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Fil-Am restaurant lands on Yelp's Top 100 list for 2024

Yelp described Abstrakt Filipino Essence as an organization "whose mission is to elevate Filipino food in Jacksonville."

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<div><iframe width="640" height="360" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/C6JhHuYNODc?&amp;ab_channel=ABS-CBNNews&amp;wmode=opaque&amp;rel=0" frameBorder="0" allowfullscreen="" class="fr-draggable"></iframe> </div>A Filipino-American restaurant in Florida has landed a coveted position in this year&#x27;s Top 100 Restaurants of Yelp.The popular business directory described Abstrakt Filipino Essence as an organization &quot;whose mission is to elevate Filipino food in Jacksonville.&quot;Its owner Jojo Hernandez said he is proud to represent the Philippines in the field of cuisine.&quot;Before I started doing this, I always asked myself: How come our food is not in the community,&quot; he recalled. &quot;So, I am eager to do that. I will represent our food in the community.&quot;The Yelp Top 100 is an annual list that features a wide range of restaurants across the U.S. based on user reviews and popularity.Abstrakt is the only Filipino restaurant and the only Northeast Florida establishment that made it to the list.“[Our] community only knows that Filipino food is lumpia,&quot; Hernandez said, referring to the Philippine spring rolls. &quot;I kinda wanted to introduce more.&quot;The visionary entrepreneur behind Abstrakt is from Pangasinan province in the Northern Philippines.Hernandez also has with him over two decades of culinary experience.He said the restaurant was originally launched as a modest tent setup. Abstrakt soon transitioned into a food truck as demand grew during the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic.“I started saving some money so I ended up buying a food truck to start with,&quot; he shared. &quot;It is kind of cool. You go from community to building, job, and all of the kinds of stuff.”The persistent calls from local patrons-turned-loyal customers led to establishing Abstrakt’s brick-and-mortar site.The move is a significant milestone in the restaurant’s journey – from being a simple street food to becoming a household culinary name in Jacksonville.The chef attributes the uniqueness of Abstrakt to its compelling narrative of food production.“Our recipe here is a family recipe,&quot; he said. &quot;I make everything from scratch. Right now, everything is expensive. So, I started making it my own.”The best-selling dishes – such as sisig, adobo, and chicken tocino – embody a culinary fusion that blends traditional Filipino flavors and Western cuisine elements, according to Hernandez.  Despite the presence of other Filipino restaurants in Jacksonville, Hernandez said he does not want to compete with them.He said he wants to collaborate with them with the common goal of promoting Filipino culture.“For me, it&#x27;s not a competition,&quot; Hernandez added. &quot;The more Filipino food around us in Jacksonville, the better for us. They will get to know our food better.&quot;

Yelp described Abstrakt Filipino Essence as an organization "whose mission is to elevate Filipino food in Jacksonville."

Fil-Am restaurant in Florida lands on Yelp's Top 100 list for 2024

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Fil-Am restaurant in Florida lands on Yelp's Top 100 list for 2024

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Paul Garilao | TFC News Florida

Published Apr 20, 2024 09:31 PM PHT

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