Newest Filipino restaurant in Denver embraces Christmas traditions while remembering their roots

It's only been open for a few months. But Denver's latest Filipino restaurant is generating a lot of buzz in the Mile High City and beyond.

Magna Kainan, the second restaurant for James Beard Award nominee Chef Carlo Lamagna continues to grow with guests who are already familiar with Filipino cuisine, and others who are not.

"Yeah, like 90% of our clientele is Filipino. And I was like, 'where are you all coming from?'" joked Jodee Reyes, the restaurant's chef de cuisine.

For those who have never tried Filipino food, Reyes described it: "It is acidic, it is funky, it's salty, it his everything. For me, it's like the type of food that you keep eating, but you keep getting hungry, if that makes sense."

For Reyes, learning from Lamagna was in a sense coincidental, but also a blessing, she said.

"As we work in the restaurant, we carry his last name and what he represents. So, we take great pride in that," Reyes said.

Reyes grew up mainly in Detroit, but would often visit family in Chicago. She spent the first seven years of her life in Bacolod, Philippines. She remembered what the Christmas season meant for her growing up.

"We have something called Simbang Gabi, so it's midnight mass," Reyes said. "On Christmas Eve we would light stars called Parols. It is a five-point star, made of paper and bamboo."

The large family gathering would include a talent show amongst the family. And of course, a traditional meal after mass, called 'noche Buena.'

"Which is a big feast, including roasted pig and lots and lots of sides," she said.

Family and friends would eat Kamayan style, which is eating in a communal setting and eating without utensils, only using your hands. One of the Magna Kainan's centerpieces within the restaurant is a large table that signifies that.

"For me, family is always a big thing, even though I didn't have a lot of background in Filipino cuisine," Reyes said. "One of the main reasons I went to culinary school was because my Mom was a single nurse, very independent. She worked really hard for us kids being a single parent."

She first got the itch to cook from learning from other family members.

"I really learn from my titos and titas. They were like, 'taste this; you season with your gut. There's no recipe here. We season by taste,'" she said.

After culinary school, she worked making sandwiches and drinks at the Country Club of Detroit. Eventually, she would move up to prep cook and eventually banquet sous chef. She met Lamagna after learning that he also worked at that same country club two decades ago. He realized her potential.

"When I met him and met his team, and I was introduced to the Magna family in Portland, it really did change my life," Reyes said.

Fast forward to now, and Reyes said she is all hands on deck on making Magna Kainan successful. There are traditional dishes served, like pancit, lumpia, and lechon. But also ones that reflect where both chefs have roots. During our interview, Reyes cooked inasal, which is a grilled half-chicken created with a lemongrass base and a fish sauce marinade and atchara. It is absolutely delicious.

"I'm from Bacolod, so we are known for our chicken inasal; our half chicken. So, this is a little piece of my family history," Reyes said.

Reyes also made a Chef Lamagna favorite: "Mom's Crab Fat Noodles," which uses Dungeness crab and homemade squid ink pasta noodles; another delicious creation.

Family is important for Reyes. The hope is that Magna Kainan also provides that sense of family for guests and Filipino Coloradoans alike.

"I was shown that you can elevate Filipino cuisine, and it was immediately, I want that," said Reyes.