Husband and Wife Duo Introduce Louisville to Filipino Food

Rudy Bamba, co-founder of Bamba Egg Roll Company, always had a passion for Filipino food – a love passed down from his parents, who immigrated from the Philippines. When COVID hit in early 2020, Rudy and his wife Emma found themselves in a bind. Bamba had been managing a kitchen in Louisville, Kentucky that was shut down due to the pandemic.

Fortunately, his background in food helped him develop a new idea. “My brother buys a cow each year. Since groceries were hard to come by at that time, he was offering us ground beef,” said Emma Bamba. “As a temporary solution, we used 10 pounds of ground beef and rolled it into lumpia, or eggrolls, and offered them to our friends and family on Facebook.”

The lumpia sold out almost immediately and Rudy soon found himself rolling hundreds of lumpia a day. “We started offering family-sized dinners, and since people were home and tired of cooking, it took off like wildfire,” Emma said.

By June 2020, they received so many orders that they decided to start an LLC. They began looking for a commissary space and quickly secured a farmers’ market booth. Rudy was offered the opportunity to return to his old job, but ultimately he and Emma decided to start their own business full-time.

In April 2021, they opened the Bamba Egg Roll Company food truck, and, by October of that year, it was voted the best food truck in Louisville. Bamba Egg Roll is a tasty reminder that food can introduce people to new cultures.

“The company is special to Rudy since it allows him to connect with his cultural roots while also sharing his culture with others,” explained Emma.

Up until Bamba Egg Roll Company opened, there were no Filipino food trucks or restaurants in the state. “Filipino food is unique in general due to its taste, but also the blend of other cultures it encompasses,” she said. “It really is an interesting blend of Spanish and Asian food.”

Rudy prides himself on the authenticity and unique flavors of his food. Their most popular item is the lumpia, which is crispy and loaded with seasoned beef. However, their pancit, or stir-fried noodles, are a close second.

Rudy continues to share a piece of himself with his community. In October 2022, the duo opened the first Filipino restaurant in Louisville, called Sarap Filipino Eatery. It is one of five independent local food vendors in a new dining hall in Paristown called Village Market Hall. Together they hope to maintain the food truck and restaurant while continuing to promote Filipino food and culture in Kentucky.