Smoke Cook Eat

Smoke Cook Eat Smoke. Cook. Eat. The upcoming craft food digital cookbook will be available this fall on Kickstarter. Smoke safe. Cook well. Eat excellent.

Designed for the herbal enthusiast, this digital recipe series will encompass flavor combinations designed to annihilate the munchies.

09/14/2026

At the end of our street in Manila, there’s a bbq stand run by Chef Paul and his wife.

It sits on the corner lot of the house of a music teacher, the smell of Pinoy BBQ filling the streets in the evening as he grills to order a variety of skewers for hungry patrons in the neighborhood.

My mom Patricia Calzada sent me a care package from the states, included was Chef Merito Seasonings carne asada style seasoning, something totally foreign and new, flavors unknown to the average Filipino.

So before we left the area, on my last weekend in the townhouse, I made sure to marinate some steak, grab some Tostitos salsa (cilantro isn’t common here for pico) and a little cheese and brought it to him.

He accommodated me and grilled the steak to perfection!

The resulting tacos we shared, flavors that blew his mind, brought me right back home to

My recipe: fresh squeezed orange, thin sliced steak (sukiyaki in this case), a half a lime (or lemon here in ph), sliced onions, and carne asada seasoning.

Mix to coat and season well, leave to marinate at least 30 minutes on the counter or an hour in the fridge.

Then grill.

Shoutout to my hunny Janice Viñas for putting up with my shenanigans, mom for sending the foods, and Paul for making this unique opportunity possible.

Cheers!

09/14/2026

The homie threw some carne asada on the grill for me this past weekend - shoutout to Patricia Calzada for sending me come seasoning!

Sharing these flavors with folks on the other side of the globe is a blessing- we’ll be back on the farm soon and I’ll be back on the grind ^^

09/06/2026

Just grabbed some bbq off a random street in from these wonderful ladies running the late night grill.

I had a hotdog from the 7-11 across the street that I fed to a street pup, bbq beats 7-11 any day of the week.

Sundays almost to a close, Monday morning grind ahead.

Cheers folks!

Travel far, treat others well, and try everything!

08/05/2026

Living in the Philippines means living within your own means and the means of others.

The more local you live, the more you will have access to goods and services within walking distance.

As many rely on public transportation, it makes sense that those who have the time and resources will open up small shops here and there, often known as sari sari stores.

But nearly everything you would need for your day to day survival is often close by.

So let’s grab an umbrella and get some snacks- today was leg day and my body is craving hard.

Cheers!

08/04/2026

Binondo in the Philippines is the world’s oldest Chinatown!

Established in 1594, this neighborhood served as a hotbed for revolutionaries during the Spanish occupation and a hotbed for urban conflict during the Japanese invasion during WW2.

You know when you’re getting close as dragons appear along byways long before you cross the Chinese arches.

Our final stop this evening was Chuan Kee: the oldest Chinese fast food joint in the heart of Binondo.
The place was packed- a line formed around the building as the night went on.

You could smell the fried food around the block, street dogs and hungry locals gathered around the door.

It took about 25 minutes to get through the line, packed into a small table for 4 (allegedly) we managed to order enough food for like 8 people.

The servings are absolutely generous.

As a “must stop in while you’re here” restaurant is now checked off the list, our next trip into this part of the city will definitely give us an opportunity to explore a little more.

Traveler tips:
Come early in the day
Explore the back streets (more restaurants)
The train isn’t too far from Chinatown - it’s an easy walk.

We ended the night with ice cream and dropped our leftovers off to a person in need.

The contrast between have and have not is very visible here in the Philippines, it’s easy to take for granted the luxuries we experience as standard in the western world.

Good speed fellow travellers cheers to more adventures!

08/02/2026

Let’s wander Manila!

We rented a place (SM Sucat) and had to find our way to Chinatown.

Manilas hosts the oldest Chinatown in the world (est. 1594!) and was definitely on our list of places to wander around and find food while we were just a few train stops from downtown.

Our first stop on the way would take us through the Museum of anthropology, a 100 year old building once bombsrded by American forces after the Japanese captured it in World War 2.

Getting around on public transport is no joke, but take a day trip with us and take part in our adventure, we had a great time, I’m sure you will too!

04/12/2026

Cheesy Italian Herb Bread.

Inspired by subway and jersey mikes.

New skill unlocked.

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