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Nyack Sketch Log: Karenderya

by Bill Batson
The intersection of Midland Avenue and Main Street has become a reliable incubator for new family-run restaurants in Nyack. Once the home of Maura’s Kitchen, that recently moved to South Broadway, the crossroads now boasts Cuñao, a taqueria and across the street Karenderya, which was launched this month by Paolo Mendoza and Cheryl Baun.
A Karenderya is a road-side restaurant in the Philippines that serves meals from wooden benches.  Paolo and Cheryl discuss how they came to open their version of the populist eateries and invite you to experience a cuisine that fuses Malay, Chinese, Spanish, and American flavors and ingredients. 
(Nyack Sketch Log) What is your earliest memory of a Karenderya?
(Paolo Mendoza) Walking through the streets of Manila growing up, I would see them every day, walking to school, either on the sidewalk or, even right on the street!
What inspired you to be a chef?
(PM) I like eating and cooking!  I see cooking as a form of creative expression.
Who cooks for the family?  
(Cheryl Baun) Everyone thinks that when you have a chef in the family that they do all the cooking.  It’s not true!  I cook simple food, and we eat a lot of takeout.  Also, I guess Paolo does still cook for the family because we also eat at the restaurant A LOT!
How old are your kids?  
(CB) Our son is 8, and our daughter is 4.
Have they been bitten by the culinary bug?  
(CB) The 8-year-old loves to eat and is starting to be more open-minded about food, and the 4-year-old is super-picky, but she loves to help bake and cook.

Yan Can Cook


Cheryl tells me that you liked to watch cooking shows as a kid in the Philippines. What was your favorite cooking show when you were a kid?  
(PM)I used to watch “Yan Can Cook” with Martin Yan.
What is your favorite show now? 
(PM) I don’t have time to watch cooking shows now, but I do like watching “Top Chef” and food documentaries like “The Search for General Tso” and “Jiro Dreams of Sushi.”
What was your first job in a kitchen?  
(PM) I worked at a friend’s restaurant in Nolita as a dishwasher/salad/prep cook.
Is this your first restaurant?  
(PM) Yes.
Congratulations of meeting your kickstarter goal.  What are other ways that the community has supported your business?  
(CB) We literally have done no marketing for our restaurant. It has all been word of mouth! Members of the community have shared widely on social media, posted in various groups, Yelp, etc. Before we even opened, I would bump into acquaintances in town and had people coming up to me saying, “Do you need help painting or carrying furniture or anything?”  We’ve always loved Nyack, but we never imagined how welcoming and generous folks would be.  We are truly grateful for that!
What are the influences of Filipino cuisine?  

Young Paolo in the blue shorts on the left


(PM) So many, from Malay/indigenous cuisine to Chinese, Spanish, and American.
Five years ago food writer Andrew Zimmern predicted Filipino cuisine would be “the next big thing.”  Was he right?  
(PM) Well, he was right in that Filipino food has finally gotten the spotlight, but I don’t like thinking that the food that I grew up with is a “trend.”  It’s always been around, although many people are only just discovering it now, which is a great thing.

Mini Duck Empanadas


If someone was going to order a tasting menu to sample the scope of Karenderya cuisine, what would you prepare?
(PM) I would include a dish like sinigang (meat or fish  in a sour tamarind broth) to showcase the use of sourness, found in many dishes. Also a kakanin, which is a snack/dessert, made from glutinous rice or rice flour. I might also do pancit, a popular noodle dish. I would also feature something prepared with coconut milk, as well as something featuring bagoong, which is a fermented shrimp or fish paste.
If someone is having the cuisine for the first time, what would be the best appetizer, entree’ and dessert to order? 
(PM) Probably lumpiang shanghai, adobo, and halo halo.

Beef Tapa Rice Bowl


What are some of the challenges of opening and running a restaurant?  
(PM) Opening a restaurant: getting the word out, making sure all of the legal aspects are covered, and securing funding. Running a restaurant: hiring the right people, controlling costs, and the administrative work.
(CB) There are so many details to consider when opening a restaurant.  You have a huge checklist.  I think one of the most challenging parts of our journey so far was the anticipation leading up to the opening.  There was so much anxiety around knowing whether or not people would actually even come.  “What if no one comes?  What if they don’t like our food?”  Thank goodness they came and liked our food!
In terms of everyday running the restaurant, it is like a 24-7 job.  It’s not glamorous, but if you love it, it doesn’t feel like work.  We’re working harder than we ever have, but we’re also having fun.  And it’s rewarding to welcome people into our place and to share our culture and our food with them.
Cheryl, can you describe your non-profit work in the Filipino community?  

Cassava Cake


(CB) I’m not currently doing any work with organizations serving the Filipino community, although going back more than 10 years ago, I sat on a couple of boards of Filipino organizations in NYC and Jersey City that focused on immigrants’ rights, workers’ rights, and youth.
Which do you prefer Filipino or Philipino?  
(CB)Filipino
Is there a little Manila in the region?  
(CB) Filipinos are everywhere!  But, I guess Bergenfield, NJ or Woodside in Queens would be some of the closest enclaves of the Filipino community.

Burger with “adobo” onion jam, sambal, mayo, calamansi potato chips


How would you describe the community-based presence that you want to build for Karenderya?  
(CB) Creating a sense of community is important to us.  We don’t want to be just a restaurant; we want to be a gathering place, where people feel welcome.  Nyack has been so good to us, even before we opened our restaurant, and we intend to give back. We hope to be in a position in the near future where we can offer our space to local groups for events, as well as to do some fundraising for causes we care about.
Paolo and Cheryl met in 1997 while working with a Filipino indigenous performing arts troupe. Twenty years later, on a stage that caters to all five senses, they have collaborated to create a venue that will thrill the audiences fortunate enough to be seated.
Their gastronomic production, which is open to the public six days a week, will introduce your palate to the diverse influences of filipino cuisine. The culinary curtain opens at Karenderya on Tuesday – Thursday from 11:30a – 3:30p and 5:00 – 8:00p, Friday 11:30a – 3:30p and 5:00 – 9:30p, Saturday, 11:30a – 9:30p and Sunday, 11:30a – 8:00p.
Mabuting gana (Bon Appetit)
Bill Batson is an artist and writer who lives and sketches in Nyack, NY. Nyack Sketch Log: “Karenderya“ © 2017 Bill Batson.  To see more, visit billbatsonarts.com 


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