Leelin’s grandfather, Manuel Leelin, the sisters’ older brother, brought Goldilocks to Los Angeles in 1976. In 2009, CNN commended the sisters as one of “five trailblazer CEOs who reinvented their brand,” along with Martha Stewart, PepsiCo’s Chairwoman Indra Nooyi, Campbell Soup President Denise Morrison and author Donna Hay. Their aunts, Milagros Leelin Yee and Clarita Leelin Go, founded the bakery in 1966 in Makati, Philippines and grew the brand to more than 420 locations worldwide. They are second-generation descendants of the founders of Goldilocks, the most popular Filipino-owned bakeshop in the world. The Leelins come from Filipino bakery royalty. “We needed to do something to promote Filipino food, or at least die trying,” Michael says jokingly. It’s a big gamble that could flop – or pay off big. Servers are trained to fully explain each menu item, Michael said. Traditional favorites are on the menu, along with new Filipino-American fusion dishes: a longaniza burger, a sweet Filipino sausage patty with a pineapple on top served on brioche a breakfast lumpia, a new take on traditional egg roll wrapped in egg and sizzling pork sisig, diced pork and vegetables with a fried egg on top. Instead, high ceilings, a sleek design, and a dark brown and mocha-colored contemporary theme decorate the inside. They are putting the family’s reputation and business on the line behind a revamped menu and new presentation.Īt their store in Cerritos, the blue and yellow colors once associated with Goldilocks are gone. The Leelins are looking to change some of those perceptions.
“In reality, Filipino food is very colorful, diverse and beautiful.” “It’s brown, oily and unhealthy – that’s always been part of the stigma associated with Filipino food by narrow-minded people,” said Gapultos, who once operated the Manila Machine food truck. Gapultos says there are other challenges. People want fresh vegetables, fresh herbs, crunchy flavor and textures.”
There’s not a variety of textures and cooking techniques.
“But there’s nothing spectacular about them. “The most common dishes – lumpia or pancit – those are all fine,” Gross said. Matt Gross, editor at Bon Appetit magazine, is skeptical whether Filipino food can make a successful crossover with American palates. Most people, though, associate Filipino food with balut, a boiled duck embryo and delicacy in the Philippines, which is a common sight in Fear Factor and Travel Channel’s Bizarre Foods. There are so many different flavors and ways to present it that there’s something for everybody.” “It’s that variety that makes it so good. “Filipino food is incredibly diverse,” said Marvin Gapultos, author of the Adobo Road Cookbook. Chinese influence can be seen in noodle dishes such as pancit – sauteed rice noodles with meat and vegetables. The Philippine’s national dish, adobo – stewed pork or chicken in cane vinegar, bay leaves and soy sauce – was introduced by Spaniards. “No one knows where to go,” says Michael Leelin, a Placentia resident and chief financial officer at Leelin’s.įilipino cuisine is influenced by Spanish, Chinese, Mexican and Southeast Asian cultures.
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