Modesto’s first-ever Filipino food truck was started by friends. Here’s what’s on the menu
Stanislaus County’s first-ever Filipino food truck has opened in Modesto, bringing more of the rich flavors of the southeast Asian nation to the Valley.
The new food trailer, Filipino Corner, opened June 11 at the corner of McHenry Avenue and Meily Way in north Modesto. The small space serves up big, authentic flavors from two church friends who saw an opportunity in the region.
Co-owners Alma Timbreza of Modesto and Marisol Manipol of Salida go to New Beginnings Christian Center together, where Manipol’s husband serves as pastor. After the electronics company Timbreza worked at closed and moved out of the region last summer, she decided to use her severance to start a food business.
But the cost of opening a trailer solo was too high, which is when Manipol and her husband decided to help and invest in the project.
“I was almost about to give up. My husband is always the one encouraging me when I am down to keep going,” Timbreza said. “And God is good, so the pastor and Marisol were like, ‘If you want we can be business partners.’”
They bought an 18-foot trailer in February and have been converting it since. Earlier this month, the women opened their first eatery together at the busy corner just south of the Walmart Supercenter on McHenry. The space has become a mini food truck court, with Rafa Tacos and Sinaloense Mexican seafood trailers also on site.
The inviting, bright red trailer takes its full name, Filipino Corner by JrAilaM’s, from a combination of the popular Filipino food cart turned franchise Potato Corner and a melding of the two women’s family names. The Jr. and Aila are for Timbreza’s grandchildren and the M stands for Manipol.
Timbreza serves as head chef, with the trailer staffed entirely by family, including Timbreza’s husband and children. They crank out Pinoy favorites including pork adobo (a marinated meat dish not to be confused with Mexican adobo), grilled liempo (pork belly), pancit (stir-fried rice noodles) and two styles of lumpia (the thinner Shanghai-style and a thicker style of fried crispy meat-and-veggie filled rolls).
The menu has a handful of staples, ranging from $9 to $13 a plate, as well as daily specials.
Timbreza said the recipes all come from her mother, who cooked for them growing up and lived with her and her husband until a few years ago. Since moving to Modesto three years ago, she has been developing the recipes at home and was encouraged by friends and family to share her food.
“I wanted to share some of the most popular Filipino dishes,” Timbreza said. “Our food, the aroma, it’s very flavorful and colorful. Filipinos really, really love to eat.”
The food from the Philippines archipelago is a mixture of its indigenous cuisine plus colonial influences from its time under Spanish and American rule and later Japanese occupation during World War II. The flavors blend salty, sweet and sour. And expect plenty of pork; indeed, one of the island country’s most celebrated dishes is lechon, a traditional whole, slow-roasted pig.
The Filipino Corner menu also has chicken dishes, including one of the specials, chicken katsu (which fans of Japanese food will recognize as breaded chicken cutlets). Timbreza said they also are open to customer suggestions for dishes to add to the menu.
The new venture is only the second Filipino eatery to operate in Modesto. In May 2021, the restaurant Kusina opened in Century Center in east Modesto, serving a wide variety of dishes.
While open just a little more than a week, the new food trailer already has attracted fans and members of the region’s Filipino community from as far away as Sonora and Waterford.
Diamond Bitzer from Waterford came to try the trailer for the first time late last week. “Sometimes we are tired of cooking at home so it’s nice to have Filipino food available,” Bitzer said. “We’re happy to have more businesses like this.”
Filipino Corner, at 3824 McHenry Ave. in Modesto, is open 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday to Saturday and 3 to 8 p.m. Sunday. For more information visit www.facebook.com/filocornerjrailams or call 209-624-6848.
