
Tom Cunanan
Soy Pinoy
Biography
Cunanan gained experience in kitchens across D.C., including Patrick Orange, La Chaumiere. Rodney Scruggs, occidental. Jose Andres, Oyamel and Ashook Bajaj restaurants. When Cunanan’s mother was diagnosed with cancer in 2012, he worked with her to write down her recipes for Filipino cuisine, forming the basis for a catering business.
Bad Saint was recognized by... READ MORE
Cunanan gained experience in kitchens across D.C., including Patrick Orange, La Chaumiere. Rodney Scruggs, occidental. Jose Andres, Oyamel and Ashook Bajaj restaurants. When Cunanan’s mother was diagnosed with cancer in 2012, he worked with her to write down her recipes for Filipino cuisine, forming the basis for a catering business.
Bad Saint was recognized by Bon Appétit magazine as the #2 Best New Restaurants in the country in 2016. Pete Wells of The New York Times gave the restaurant a three-star review, writing that “the food that Tom Cunanan and his cooks prepare under columns of wok smoke is richly compelling no matter how many prior run-ins you’ve had with Filipino food.” Eater named it one of the 38 essential restaurants in America in 2017-2019.
After being a finalist in 2017 and 2018, Cunanan won the 2019 James Beard Award for Best Chef, Mid-Atlantic.
In February 2022, Paul Qui brought Cunanan on board to partner along at Soy Pinoy in Houston, TX. Along with his new vision of Filipino comfort fast casual food, Cunanan will also be opening a fine dining restaurant, Hermie’s and bar Boy Rose honoring his mother, the muse behind his culinary career.
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