Orlando’s First-Ever Michelin Green Star Restaurant Embraces Florida Ingredients as Filipino Tradition

Orlando’s First-Ever Michelin Green Star Restaurant Embraces Florida Ingredients as Filipino Tradition

Sama Sama Set Menu Photo: Lee Romero

Posted October 27, 2024

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In Orlando’s Mills 50 neighborhood, Filipino restaurant Kaya — which means “capable” — rarely uses an ingredient just once. The bar repurposes the fatty excess of pork belly to fat wash bourbon for cocktails, while the kitchen utilizes vegetable trimmings for vinegars. It’s this resourcefulness that earned Kaya one of Florida’s first-ever Michelin Green Stars this spring, alongside Miami’s Los Félix and Krüs Kitchen.

Generally, restaurants receive Michelin Green Stars for practicing sustainability without sacrificing gastronomy, explained Jamilyn Bailey, Kaya’s co-owner and general manager. But, as is the case with Michelin at large, the exact criteria remains something of an enigma. The restaurant inspection giant first reached out to Kaya for general information, asking a question about the restaurant’s sustainability efforts. Later, Kaya received an invitation to attend an award ceremony, though Bailey wasn’t aware of the accolade’s exact nature.

“A lot of what we do is trying to show what’s possible in the restaurant industry,” said Bailey, “and trying to move away from people’s preconceived notions of how restaurants should be run or how you source or how you prioritize your spending.”

Filipino Restaurant Kaya

Owners Jamilyn Bailey & Lordfer Lalicon Accept the Michelin Green Star

Filipino Restaurant Kaya’s Mission

When Kaya opened in 2022 at 618 N Thornton Ave., Bailey, as well as Chef and fellow co-owner Lordfer Lalicon, wanted to minimize waste, respect the land, and work with local farmers to develop a food ecosystem. They didn’t set out to receive the Green Star, but within just a few months of opening, Kaya was sourcing 90% of its produce from local farms.

The restaurant’s partners include Everoak Farm — a mere 15 minute drive — and 4Roots Farm, among a slew of others largely in Central Florida. Granted, not all of the farms Kaya utilizes are within Orlando, as produce depends on the season; summers, especially, prove brutal, given the heat and threats of hurricanes.

Locally sourcing ingredients whenever possible not only enables more environmentally-aware cooking but also encapsulates the spirit of Filipino cuisine. Bailey views minimal-waste cooking as “ancestral technology,” indicative of habits practiced in the Philippines.

Kaya’s Filipino menu therefore doesn’t hinge on access to any one ingredient. Rather, as an archipelago of more than 7,600 islands, the Philippines embraces variances in vegetables, proteins, and the like, preparing through similar cooking techniques. “There’s nothing more Filipino than eating what’s in your backyard,” said Bailey.

To access that backyard, Kaya has a designated forager — yes, that’s a real title — on staff, though the foraging process has naturally become an all-hands-on-deck responsibility. One Monday, on their day off, Kaya’s employees organized a do-it-yourself field trip, said Bailey. They visited mulberry trees that grow native to the Orlando area, harvesting the fallen fruit that otherwise would’ve gone to waste. Upon returning to the restaurant, those fruits transitioned into a mulberry syrup for Kaya’s cocktail program.

“Our parents really instilled in us the importance of resourcefulness and not letting things go to waste,” said Bailey.

Clams Oysters and Champagne

Clams Oysters and Champagne Photo; Blake Jones

More to Love in the Mills 50 Neighborhood

Although Kaya has embraced ancestral values, it’s safe to say that the Orlando of today isn’t just your grandparents’ — or even grandchildren’s — city. Beneath Florida’s theme park and retirement community trademarks, Orlando has developed a top-tier, innovative food scene, spearheaded by Kaya and its surrounding Mills 50 neighborhood.

Within walking distance, you’ll find a slew of Vietnamese, Pacific Island, and Japanese restaurants, among other Asian-influenced eateries. Take Banh Mi Boy, in the newly-converted Mills Market, which serves eight different banh mis, as well as Japanese iced coffee with roasted espresso sesame foam.

A few minutes away, Pho Huong Lan serves pho in varying spice levels, while Cafe Maiko will satisfy your sweet tooth; matcha and ube materialize in latte, sundae, and shaved ice forms. Closer to Kaya, on the same plot of land, sits shaved ice shop, Koko Kakigori, where you choose a homemade ceramic bowl in addition to your preferred shaved ice combination.

These restaurants, while in close proximity, complement one another, creating a community of flavors and traditions that mirrors Kaya’s own approach to food. Although the restaurant prioritizes sustainability, it doesn’t skimp on taste, with a multi-course menu as well as à la carte dining. Kaya’s dishes range from cauliflower afritada to pork belly humba with sweet potato and beet.

After all, using vegetables from local farms is “even more Filipino than trying to find the substitute,” said Bailey. “Because we’re just using what we have.”

Filipino Restaurant Kaya

Busy in the Kitchen Photo: Raphael Loquellano

 

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  • WF Anna Staropoli

    Anna Staropoli is a freelance writer. She studied English, creative writing and geography at Dartmouth College. Since then, she’s written for national and international publications, including National Geographic, Food & Wine, and Italy’s La Repubblica.