Gaya Gaya serving up 'A Filipino Christmas'

Gaya Gaya serving up ‘A Filipino Christmas’

Chef Danilo “DJ” Tangalin doesn’t stray too far from what’s known as traditional when he and his crew host ‘A Filipino Christmas’ on Sunday

San Diego Union-Tribune

Dec. 21, 2019 10:03 PM PT

Since opening earlier this year, Gaya Gaya has redefined Filipino cuisine with chef Danilo “DJ” Tangalin’s fresh take on traditional Filipino dishes. Chicken and waffles, for example, got the purple treatment with the use of ube, the ubiquitous purple tuber, in his Adobo Chicken and Waffle dish. This holiday season, though, Tangalin doesn’t stray too far from what’s known as traditional when he and his crew serve up “A Filipino Christmas” on Sunday. The dinner, served family style, will open with a cheese plate featuring the popular Edam semi-hard cheese known as queso de bola because of its round shape. The Surf-and-Turf Lumpia, a favorite on Gaya Gaya’s current menu, will be joined by, among other things, pineapple-glazed ham, squid ink pancit, roasted annatto chicken, ube champorado (pictured) and cardamom leche flan. To purchase tickets, visit bit.ly/gayagaya

Gaya Gaya’s “A Filipino Christmas”: 5 to 8 p.m. Sunday. Gaya Gaya, 7580 Miramar Road, San Diego. $50 per person. gayagayasd.com, or for tickets: bit.ly/gayagaya

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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.