Taking over our world, one lumpia at a time
Abi Marquez is barely halfway through her 20s, yet she’s already helped shape how the world sees Filipino food. One lumpia at a time.
Abi Marquez is barely halfway through her 20s, yet she’s already helped shape how the world sees Filipino food. One lumpia at a time.
WITH followers, Abi Marquez uses social media to showcase Filipino cuisine using accessible, local ingredients.
Photographs courtesy of IG/Abi Marquez
For content creator Abi Marquez, it all began with one question — "Will it lumpia?" Four years later, her foray into exploring the possibilities of one of the Filipino’s most beloved dishes has not only all over the world many times over and won her awards, but has her rubbing elbows with the culinary world’s biggest names. Ever hear of Gordon Ramsay? “I didn’t set out thinking lumpia would be my thing. It all started with leftover lumpia wrapper, marshmallow, and chocolate,” shares the content creator. “And me asking, what would happen if you put these two ingredients into lumpia wrapper?” From there, she saw lumpia as a vehicle to carry flavors, and introduce Filipino cuisine to the rest of the world.
Having a platform like the internet has been a boon for Marquez and content creators like her, with followers clocking in at 1.4 million. All of whom are eager to see what the "lumpia queen" will concoct next. “It has really helped, especially for someone like me, whose mission is to put Filipino food on the global stage,” Marquez explains. “I’m grateful to be in the same generation as all these people who document and talk about Filipino food.” It has eased or allowed globalization through sharing a country’s cuisine with one another. Her main thrust remains the same — making the most of local ingredients, ensuring its accessibility.
The challenge that Marquez is focusing on these days is getting more people to try Filipino food. And lumpia has long been considered to be a gateway dish — being fried and all. “I have not met anyone who did not like it. I’ve made it for people of all nationalities. It’s a very friendly and familiar way to introduce our cuisine to them,” she notes. Surprisingly, one of her most viral recipes is her tortang talong, which has people all over the world trying to make it. “They couldn’t believe how simple, easy, and delicious it was,” Marquez enthused. She is also a believer that there are lessons from our culture that can be learned from Filipino food. “Our culture of salu-salo, or we’ll call everyone and say kain na,” she explains.
“Our culture of sharing and sustainability that is deeply ingrained in Filipino cuisine. Walang sinasayang (nothing wasted).”
Looking back on where her work has a content creator has taken her, Abi is proud of how far she’s come. “I don’t regret spending so much time in the kitchen. It was all part of the learning process. The mistakes, the failed dishes. They were all chances to learn. Just keep doing what you’re doing.”
