Chef Aisha Ibrahim: Intentional, impeccable in bringing Filipino dishes on the fine dining table
FilAm Chef on Time Magazine’s 100 Next
By Marivir Montebon
New York – Over a huge brunch at Thai Diner in lower Manhattan, chef Aisha Ibrahim talked about the October 9 evening that the Time Magazine honored her as one of TIME 100 Next to an excited and proud family and friends.
“It was surreal. I was with scientists and performers. Unbelievable,” she told her eager listeners, pretty much an eager storyteller herself. Aisha was advocated by the editors of Time Magazine and James Beard award-winning cookbook author J. Kenji Lopez-Alt wrote her profile for the 100 Next list.
In 2019, 101-year-old Time began publishing the Time 100 Next list, which "spotlights 100 rising stars who are shaping the future of business, entertainment, sports, politics, science, health and more." Aisha had been spotted for 2024 by Time, alongside Nicola Coughlan, Sabrina Carpenter, Laufey, and many more.
Aisha Ibrahim, FilAm lister at the 2024 Time Magazine’s Time 100 Next in New York City on October 9, 2024.
Aisha was born in Iligan City in the Philippines and migrated to the US when she was six years old. She lived with her parents and two younger brothers in West Virginia where her parents Zurita and Oscar owned and operated a physical therapy center.
Everyone thought that Aisha would be the next professional basketball star in the family as she had been training for the sport. But fate twisted that, she took the route of culinary artistry.
“I was quite lucky and privileged my parents didn’t kill me for that decision to change courses, after all the gasto (expenses). They supported me,” she said.
Aisha has unleashed her creative soul in the culinary art industry for 18 years, working in various prestigious kitchens in the US, Spain, Japan, and Thailand. Currently, she is the executive chef at Canlis Restaurant in Seattle.
Aisha at work in a Malaysian kitchen.
On the fine dining tables of Canlis, Aisha introduced dishes that were inspired by her mother Zurita and late grandmother Florita - Zurita's eggplant omelet and Florita's escabeche, being intentional in honoring her southern Mindanao heritage.
There is so much about her that honors her Filipino and Maranao tradition and it comes out in the dishes that she whips up.
Aisha with maternal grandparents: Daddy Jess and Nanay Florita who is memorialized by Aisha’s Escabeche Florita.
In 2022, for instance, Aisha and her wife, Sam Beaird, visited the Philippines to learn how to cook Maranao dishes from her paternal grandmother Mercedes. She made effort to see her Lola as she was advancing in her years.
“Normally, I don’t get intimidated. But Lola intimidated me as she was teaching me how to cook Biko. How do you know when it’s cooked? And she showed me her masterful way,” recounted Aisha with glee.
In February this year, Aisha was featured in the New York-based podcast Conversations with MM where she introduced her family-inspired dishes.
Excerpts:
Honoring her mother, Aisha said: “I am in my professional and adult stage right now where I am proud of my heritage and southern Mindanaonon roots. I’ve been really eager to express that wherever possible. That’s something we’ve been playing around on the menu. Every summer, we have a dish called Eggplant Zurita. This dish is named after my mom, and this is my favorite dish that she makes for me as a kid. And it is so special to share it with guests with your own twist to it.”
Coming from a family of great cooks, Aisha has imbibed that heritage into her profession. “Being able to tell a story through food and using a plate to express how many people in my life touched me through Filipino culture. I am blessed to have grown with parents who cook very well and grandparents who cook very well. I lost my grandmother recently and we have a menu right now called Escabeche Florita. This was the last dish she made for me. My rendition of it is just as vibrant and so fun. I didn’t know if I could do the dish because of sadness. But it has made me feel so connected to her.”
Aisha’s dad Oscar had once mentioned how proud he is of his daughter’s cooking flair and leadership. Aisha had negotiated to ensure workers’ welfare as part of her work package as executive chef.
Aisha celebrating with her family and friends in NYC. A proud moment for everyone.
Lopez-Alt took notice of that too. Having tasted Aisha’s charred eggplant dish at Canlis, he wrote this in selecting Aisha for Time’s 100 Next:
“The dish spotlights both the ethos of Canlis—flavors from across the Pacific, and a focus on simplicity and execution—and Aisha’s own story as an immigrant, a woman, and a person of color. Her experiences in a notoriously intolerant industry have led her to transform her own kitchen into a place of vulnerability and growth. To support better working conditions, she took a bold gamble this summer—opening the restaurant only on weekdays. Aisha’s technical brilliance and knowledge of ingredients from around the world are what put her in the ranks of other world-class chefs. Her willingness to challenge the norms of kitchen culture and strive for something better is what sets her apart from them.” #
