Pili Manila Grill owner Kanel Arceno explained why she chose that name for the restaurant.
"I had the pili nuts, and it’s short also for Pilipino, and pili-pili like turo-turo," said Arceno.
With Filipinos making up one of the largest ethnic groups of city employees, she’s hoping to put an American twist to Filipino classics at the city-owned mall where many workers and visitors spend their breaks.
"I wanted to bring Filipino food to the masses, to know what pancit, egg roll, a typical Filipino breakfast is. So I want them to experience the cuisine," she said.
While she’s building the restaurant to bring more Pinoy pride to the footsteps of City Hall, she’s also getting the community involved through crowdfunding.
Her Kickstarter campaign will end this week. Arceno had a surge in donors after some local TV appearances. She is now about halfway of her $30,000 Kickstarter goal needed to modernize the restaurant and fill the empty walls with the names of supporters.
“Being a part of history is being able to sign your wall, show that you helped build this space with your donations, with your contributions and support that we were able to grow this,” she explained.
She must reach that $30,000 goal before Thursday, otherwise she won’t get any of the Kickstarter pledges.
Under the city’s rules, the grill will debut regardless by October, bringing more Pinoy flavor to a workplace that has often celebrated its Filipino workers.
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source: www.abs-cbnnews.com
