Californian couple Darren Young, 32, and Charlene Lopez-Young, 34, nurtured the seedling that was once their Milque Toast pop-up in 2017 and transformed it into a blossoming business, winning a UMSL DEI grant and Arch Grants funding for The Fattened Caf.
“We’re trying to build a Filipino barbecue brand,” Young said. “We were affirmed that St. Louis wanted that. It was different. People were exposed to the barbecue scene for so long.”
After moving from the golden state in the early 2010s for nonprofit work opportunities, the Youngs’ business idea emerged spontaneously. Beginning as four meals the Youngs cooked during get-togethers, they landed them a Milque toast pop-up. They gradually expanded their menus for the Cherokee Street Market in 2018. The pair now have a monthly residency at Earthbound Beer.
“Filipino barbecue is cooked over hot charcoal and marinated in garlic-tasting spices,” Lopez-Young said.
The couple continues to explore the kitchen scape, offering traditional Filipino dishes such as pig ears, char-grilled pork belly and colorful items like banana ketchup. Young said recipes may typically take six months to finalize.
“The barbecue is cooked low and slow over wood and smoked for 12 to 20 hours,” Young said. “Customers were mostly curious people, risk-takers, and a small yet growing Filipino population.”
Arch Grants awarded the team, now a staff of six, the 75Kequity-free grant in November 2022. With the funds, they are working on getting the cuisine into Dierbergs Markets and Fresh Thyme Markets.
“Recipes were in the family for generations,” said Lopez-Young. “I knew I wanted to share my culture.”
When the pair launched the pop-up, they spoke with the only other Filipino cuisine vendor they knew in St. Louis which has since closed shop. Young said they were nervous when they got an RSVP from Guerilla Street Food’s owners. But the owners squashed those worries when they shouted them out in support on social media.
“A lot of franchises are not owned by people of color or immigrants, but by people that went to Mexico and paid $10 for a recipe,”Lopez-Young said. “Anytime a Black person sees me with my grill and smoker, they come in because there’s something special and trusting when you see a Black man behind the grill.”
Filipino restaurants are not common, and Lopez-Young shared her reasoning.
“Many Filipino Americans wanted to get into the foods of their culture,” Young said. “But families don’t encourage going into the food industry. Parents pushed us into fields guaranteeing strong financial success.”
Though Young did not have any prior food industry experience, and Lopez-Young only recalls a high school job at a restaurant, that did not discourage their pursuit.
“We had our first semester of culinary school in 2019, right before our first baby was born, and it felt serious,” Young said.
Lopez-Young is a first-generation Filipino immigrant who spent seven years in the Philippines as a child then moved to Los Angeles, California. She moved to St. Louis in 2013 to work as a data analyst. Though Lopez-Young said she initially felt like she was the only Filipina person in St. Louis, she found a sizable, close-knit Filipino community.
“I wanted to live here the moment I arrived, [due to] the city amenities with a community feel,” Lopez-Young said. “I have more Filipino community here. My relationships now are more intentional and meaningful.”
The couple ventured to the Philippines four times together and fine-tuned their palette.
“There’s this moment of celebration with this great big unique feast over a fattened calf,” Young said.
They tried to adapt during the 2020 pandemic peak by hosting drive-ups, selling to-go plates; still, March to August was a trying time. A Schnucks representative lifted the dry spell when a buyer reached out and expressed interest in selling their food.
“My faith drives me,” Young said. “My faith is what led me to stay in St. Louis. Even though it wasn’t comfortable.”
After winning a few small grants, USML brought the pair a milestone moment. Against 300 applicants, USML awarded them a $50K DEI Accelerator equity-free grant in October 2020, propelling their successful Schnucks launch and USDA approval. Young said the success is in part due to the popularity of barbecue in St. Louis.
“If you’re talking about barbecue, and it’s not about St. Louis,” Young said. “Don’t trust anything they say.”
Three months after that Schnucks email, the Fattened Caf’s packaged BBQ meals and sausages made a splash in Arsenal, Richmond Heights and Ballwin.
“People were nothing but welcoming and inspiring,” Young said. “It’s what makes St. Louis great; it’s a city but also a small community, and people care about each other.”
After this success, Schnucks quickly put their products in 67 locations. They sold around 2,500 product units between 2020-2021 and 12,000 plus units in 2022.
“We’ve made it this far because we are not afraid of asking for help,” Young said. “I’ve released myself of that fear, and that’s freed me.”
