Filipino cuisine comes to the Cataract City
Oct. 11—Starting a new business in a foreign country can be a tall task.
That is the challenge the husband-and-wife team of Fortune John and Lerma Herher took on as they opened Mami House, Niagara Falls' first Filipino restaurant.
Both born and raised in the Manila area, the Philippines' capital city, John and Herher grew up together and were classmates in school. John immigrated to the United States at the age of 16 in 1998, graduating from Lynwood High School in Lynwood, California, in 2001. His first job in the food industry was at McDonald's, then he went to work at a Filipino restaurant to hone his skills preparing his native food.
John first became familiar with cooking as a child when his grandma got called to help with weddings, birthdays and christenings.
"They always call her to cook for them," he said. "They grab all the ingredients and my grandma just cooked for them for free. and I helped her either cutting meat or vegetables, whatever I can to prep for her."
John moved to Western New York seven years ago, and went to work as a line cook at Seneca Niagara's Three Sisters Cafe. He's still doing the same today, for his restaurant, and says he's happy.
Herher moved to the United States six years ago and she's working as an income auditor for Seneca Niagara Casino while attending Niagara University. She hopes to be an accountant after she graduates.
Herher's part in the establishment of Mami House was a question to her husband: "If you really want to start a restaurant, why not do it now?"
Mami House opened for business on Aug. 26, on the lower level of the Jefferson apartment house at Rainbow Boulevard and Third Street, where the Third Street Retreat eatery previously had been. John and Herher's children help out in various capacities; their 18-year-old son is a line cook and their 17-year-old daughter is a server.
The Mami House menu showcases various noodle dishes, barbecue, soups, and meat combo plates. John described the food as Spanish-Chinese fusion, noting that Spain ruled over the Philippines for more than 300 years and Chinese migration has influenced the country.
Since it was opened, Mami House has appealed to a broad range of people, not just Filipinos, John said.
"We are in a tourist destination, so people are just swinging by, searching us in Google," he said, adding that guests have come from places as far away as Albany, the Allegheny region, Ohio and Florida. John knows this because his guests are invited to "pin" their hometown on one of two maps inside Mami House, a United States map and a Philippines map.
John said a world map is being added for guests from other countries including Canada. Thanks to Canadian border restrictions being lifted, he believes business is about to pick up.
"They can come, eat, and have fun," John said.
