Mabuhay
“Masarap” =Tasty. Tasty Filipino food using family recipes, food from my travels and growing up as a Third Culture Kid.
what is filipino food?
The Philippines is made up of over 7000 Islands which means there are over 180 dialects and languages spoken. The Islands all have their own climates which means vegetation and dishes vary in each region. The colonization of The Philippines of different countries ranging from Mexico, Spain, China and America means that ingredients in dishes all take inspiration from their settlers. Filipino food is a melting pot of all these cultures and regional vegetation, creating a unique, fun and delicious marriage of flavours. Expect sweet, sour and spicy flavours, with every meal being a celebration the Mama Z way.
Catch this and a lot more in West Didsbury with Mama Z.
Hello! I’m Mama Z aka Zosima Fulwell. My love of cooking lead me to where I am today. I am half Filipino and half English and food is important on both sides of my family. I was also very lucky to grow up in the Middle East, making friends from lots of countries who also shared their heritage and love of their own cuisine with me. I love that I am a “Third Culture Kid.”
I started serving Filipino Food to the North West since 2017 and I have traded at market stalls, various pop up events, corporate events, a summer residency at Hatch to now, cooking out of and managing a permanent café in West Didsbury since 2022.
Popular pop up events I have done are communal supper clubs and events at different venues before doing these events in our permanent location in West Didsbury. These supper clubs are called Boodle Fights and they consist of a feast with a mix of grilled fish and meats, veggies, noodles and rice. All of the food is to be eaten with your hands off banana leaves and is perfect for large groups and gatherings. I have also done Boodle Fights completely plant based and they have been just as popular and fun.
This way of eating is traditional in the Philippines and is a fun and great way of tasting a variety of different Filipino dishes whilst socializing with others.
Filipino food has the stigma that it is a greasy and heavily meat orientated cuisine. I am always striving to create delicious meat free Filipino dishes to show that you that Filipino food can be made fresh, simple and delicious- even without the meat. A lot of the menu at the cafe is plant based including a lot of the cake offerings.
Keep your eyes peeled for upcoming supper clubs and events via pop up section or on my social media.
My Lola always said “Food tastes better with your hands.”
WORKSHOPS/ CLASSES
I have been doing my own Filipino cooking classes and also have worked with the amazing charity Cracking Good Food doing classes there.
Get to learn the fundamentals of Filipino cookery, the history, ingredients and practices of Filipino cuisine with my cooking classes.
I also co-host workshops with others and provide the supper elements for the events. These have ranged from book binding workshops, kimchi workshops to crafting earring workshops to name a few!
Please keep an eye out for my next coor feel free to enquire if you are looking to book on for the next one at the café.
POP UP CATERING EVENTS
My menu can be bespoke to your event and clients. I have previously done my street food menu into beautiful canapes, a buffet, to cakes and platters.
I have previously worked alongside companies such as Philippine Airline to Co-op foods by catering a bespoke Filipino menu for their event.
If you fancy something different for your next office party or gathering, now you know where to go!
WHOLESALE PRODUCTS
I make a range of Filipino condiments that is exclusively stocked at the café in Didsbury, where every bottle is made and hand poured by Mama Z. Fancy stocking any of the sauces? get in touch.
PRIVATE BOOKINGS
For any other collaborations, wholesale enquiries on products, or private catering drop me a line below anytime. Salamat!
