Nicole Ponseca

CEO, Filipino Food Ambassador, Author, I Am a Filipino and This is How We Cook

San Francisco

Known for translating food and identity-politics with nuance and creative flair, Nicole has applied her decades of experience working with food, blue chip-brands, and hospitality into a pioneering position as the vanguard of Filipino cuisine. As founder and CEO of Jeepney Filipino Gastropub and Maharlika Catering in New York City, she respects authentic flavors and an ardent proponent of pushing her culture and community in the limelight. The Washington Post quoted her restaurants' influence as immeasurable, and The New York Times said she was an "Empire in the Making".

Dating back to 2009, she has introduced Filipino food on a global stage with arguably the toughest marketplace and industry that boasts a 90% failure rate within the first year. Her recent book-- I Am A Filipino and This is How We Cook -- is a collection of her observations and recipes and received critical praise by The New Yorker, San Francisco Chronicle, Food and Wine, Saveur, Houston Chronicle and many more. The book is a 2018 finalist for International Cookbook of the year by The James Beard Foundation. After 6 months, the book went into its third printing.

Ponseca is an ardent proponent for Filipino-Americans and people of flavor seeking representation and a higher quality of life.

She is a graduate of the University of San Francisco and would like to make the city her home again.