Kasama, Filipino restaurant based in Chicago, earns a Michelin star
By John Legaspi
A Michelin star marks a restaurant’s culinary excellence. It is only given to dining spots with only high standards when it comes to food and service. This 2022, the Michelin Guide honors some Chicago-based restaurants, one of them is Kasama, which gain a one-star rating.
A bakery and modern Filipino restaurant, Kasama is located in the East Ukrainian Village serving Filipino food to the table with contemporary twists. Led by couple and chefs Genie Kwon and Timothy Flores, the restaurant is loved for its creations such as Filipino breakfast and chicken and mushroom adobo, and signature drinks like the kafe-mansi and ube latte.

“It is still hard to believe what this industry has been through since the beginning of 2020,” the restaurant posted on Instagram. “To make it here and to be recognized by the Michelin Guide is truly beyond anything we could have ever imagined. Thank you to our team, past and present. Thank you to our wonderful patrons. Cheers to you all!”
“Michelin Guide inspectors found that Chicago chefs and restaurant teams still maintain a high level of quality and creativity in fine dining experiences, even as pursuing their activity has been an unprecedented challenge during the past year,” international director of the Michelin Guide Gwendal Poullennec said.
This is not the first time Kasama has been recognized for its food and service. Last year, it was included in New York Times' 2021 Restaurant List to help Americans find the “most vibrant and delicious restaurants.”
“Having a meal at this neighborhood cafe is to experience the seamless blending of the talents of husband-and-wife team Genie Kwon and Timothy Flores. Ms. Kwon,” food reporter Priya Krishna says. “Mr. Flores’s Filipino food, which includes staples like lumpia and adobo, is unpretentious and soul-warming. Try his excellent take on a Chicago-style Italian combo sandwich, made with longanisa.”
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