When we established Cocina Filipina in 2023, we were immediately jolted into a full calendar of events—opening a residency and operating multiple food trucks with a slim, and very green staff. The growing pains quickly demanded a bigger kitchen, more equipment, an expanded menu, a bigger team, and full-time hours of operation. If you knew us in those first few months, you remember all the favors we called in and the friends who were immediately down to help us in every kooky way we needed. The version of us that operated out of a pull trailer with one employee—often selling out of food or even forgetting to pack utensils—feels like a whole other universe.
With the support of the community, we expanded and were able to keep Filipino fare accessible through our Latina lens. Entrusted with these recipes, our business deepened its roots. Grounded in gratitude and the pleasure of giving so many people the experience of tasting Filipino staples, we felt the community care, resilience, and joy that connected us here in Milwaukee.
I’ve had the privilege of watching our business grow beyond a food operation: Cocina Filipina is the livelihood for our team, a pillar of cultural accessibility, a trusted vendor that voices its values, and a queer woman-owned food truck committed to uplifting others.
We appreciate every past invitation to be hosted, all our collaborations with breweries, the play cafe, makers markets, street fests, live music series, beer gardens, private events, and any time we were the meal to hold many Milwaukee nights in your memory.
The past week has been especially heavy for Milwaukee’s small business scene. As we’ve been showing up in support of others navigating perilous loss in revenue, and visiting the final days of spaces under sudden closure, we now find ourselves facing an unexpected and difficult moment of our own.
Our commercial kitchen suffered a fire the evening of Friday December 12th. The fire was contained, and thankfully didn’t spread beyond to the tenants above, or to other areas of the building. Harshly, we are facing the devastation that rapidly overtook the functionality of our operation, equipment, and our product after our fire. We are grateful that only property was impacted and not the health or homes of anyone. We are appreciative for the quick action and service of the Cudahy Fire Department who attended to the fire and were able to gain access to our sealed kitchen.
The ability to lean on one another is what makes this community feel connected and sustaining. We are resting on this mutual reliance in hopes to recover from the loss of our base kitchen. We are inoperable and cannot fulfill our weekly assignment at Lion’s Tail, or fulfill any catering orders. We were in our slower season and already tight with sustaining our staff, however a new contract with the Panther Arena was going to provide a great opportunity to vend. This fire sets us back what we thought we were gaining.
Unfortunately, moving forward requires us to locate, access, afford, and fully transition into a new licensed kitchen capable of supporting full-time operations. We are actively scrambling to tour and evaluate shared kitchen spaces across greater Milwaukee, but none currently offer the flexibility, storage, or stability that operating out of our own private kitchen provided. Effectively, losing our base kitchen also reflects on our initial food truck concept Modern Maki who operates full time at Milwaukee’s Zocalo. Since the license cannot be filled without an approved kitchen, we have to shut down our schedule there for an uncertain amount of time.
Ways we are seeking support:
- [ ] Buy gift cards through our CASHDROP link that can be used at a food truck location (helps stabilize the loss of business):
- [ ] Cocina Filipina COCINA FILIPINA GIFT CARD
- [ ] Modern Maki MODERN MAKI GIFT CARDS
- [ ] Donate as it supports our ability to coordinate finding and renting a new kitchen, cover application fees, reliscensing fees, mobile licenses for both Cocina & Modern Maki respectively
- [ ] It also supports any equipment repurchasing we will need in the meantime, as everything gets evaluated
- [ ] In covering costs incurred by insurance (premiums/deductibles/copays)
The sooner we operate under a new base kitchen, the sooner we get approval for licensing, and we can regain our operation at the Panther Arena which supports staffing
We want to keep our Filipino classics available, especially in these new backdrops like at the Panther Arena. Giant Milwaukee staples inviting us to purvey our unique cuisine in a community hub like that helps us keep these traditional plates alive and accessible. We want nothing more than to see you guys posing with our lumpia and adobo, and our sweet chili chicky bowls!!
We sympathize with other small businesses in Milwaukee who have also called out for support. As we grapple with the effects of this fire, we know the path forward is still ahead, though not linear. Despite the abrupt change.. despite not knowing how we will figure it out, we are optimistic to rebuild. Your sincere support, love, devotion, trust, and calls to action accelerates our business and fuels our hearts to carry on. Thank you for standing with us—for the calls, the leads, the grace, and the continued belief in what we’re building.
Desde el corazón, y en las manos de Dios, from everyone in our little “Cocina-team”, thank you.