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Abi Marquez Is Leaving No Crumbs Behind
As the fresh face of Filipino cuisine, Abi Marquez is living proof that food is an affair best partaken in with other people.
by Em Enriquez
Published Jul 24, 2024
The internet-proclaimed "lumpia queen" is savoring each moment as Filipino food reaches new heights in the global scene.
The concept of “malinamnam” is unique to Filipino cuisine. A dish can easily be called delicious, but something only becomes “malinamnam” when its flavors are so intensely concentrated that all of one’s senses are activated and enticed. It’s the type of food that makes you close your eyes with every bite.
Though, some foods tread the line of being too “malinamnam.” It’s a critique 24-year-old Abi Marquez has been told by her mom in the kitchen. “Masyadong malinamnam to the point na nakakasuya na siya,” she explains. Abi illustrates that adding an excess amount of flavoring can actually make a dish too cloying for some palates. “Good food is about balance, it’s about having the right amount of something,” she adds.
Good food has been a pillar of Abi’s life ever since she could remember. Having come of age in a typical Filipino household, she’s learned not only how to eat well, but to also cook well. When asked about what she does in her own words, she simply says: “I cook and I make fun videos about it on the internet.”
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Such a statement is a humble attempt at encapsulating the career she’s had as a content creator. Over the past two years, she’s proliferated the gift of our local cuisine through TikTok reels, gaining millions of followers and a sought-after Webby Award along the way. Through it all, Abi is savoring each moment, making sure not to leave any crumbs behind.
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Abi Marquez for Preview In Focus July 2024
Mise En Place
Before she could even reach their kitchen countertop, Abi was already fond of preparing food for other people. She recalls being an eager four-year-old and stirring together a pitcher of juice for their occasional visitors. Come her schooling days, her baunan would be packed with the usual Pinoy fare: a fried viand over rice, a fruity drink in a tetra pack, and some baked goods for dessert. Abi had an archetypal Filipino upbringing, which intrinsically revolved around food.
“I grew up in a usual Filipino household. Three times a day kami kumakain and 'yung mama ko 'yung nagluluto. We would eat together at the dining table as a family,” she narrates. Any kid would attest that their mom’s cooking is the best, and Abi would argue the same. “I believe my mother cooks really well,” she expresses. “Kahit nagluluto lang sya for sustenance, I would say that she also cooks with passion. Hindi sya basta-basta lang nagluluto.”
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Lem Atienza
ON ABI: Jacquard-Patterned Shirt, $79.99 (approximately P4,658.22), H&M, hm.com. Hamulaklak Bib Top, Customized Denim Patched Jeans, both HA.MU., Instagram.com/_ha.mu_. Knaur Cube Heels in Brown, P4999, PALENGKE, plngke.com
Her dad, on the other hand, was their home’s resident food critic. “Ang sarap ng tinola mo ngayon dahil ang daming luya” or “Ang sarap ng kaldareta ‘pag nilagyan mo ng gata” were comments Abi would hear and take note of. They were nuggets of wisdom that she eventually applied to her own recipes once she began cooking herself.
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“Growing up with good food was how I developed my own palate. That’s how I developed my standards,” she explains. “Now, I can say na ganito 'yung masarap na tinola o kaldereta dahil ganito [sya niluto ng] nanay ko.”
In this regard, Abi attributes a huge chunk of her culinary prowess to how she was taught to cook at home. As simple as their daily ulam were, they became her reference points of what good food should taste like. “[They guided me] when it came to finding my own flavors,” she puts it.
Developing her taste was a continuous process even outside of home. At school, she was the girl selling everything from cookies and brownies to potato salad and pasta, all of which she prepared from scratch. She didn’t necessarily need the income; Abi just really wanted people to taste her cooking.
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“Food has always been there. And throughout the years, I would just really listen to the feedback of the people who try my food,” she states. “Doon ko nakuha [yung tamang] timpla [sa pagluluto]. Doon ko nakuha yung balance.”
Bring Home the Bacon
Abi’s cooking would gain more patrons come her college years. At the time, she tried her hand at content creation as a way to fulfill her practicum requirements. “It started out as trip-trip lang talaga,” she candidly says. “Trip-trip lang na magluluto ako, ivi-video ko, ie-edit ko, tapos ipo-post ko sa TikTok.”
She didn’t expect much from the endeavor, only having a measly 14 followers on the platform at the time. A couple of posts later, and a dorm room-friendly recipe for tuna pasta had things take a turn. “'Yun yung first video na may voiceover ako, na ginawa ko para panoorin talaga siya ng ibang tao,” she says. The video, which dates back to January 2022, has amassed 3.5 million views since it was uploaded.
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Lem Atienza
Reeling from a taste of virality, Abi continued to share the processes behind the dishes she and her family would partake in. The views and followers gradually grew. “Very fulfilling 'yun, kasi it's something I enjoy doing, and people found value in it,” Abi recalls. She initially wasn’t aware how big the “content creation economy” was in the Philippines. Up until that point, she didn’t know it could be a viable path for her.
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A singular question, borne out of pure curiosity, became a career-defining moment for her: “What happens when you put marshmallows in lumpia wrapper?”
After a get-together with friends, Abi found herself with a surplus of lumpia wrappers, mini marshmallows, and chocolate chips. The thought of creating something similar to a choco-mallow pie lingered in her mind and she just had to try it out. The initial experiment didn’t go as planned, as the ingredients inside the wrapper melted while frying. However, it was still something she willingly shared with her growing followers.
