including 9 chefs each preparing their own course. You’ll be able to get a taste of Abaca, FOB Kitchen, Mestiza, Chef Reina, The Lumpia Company, Eats by E, Sarap Shop, and Ox and Tiger to name a few. 

Our keynote speaker is Cynthia Bonta, who was part of the 1960s labor movement alongside Larry Itliong and Philip Vera Cruz. 

We are charging $60 for General Admission because we want to pay people who are providing services and products. General Admission covers The Grand Palengke. For an additional $40, you can upgrade to gain access to the Inuman Pavillion if you want to indulge in drink flights. VIP Admission is $175, which includes access to all 3 parts of the Summit: The Grand Palengke, Inuman Pavillion, and Bukambibig Symposium.  

Tickets can be purchased online up until the day before the event. Children 12 and under are free at the Lamon Summit (excluding the Grand Kamayan). The Grand Kamayan dinner is restricted for adults 21+ years old and will cost $250 per person. If you want all access, the cost is $425. Click here to see the full list of ticket options.  

6. Who are your partners helping you pull this together? 

I am not doing this alone. The Swerte by Christine Limpin-Ng, is an events company that does a lot of corporate events for clients such as Dolby, Meta, and PlayStation. The Swerte has taken on this community project and they’ve been holding down the logistics. Race to Zero Waste is a non-profit in the Bay Area focused on getting people to be more conscious about their consumption. Dynamico Space is our media partner and the Filipino Young Leaders Program (FYLPRO) is my fiscal sponsor. I am a delegate and alum of the program. FYLPRO is a network of high-performing, next generation leaders who advance the Philippines and the Filipino people through their advocacy and expertise in various industries. Lamon is my legacy project. 

Please join us at Lamon to celebrate, connect, and cultivate a future rooted in community and sustainability. Together, we honor our past and build for tomorrow. 

If you’re interested in becoming a vendor or sponsor, please reach out to us! 

7. Where can people find you? 

On our website at https://lamonsummit.com/ and on Instagram @lamonsummit. 

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Written by Jennifer Redondo

Co-Founder and Co-Author of In Her Purpose

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