Paolo and Pichet, colleagues with mutual admiration, will showcase some of their collaborative culinary hits from DC bakery/ cafe/ restaurant Hiraya that are brunch inspired – for example, French Toast with ricotta, peppery mushroom sisig, and savory vegetable ube lumpia.  Both chefs, with classic European culinary backgrounds and a passion for Southeast Asian ingredients, have partnered to create a new genre, inspired by a diaspora that is distinctly New American, and reflective of their personal stories.

Born in the culinary capital of the Philippines, San Fernando, Paolo Dungca moved to Los Angeles with his mother when he was 13 years old. While in nursing school, Dungca picked up a job as a dishwasher at Disneyland and was captivated by the energy of the kitchen. It was then that Dungca knew he was meant to be on the line, and traded nursing school for culinary school. His first foray into fine dining was as a line cook for Chef Kevin Meehan’s pop-up series leading to the opening of Kali in Hollywood. In 2014, Dungca visited family in Washington, D.C., and immediately felt at home. He canceled his return flight and jumped into the D.C. culinary scene, starting with a job at the city’s long standing acclaimed restaurant, Vidalia. In 2015, Dungca joined his mentor and future business partner, Tom Cunanan, at the Filipino restaurant, Bad Saint, before moving on to become Chef de Cuisine at Restaurant Eve under Cathal Armstrong. Three years later, Dungca followed Armstrong to open and develop the menu for Kaliwa, a District Wharf restaurant that blends Korean, Thai, and Filipino flavors. A trip to the Philippines in 2019 reinvigorated Dungca’s desire to cook his native cuisine. After helping Erik Bruner-Yang open ABC Pony in 2019, Dungca reunited with Cunanan to open a Filipino-American fast food stall, Pogiboy. In 2023, he took his own food hall concept, Hiraya, to a brick-and-mortar location in northeast DC, and now offers an all-day Filipino café in addition to a multi-course tasting menu in the upstairs dining room. Through Hiraya, Chef Dungca is bringing Filipino food to the forefront of modern American dining.

Eating and cooking are Pichet Ong’s hobby and heartbeat. As a chef, Pichet combines fond flavors of his childhood and travels with classic techniques to create sweet and savory foods that are pure, whimsical, and experimental, yet nostalgic. His food can be found worldwide, from New York to Sydney, Istanbul to Beijing, Tokyo to Washington, DC. Pichet is a self-taught chef. He is a Top Ten Pastry Chefs in America in Pastry Arts & Design. He’s been named “Rising Star” by Starchefs, a “Pastry Provocateur” by Pete Wells in Food & Wine. He has been featured in Saveur, W, Elle, Vogue, Tatler, and O, the Oprah magazine. He headlined “The Chef” column in The New York Times for 8 weeks. His desserts have received multiple 3-star reviews in the New York Times, a Michelin star, and placement in Pellegrino’s the Worlds 50 Best. He is a 9-time nominee for the James Beard Award in different categories. He is a resident and guest judge on Food Network’s Cake Wars and Sugar Dome, Cake Wars, Halloween Wars, and Bravo’s Top Chef. In 2019, he was a finalist for the James Beard Award for Outstanding Pastry Chef. During that period, he opened Mama Chang with chef Peter Chang in Virginia that was named best new restaurant in Washington, DC, and NiHao in Baltimore, named  #4 best new restaurant in America in Esquire and landed as a James Beard award finalist for best new restaurant in 2022.  Ong joined forces with legendary Chef Peter Chang and his daughter Lydia Chang to open Chang’s first DC restaurant, Chang Chang near Dupont Circle, which Washington Post food critic Tom Sietsema declared “a joyous occasion,”  and instantly became one of his “ favorite places to eat.”  Pichet is currently dividing his time between Bangkok, producing farm bean to bar chocolate, Kad KoKoa, and DC, with the newly opened Hiraya, with chef Paolo Dungca.  His new book,  “Hello Coconuts” is scheduled for a 2024 release.

Complimentary beer and wine will be served. This class will sell out quickly so don’t hesitate to purchase your ticket ASAP.

PLEASE NOTE: Tickets are non-refundable. We apologize for the inconvenience.