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“I posted it anyway kasi I thought na wala pang gumagawa nito, and people are probably wondering what would happen if you do it. If it was successful, oh my god, it would have been a game-changer. But even if it wasn’t, well, it was still an exciting video,” she states. The reel gained a million views in less than an hour. Viewers began to chime in on what she could do to achieve the desired ooey-gooey effect.
Eventually, after a couple of interesting attempts, Abi decided to move on and see what else she could lumpia-ify. She put everything—including the kitchen sink—in lumpia wrappers. Her greatest hits include lumpia filled with truffle mac and cheese, ube and cheese custard, pork sinigang, and many, many more.
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ON ABI: Filipino Lover Shirt, PROUDRACE, Instagram/proudrace. Ballsack Ballskirt, HA.MU., Instagram.com/_ha.mu_
Each video began with her zingy personality posing the perpetual question to viewers. It became a phenomenon of its own as more and more people suggested what other ingredients she could stuff into lumpia. The internet found the rightful person to sit on the throne as their “lumpia queen.”
“Nagkaroon ng recall factor na I was the person who would experiment with lumpia wrappers,” says Abi. Her viewers grew to be as curious as she was with the possibilities. What started out as a fun activity in the kitchen evolved into her very own personal branding. “May gut feeling ako na [this was] going to be great [if I kept doing it]. I had a good feeling about it, so talagang pinagtiyagaan ko sya,” she recounts.
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Abi’s recipes became mainstays in one's TikTok for-you pages. Whether she was lumpia-fying a dish or sharing her rendition of classic Filipino fare, she had millions of people hooked on her gastronomic ventures. That “gut feeling” stayed with her as she pursued a career as a content creator full-time. Eventually, people outside of the country took notice.
In May 2024, Abi became the first-ever Filipino born and raised in the Philippines to win the People’s Voice Award from the Webbys. Such a recognition was “wild” for our lumpia queen. Upon receiving her trophy, Abi only had one thing to say to the international audience: “Philippines, this is for you!”
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“[It was] such an honor because I got to fill those kinds of spaces with our culture and food,” she tells Preview. “Now, Filipinos actually know about the Webbys and they found someone who looks like them on that kind of stage.”
Abi knows well enough that the honor surpasses her and her minute-long uploads on the internet. She could feel the sheer gravity of the moment as Filipino cuisine reached a new peak in the global realm. More audiences are now exposed to the intricacies of our food, and more individuals are empowered to keep sharing it to the world.
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Having opened this door for her fellow content creators, Abi hopes that they continue bearing the torch of our local fare. She says, “I wanted to show Filipino creators that it is possible. It’s possible for them to also be representing Filipino food on an international stage.”
Having Her Cake, and Eating It Too
Filipino food, by nature, is incredibly diverse, with various traditions and cultures influencing how a dish is made and presented. An adobo in Luzon could appear, taste, and smell different from one in Visayas or Mindanao. According to Abi, what unifies our cuisine is the intention for it to always be shared.
“Walang Filipino recipe that is made for just one person,” she details. “You always cook [a Filipino dish] that’s good for at least four to six people. It’s always meant to be shared.” This applies to her signature lumpia, which, without fail, always brings people together. Aside from the fact that it's a recurring character in our celebratory spreads, the process of making it requires camaraderie.
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Lem Atienza
ON ABI: Cropped Draw-Waist Jacket in Orange, 6-Pocket Utility Pants in Orange, Anthurium Sheer Applique Shirt, all NICOLO, Instagram.com/nicoloperez. Elsa Closed Shoes in Silver, P3090, MERANIEL, meraniel.com
“Families would gather at the table and wrap lumpia together. Automatic, pag gagawa ka ng lumpia, ipapamigay at ise-share mo rin sya with other people. It brings such a good message of the Filipino value of sharing or togetherness,” she waxes.
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The lumpia, as humble as it is, has become indicative of Abi’s journey as a cook. The spring rolls, one way or another, were what brought her to a state of global adoration. The way she incorporates foreign fillings or flavors into the dish is representative of just how far she’s come.
Lem Atienza
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If you were to ask Abi what her last meal would be, it would circle back home for her. “My last meal would be my mother’s humba, fried chicken, lots of white rice, and lemonade,” she lists down. “Tsaka feeling ko kailangan ko rin ng bibingkang kanin galing sa Nueva Ecija,” she adds, not forgetting a sweet treat from her hometown.
Objectively, this spread is what the 24-year-old would consider as one of her best meals. As someone who’s nominated for a prestigious James Beard award and has sampled some of the most exquisite dishes abroad, such a claim doesn’t come lightly. Abi emphasizes that, for her, good food doesn’t necessarily mean using fancy ingredients or techniques. At the end of the day, it’s all about the experience you have while eating.
Lem Atienza
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She states, “When you have good memories with food, when you share a meal with other people, it doesn’t just become an eating activity. It becomes an identity. It actually becomes a part of you.”
And all of the food she’s passionately crafted on our screens has become integral to the person Abi has become. Filipino cuisine always entails a sense of togetherness, which is something the content creator has fostered throughout her emerging career. Beyond the awards and recognitions, Abi has honed what food can do to band people together. That, perhaps, is her not-so-secret ingredient to being the face of our local fare.
Lem Atienza
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Produced and Styled by the Preview Team
Photographer: Lem Atienza, assisted by Andrea Malaya
Creative Director: Bacs Arcebal
Editor-in-Chief: Marj Ramos-Clemente
Production: Em Enriquez and Reg Rodriguez
Fashion: Em Enriquez
Makeup: Luis Bunag
Hairstyling: Aries Manal
Story: Em Enriquez
Videos: Jana Jodloman
Social Media: Jamie Lou Briones
Special thanks to Havitat Boutique Hotel and NYMA Talent Management
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