Filipino culinary festival brings food, music and more to SE Portland

The inaugural Kulinarya Festival, hosted by the Filipino American Association of Portland and Vicinity on Sunday, April 26, 2026, in Southeast Portland, featured live music and food.

The aroma of grilled, stewed and fried foods and the sound of music and laughter filled the air Sunday along Southeast Stark Street as hundreds gathered for the inaugural Kulinarya Festival, marking the celebration of Filipino food month.

Jun Pioquinto, president of the Filipino American Association of Portland and Vicinity (far right), and Melizza Inocencio, the organization's reigning Ms. Philippines Portland, greet attendees at the Kulinarya Festival on April 26, 2026 in Southeast Portland.

Organizers with the Filipino American Association of Portland and Vicinity said close to 1,000 people registered for the free event at the group’s headquarters, 8917 S.E. Stark St. The festival, which ran from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., featured live music, cultural performances and more than a dozen food and retail vendors.

The inaugural Kulinarya Festival, hosted by the Filipino American Association of Portland and Vicinity on Sunday, April 26, 2026, in Southeast Portland, featured live music and food.

Lorelei Hosmillo, the organization’s vice president and program manager, said the event grew out of last year’s smaller cooking classes, part of the association’s Filipino Cultural Immersion Program – a multimonth series running from April through July that includes culinary arts, language and storytelling, as well as music and arts.

“This was a natural evolution,” she said. “The cooking classes were really successful last year, and we wanted to open that experience up to the broader community.”

The day began with a two-hour, hands-on cooking session inside the organization’s building. About 80 participants rotated through four stations, learning to prepare traditional dishes and their cultural roots.

Hosmillo said the classes’ menu included ginataang kalabasa sitaw at hipon, a coconut milk stew with squash, green beans and shrimp; kaldereta baka, a rich beef stew; tinolang manok, a ginger-based chicken soup; and ginataang mais, a sweet corn and coconut dessert.

The Kulinarya Festival, hosted by the Filipino American Association of Portland and Vicinity on April 26, 2026 in Southeast Portland, kicked off with hands-on cooking classes where participants learned to prepare traditional dishes, including ginataang kalabasa sitaw at hipon — a coconut milk stew with squash, green beans and shrimp.

By noon, the festival spilled outdoors as crowds browsed vendor booths and gathered for live performances.

Beyond food, organizers said the event also served a larger purpose. Hosmillo said most of the proceeds will fund the local Filipino American Association’s $500,000 capital campaign to repair and preserve its aging 1941 building.

“We’ve been trying to work on grants for essential repairs, but it’s really hard to get grants right now,” Hosmillo said. “The building is all paid off, but the biggest cost has been maintenance, and we’re also trying to upgrade the property.”

FOMO Rice, a pop-up food vendor based in Portland, was among the vendors at Kulinarya Festival in Southeast Portland to celebrate Filipino Food and culture on April 26, 2026.

About a quarter of the proceeds will also fund the organization’s ongoing programs, including language classes, cultural events, health initiatives and professional development, she said.

Founded in 1959, the Filipino American Association of Portland and Vicinity includes about 600 members across Oregon and southwest Washington, said Jun Pioquinto, the organization’s president.

For Pioquinto, Sunday’s festival was as much about community as it was about food.

He said the event reflects the organization’s broader mission of building community and sharing Filipino culture with a wider audience.

The inaugural Kulinarya Festival, hosted by the Filipino American Association of Portland and Vicinity, was held at the organization's headquarters at 8917 S.E. Stark St. on Sunday, April 26, 2026.

“We want people to feel, even if they’re not Filipino, that they’re welcome here,” Pioquinto said. “We consider this place and our organization like a family.”

That sense of connection is central to the group’s future. Leaders say engaging younger generations will be key to preserving Filipino culture in Oregon.

Melizza Inocencio, who joined the organization in 2020 and now chairs its board, said the group plans to expand with more youth-focused events, talent showcases and cultural programs.

Upgrading the building, she said, will help make that possible — all part of an effort to keep traditions alive and build a stronger, more connected community.

“We want to make sure we have young people coming in and being educated about the culture,” Inocencio said. “How do we make sure that it doesn’t dissolve as the older generation moves on?”

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