Father and son Ladd and Andrew Dizon, both Filipino-Americans who live in New Jersey, recently won $10,000 in the Food Network reality show 24 Hour Restaurant Battle, reports BalitangAmerica.tv.
According to its website, the show features "two-person teams of aspiring restaurateurs who have 24 hours to conceive, plan and open their own restaurants for one night." Andrew, a chef, and his father Ladd, a postal worker, created a Filipino-themed restaurant they named Noy--short for Pinoy--in the episode aired on August 18. For at least 75 customers, they served oxtail kare-kare, lengua, ampalaya stuffed with shrimp, spring rolls and turon ice cream.
Andrew said in an ABS-CBNNews.com report, "Those are my favorite dishes. I didn’t want to be fake and do something mainstream." Ladd said, "I can’t believe I cooked so much tongue and oxtails. I said, ’Thank you Lord; it’s a miracle.’"
The judges initially thought the Dizons’ menu was "too ethnic," according to BalitangAmerica.tv. At first, most of the customers went to the vegetarian restaurant of their competitors Neeka Dockeny and Dorinda Hampton. However, Andrew enticed customers to try their Filipino fare by offering lumpia samplers.
"It was extremely challenging. Opening a restaurant in 24 hours is impossible; losing a restaurant in 24 hours is easy," BalitangAmerica.tv quoted Andrew.
For more on this story, log on to BalitangAmerica.tv and ABS-CBNNews.com.