Living in Southern California, the food culture is robust and unique. Among my favorites is Filipino food! Not far from my office is Orient Valley Filipino Cuisine. A great lunch spot and grocer with a myriad of dishes that can be customized into a delicious combination plate. Filipino cuisine combines culinary influences from Chinese, Spanish and American cuisines. I tend to stick with the more approachable staples like pancit (a traditional noodle dish) and lumpia (a type of spring roll found in the Phillippines and Indonesia). A skewer of tasty BBQ pork rounds it all out. Do yourself a favor and find ways to branch out from your culinary comfort zone. It’s such a rewarding experience.