The Falls will host its third annual Filipino Chef’s Dinner on September 22 at 6 PM, pairing executive chefs Miljohn Dimaano and Ulysses Cabahug for a five course menu built around their shared heritage.
Two Chefs Bring Personal Roots To One Table
Dimaano, executive chef at Lyon Hall, and Cabahug, executive chef at The Liberty Tavern, will lead the dinner at The Falls, a New American restaurant on West Broad Street in Falls Church operated by Liberty Restaurant Group. Dimaano grew up in Batangas and Cabahug in nearby Alfonso, Cavite, two neighboring provinces known for distinct food traditions, though the two never crossed paths in the Philippines. They connected in the United States in 2015 while working together at a Hilton property and quickly became close.
Cabahug joined Liberty Restaurant Group in 2021 after years of recruiting calls from Dimaano. “For years, Miljohn would call me every quarter to try to recruit me,” Cabahug said. “In 2021, he finally succeeded in poaching me, and I’m very happy I accepted.”
Five Courses Celebrate Filipino Cooking Traditions
The dinner opens with an amuse of ube pandesal, according to the restaurant’s event listing, followed by a five course tasting that includes sizzling tofu sisig with fried oyster mushroom, labuyo chili and calamansi, arroz caldo de pato with duck breast and chicken chicharon, and Batangueño porksilog served with atchara and sinigang soup. Later courses add kambing kaldereta and a bibingka pancake with salt cured egg and coconut lime sorbet for dessert.
Filipino cocktail and beer pairings are available a la carte throughout the meal. Cabahug called the collaboration a formula that keeps improving with age. “This is our third installment of the Filipino collaboration dinner, and each time, it continues to grow and improve,” he said.
A Partnership Built On Trust And Friendship
Dimaano and Cabahug share a family oriented approach to cooking and leadership that has carried into how they run their kitchens under Liberty Restaurant Group, Cabahug said. He credited group leaders Stephen Fedorchak and Sean Lowder with giving the chefs room to build the dinner their own way.
“It’s truly a privilege to be part of Liberty Restaurant Group and to work alongside great people and leaders like Stephen Fedorchak, Sean Lowder, and the rest of the team,” Cabahug said. “I especially appreciate the creative freedom Stephen gives us, and this dinner is a great testament to that trust and support.”
He added that the working relationship has grown into something more personal over the years.
“Beyond our professional relationship, I’m incredibly grateful for his friendship and for the opportunity to be associated with such a talented chef and, more importantly, such a great human being,” Cabahug said.
The Filipino Chef’s Dinner takes place September 22 at 6 PM at The Falls, 370 West Broad Street, Falls Church, Virginia. Tickets cost $75 per person, plus 10 percent tax and 20 percent gratuity, and seating is limited, according to the restaurant. Reservations can be made through OpenTable via thefallsva.com. Follow The Washington Lobbyist for more informed coverage of Washington DC travel, hotels, restaurants and events!
