The Chi-ibigan Filipino food festival will return for its second year on April 4 at the Ravenswood Event Center, according to an announcement by chef Lawrence Letrero. The event will feature expanded offerings, more participating restaurants, and additional tickets compared to last year’s sold-out debut.
The festival highlights the growing presence and collaboration within Chicago’s Filipino culinary community. Organizers say the event aims to celebrate Filipino culture, support local businesses, and give back through charitable contributions.
Letrero, who owns Bayan Ko and Bayan Ko Diner with his wife Raquel Quadreny, said he initially planned small dinners for Filipino Food Month before demand grew. “We realized we should think of this in a larger scale,” Letrero said. The inaugural Chi-ibigan sold out all 450 tickets in just 45 minutes. This year’s event will expand from one floor to three at the Ravenswood Event Center at 4021 N. Ravenswood Ave., offering a total of 850 tickets available via OpenTable starting Wednesday morning.
Sixteen restaurants and bakeries are scheduled to provide tasting samples this year, including two-Michelin star Kasama in East Ukrainian Village; Del Sur Bakery; Boonie’s Filipino Restaurant; Kanin bodega; S.K.Y.; Indonesian restaurant Rendang Republic; Umaga Bakehouse; and Taste of the Philippines. The festivities will also include DJs, dancing, karaoke, mahjong games, a photo booth, caricature artist sessions, and a dessert lounge featuring creative sweets such as Milky Milky’s sour mango ice cream infused with bagoong.
“The ‘Chi’ is obviously Chicago,” Letrero said about the event name. “‘Ibigan’ can honestly mean a lot of things in Tagalog. For us, it’s brotherhood, showing love for each other and celebrating what Chicago’s doing in the Filipino community.”
Entrepreneur Francis Almeda is assisting with organizing Chi-ibigan this year. “Events like Chi-ibigan are important because it puts the Chicago Filipino scene on the map and lets people know that our community is strong and supports one another,” Almeda said.
Looking ahead, Letrero hopes to grow Chi-ibigan annually while inviting chefs from outside Chicago as well—this year featuring chef Carlo Lamagna from Portland’s Magna Kusina. “I would love to make people aware that the Chicago Filipino food scene is strong and it’s not just a passing fad,” Letrero said.
