Hella-Halo gives Sacramento community a taste of Filipino culture
SACRAMENTO — This Filipino American History Month, we're highlighting the history and accomplishments of Filipino Americans in our area. One Filipino-owned business is serving up a sweet treat and giving folks a taste of their culture.
Shaved ice, ice cream and, and a rainbow of toppings — halo-halo is a frozen Filipino dessert that Pipo Carrasca grew up eating.
"My grandmother owned a restaurant in South Sac called Halo Halo," Carrasca said. "It was essentially my daycare for a long time."
Halo-halo is a medley of ingredients from sweet red beans to ube jam and leche flan. It lives up to its name which is Tagalog for "mix-mix."
Following the loss of his grandmother, Carrasca opened his food truck Hella-Halo with a mission to bring a taste of his childhood to the masses.
"I wouldn't say I'm carrying the torch rather than continuing what she started," he said.
The bright-colored confection draws in customers, and for many, it's their first introduction to Filipino food.
As Carrasca says, the kitchen and the dining room are the most communal places of any Filipino celebration.
"You eat over stories, you eat over lessons," he said.
As the truck feeds thousands of hungry customers across our region, the father of four has goals of expanding. Carrasca aspires to have a fleet of trucks, a brick-and-mortar and to carry on the legacy that began in his grandmother's restaurant.
"We're just out here grinding trying to live that American dream," he said.
To get a taste of Hella-Halo, their truck will be in Elk Grove Friday evening at the Sun Grove Church Harvest Festival and Saturday in Natomas at the Track 7 Brewing Company.