Bahay is a buzzy food venture by Irish-Filipino chef and Humanistic Psychotherapist Richie Castillo and partner in life and business, Digital Strategist and IMAGE Magazine Food Writer, Alex O'Neill. For them, food is a way to explore identity, culture and understanding, and see it as a universal way to connect. They wanted to share these incredible, bold and exciting tastes, as well as highlighting the rich Irish-Filipino culture, through food, music and art.
Bahay, which means home in Tagalog, first found a niche popping up in unique venues across Ireland, finding locations and spaces to bring their adventurous menus to life, and make it feel like home, but have now expanded into much more as they saw first hand the power of food in opening up conversations on topics such as identity, belonging and shared human experiences.
.jpg)
For Richie, this book was a catalyst for exploring and connecting with his Filipino heritage. You’ll find classic dishes such as adobo, a range of exciting Filipino dishes and playful recipes with Filipino flavours that highlight his experience growing up eating Filipino food with Irish ingredients. Masarap is an exploration of Filipino food through an Irish cultural lens and a way to introduce more people to the food of the Philippines.
Richard Castillo was born and raised in Dublin to an Irish mother and a Filipino father. For 10 years he worked in various kitchens at home and abroad but after the pandemic threw the restaurant industry into chaos, he wanted to play by his own rules, go back to his roots and harness his creativity to create something personal and true to him.
Encouraged by his partner, Alex, Bahay was born. Named after the Tagalog word for house/home, Richie focuses on introducing people to Filipino flavours using Irish ingredients as well as highlighting Irish-Filipino culture through food, music and art in unique spaces, locations and venues across the country.
Not content with just one project, shortly after Bahay was created, Richie began studying for a master’s in psychotherapy, which he will complete in 2024. For Richie, this book was a catalyst for exploring and connecting with his Filipino and Irish heritage as well as a time of great personal growth and development.
Alex O'Neill is a food lover with a passion for exploring the past, present and future through art, language, culture and cuisine. She comes from a family of social revolutionaries, artists and engineers. She has worked in IT for the last eight years, but it was only after commencing a master's in digital marketing in 2020 that she saw the potential in the online space to foster a creative, new and alternative approach to market the idea of Bahay and introduce a wider audience to the incredible Filipino flavours that Richie explores.
