Chef Jerrick Ngo | Harana, Oakland CA
I'm a home cook and bunso (youngest child) to a food-serious Filipino family. Upon moving away for college, I did dabble in the occasional uninspired college stereotype diet of pizza and instant noodles… but I consciously pushed to recreate the tastes and smells from home. After graduating and finding myself cooking for others more often and having a sort of portfolio of ideas, I launched Harana in 2015. Harana started as a venue for my personal culinary "meditations, experiments, and serenades". As a product designer, I believe the most esteemed products are driven by strong narratives and that kitchen creations are no different.
The dishes on Harana are conversation pieces on everything from seasonality and regionality, to politics and etymology. The name Harana is derived from the old practice of Filipino men serenading their crushes from outside their windows. Though the practice involved intricacies of protocol and help from actual musicians, the idea of the song sung by a vulnerable but bold, untrained but sincere—man in love was the perfect metaphor for my project. My untrained cooking “voice” barking away at a window may be crude and harsh but I hope that it is drawn from a deep place. My food unapologetically over-pronounces a less buttoned-up side of Filipino cooking/eating. A quick scan of @haranafood on Instagram will reveal a melee of offal, burnt ends, and heft. I’ve enjoyed cooking at dinner parties, art walks and small tasting events and I’m excited (and nervous) to bring Harana to Savor Filipino!
The dishes on Harana are conversation pieces on everything from seasonality and regionality, to politics and etymology. The name Harana is derived from the old practice of Filipino men serenading their crushes from outside their windows. Though the practice involved intricacies of protocol and help from actual musicians, the idea of the song sung by a vulnerable but bold, untrained but sincere—man in love was the perfect metaphor for my project. My untrained cooking “voice” barking away at a window may be crude and harsh but I hope that it is drawn from a deep place. My food unapologetically over-pronounces a less buttoned-up side of Filipino cooking/eating. A quick scan of @haranafood on Instagram will reveal a melee of offal, burnt ends, and heft. I’ve enjoyed cooking at dinner parties, art walks and small tasting events and I’m excited (and nervous) to bring Harana to Savor Filipino!
