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San Diego chef Anthony Sinsay to host another Filipino-themed dinner

By Michael James Rocha
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Filipino cuisine is still having its moment, and chef Anthony Sinsay is more than happy to be on the front lines in San Diego.

That’s why nine months after his popular Filipino-themed dinner, the Jsix chef is coming back for seconds. This time, the evening is themed “Kain-Na,” Tagalog for “let’s eat.”

Produced in partnership with the Filipino-American Chamber of Commerce, the multi-course evening will take diners on a culinary excursion that reflects the island nation’s diverse influences - from Chinese and Malay to Spanish and American.

“The last dinner was such a hit, and it was such a fun evening,” Sinsay said. “We all got to cook a dish that represented our families, and it meant a lot to us chefs. This dinner I wanted to be about the history behind it - dive deeper into our cultural connection.”

The dinner - scheduled for Oct. 25, with seating between 5:30 to 9:30 p.m. - is meant to “explore the progression of Filipino food history,” said Sinsay, who will be joined by local chefs as well as Chef Celebration scholarship recipients Tara Luansing Monsod, Jordana Francisco and Justin Castillo. Chef Celebration is a local nonprofit aimed at identifying and helping promising young chefs.

The dinner will feature six courses, each giving guests insight into a particular era of Filipino history: a look at pre-historic Filipino food and diet, how trade with surrounding Asian countries influenced the cuisine, the effects of Spanish colonization and Filipino-American cuisine today.

Proceeds from the dinner will benefit the Chef Celebration Foundation of San Diego, which offers annual scholarships to 12 local chefs for a trip to the Culinary Institute of America’s Greystone Campus in Napa Valley.

In January, Jsix hosted “Filipino Flavor,” a collaboration dinner that featured San Diego chefs Sinsay, Evan Cruz, Danilo “DJ” Tangalin and Kristianna Zabala. The first of its kind by Filipino chefs in San Diego, the dinner was spurred by a Union-Tribune story on Filipino cuisine and it also benefited Chef Celebration Foundation of San Diego.

For this dinner, Sinsay said: “I want our diners to come away with a better understanding of Filipino cuisine and be excited to taste more of it and learn more about the identity that makes up such a complex cuisine.”

“Kain-Na”

When: Oct. 25. Seating between 5:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m.

Where: Jsix, 616 J St., downtown

Cost: $90 per person (includes a hosted after cocktail at the all-new Upper East Bar). Reservations required.

Phone: 619.531.8744

Online: jsixrestaurant.com

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Michael James Rocha

Michael James Rocha is the digital creative director at the Union-Tribune. He oversees the online presentation of Union-Tribune stories online and has oversight of the photo and graphics teams. Most recently, he was the arts and entertainment editor. During his tenure, the Union-Tribune’s Sunday arts section was named the best in the nation two years in a row (2021 and 2022). Michael started his career at the Union-Tribune in December 1997 as a features page designer. He eventually became the features design editor, managing a staff of 15 designers and 17 features sections. Through the years, he has done stints as the front page designer, audience development editor and home decor editor. He previously wrote a monthly column on outdoor living, which focused on outdoor decor. He graduated with a bachelor’s degree in communications (with an emphasis on print journalism) from California State University-Fullerton in 1994. He is a founding member of the Asian American Journalists Association’s San Diego chapter, and he has taught magazine writing, editing and design at Point Loma Nazarene University. He also loves dogs.

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