In a country where recipes are rarely written down but almost always remembered, food is less a meal than a narrative. With the launch of Our Shared Roots, a new podcast from Simpol.ph hosted by Filipino culinary figure Chef Tatung Sarthou, those narratives take center stage—one dish, one memory, and one conversation at a time.
Premiering every Thursday at 9 p.m., Our Shared Roots is a weekly audio series dedicated to exploring the culture, history, and personalities that shape Filipino cuisine. Each episode dives into the stories behind beloved dishes and the communities that keep them alive—from family kitchens and neighborhood eateries to bustling street corners and vibrant fiestas.
At its core, the podcast asks a deceptively simple question: What does Filipino food say about who we are?
For Chef Tatung, the answer begins with storytelling.
“Filipino food is memory, migration, celebration—it’s identity,” Sarthou says. “This podcast is about tracing those connections and realizing that our shared roots run deeper than the ingredients on our plates.”
Produced by Simpol.ph, the digital platform known for making Filipino cooking approachable and joyful, the podcast expands the brand’s mission from kitchen tutorials to cultural conversation. The tone is warm but inquisitive, thoughtful yet playful—an approach that mirrors the way younger audiences today are rediscovering heritage through food.
Think culinary journalism meets barkada conversation.
Season one brings together a diverse group of voices who have spent years documenting, preserving, and reimagining Filipino cuisine.
The first episode features food historian and cultural advocate Ige Ramos, whose work tracing Filipino culinary traditions across regions and diasporas has helped reshape how the country thinks about its own food.
Episode two gathers a trio of chefs pushing Filipino cuisine forward: Miggy Cabel Moreno, Cherry Pasion Tan, and Francis Lacson. Their conversation explores the evolving identity of Filipino cooking—where tradition meets experimentation and where heritage recipes find new life in modern kitchens.
Episode three shifts to the intersection of food, travel, and storytelling with cultural tour pioneers Ivan Man Dy and Carl Chuidian. Together they unpack how food tours, heritage walks, and urban exploration help Filipinos rediscover the flavors hidden in their own cities.
Closing the first month of the series is restaurateur and culinary personality Clang Garcia, whose work in Filipino dining reflects both deep tradition and bold creativity. Her episode reflects on the current state of Filipino cuisine and the role that religion plays in shaping it.
While the podcast carries the polish of thoughtful journalism, it also embraces a distinctly modern rhythm. Conversations flow between nostalgia and curiosity, history and humor. Listeners might hear a serious discussion on regional food heritage one minute and a lighthearted debate about the ultimate Filipino comfort food the next.
In other words, it feels a lot like Filipino food culture itself: layered, lively, and occasionally a little chaotic—in the best way.
For Gen Z listeners increasingly interested in identity, culture, and storytelling, Our Shared Roots offers something both familiar and fresh. It treats food not simply as content but as context: a way to understand the past while imagining the future.
And in a time when recipes travel faster than ever across screens and social feeds, the podcast slows things down just enough to ask the deeper question behind every dish:
Where did it come from—and what does it mean to us now?
Our Shared Roots premieres Thursday at 9 p.m., with new episodes released weekly on Simpol.ph’s digital platforms.
Read more Stories on Simpol.ph
Chef Tatung Represents the Philippines at ITB Berlin, Showcasing Filipino Food on the Global Stage
Philippine Cuisine Takes the Spotlight at the World’s Leading Tourism Fair
Tatung Sarthou’s New Book Pinas Simpol: An Anthology of Essays and Recipes
