Two years ago, Sheryll Petilos Rincon and Clariza Sidamon opened up Friend's Corner Tea & Snack Bar on Main Street in Highland, where they serve up bubble tea, smoothies, lemonade, and sweet Filipino treats like Sago Gulaman and Halo Halo (a shaved ice dessert), plus savory snacks like dumplings and steamed buns. Before they opened, there was scarcely a place to get Filipino food between the city and the Capital region. (A notable exception is Harana Market, which was opened in Woodstock a year later by different owners). But the arrival of Friend's Corner heralded the quiet development of a little Filipino enclave in the small Ulster County hamlet of Highland.
“I've been living in Highland for 12 years,” says Petilos Rincon. “In my third year, I opened Verlise Boutique [now closed] and then naturally branched out to other areas of business, eventually focusing on food. I was a businesswoman even before I came to the US, starting my online business many years back.” With Sidamon, Petilos Rincon also founded Helping Hands Fil-Am Inc. in 2018, which raises money for schools, churches, and charitable organizations back in the Philippines.
Next door to Friend’s Corner, in the same building, is Sari Sari Boutique Asian Grocery Store, a market stocking Filipino and Asian goods from fresh produce to canned and frozen foods, pantry items, spices and seasoning mixes, and toiletries, run by Christina and Bryan Pizzuti. (Christina is a recent Filipino immigrant and Bryan is American.)
“The local Filipino community is pretty underserved, there isn't really much between northern New Jersey and Albany as far as business resources,” Christina Pizzuti says. “Highland provides both a central location easily accessible to the entire area, as well as a quiet, small-town vibe in a growing community.”
But this budding Filipino community in Highland has been missing a full-service restaurant—a gap that will be filled when Hapag Kainan opens at the end of the month. “We were visiting Highland to see our friend Sheryll,” says owner Alvin Balbastro. Knowing he was in the market for a space, Pitilos Rincon pointed out the For Rent sign outside the former Trolley Stop Cafe across the street. “She was aware that I’ve been wanting to create a warm and inviting space,” Balbaro says. “It felt like kismet!”
Balbastro isn’t new to the food industry. “I helped run my family’s restaurant and food business in the Philippines,” he says. “I managed the staff, prepared the menu and introduced my very own recipes to our chefs.” The Highland restaurant will have seating capacity for 21 indoors, with an additional 10 to 12 seats outside. With Hapag Kainan, Balbastro isn’t looking to break any molds—he wants to offer his fellow expats “a taste of home.” He’ll be dishing up hearty Filipino classics like adobo (soy and vinegar braised chicken or pork), varieties of pancit (noodles), lumpia (eggrolls), pork sisig, plus a selection of seafood like fish, shrimp, and calamari.
If you don’t know about Filipino breakfast and brunch foods, you’re in for a savory treat when you try the variations on sinangag (garlic rice and egg), which you’ll be able to customize with your protein of choice, including beef, pork, and fish.
“We've been pleasantly surprised at how tightly-knit and welcoming the local Filipino community is,” say the Pizzutis in a joint email response. “It's been a heartwarming experience for both of us.” The sentiment is shared by the others in the growing Filipino enclave in Highland, which is embracing Hapag Kainan and Balbastro with open arms.
“It’s exciting and it feels fulfilling to see other Filipino-American entrepreneurs realize their dreams of starting and being successful in their businesses,” say Petilos Rincon and Sidamon via joint email reply. “Progress can only be achieved when we all work together. And we all can accomplish so much more as a community.”
Hapag Kainan, which is Tagalog for dining table, will welcome the community to its new location at 58 Vineyard Avenue, Highland for a grand opening on April 30, from 12pm to 8pm, replete with live music and fresh food.
