Nikko Cagalanan: Kultura (Charleston, SC)

The Southern Fork

Chef Nikko Cagalanan was born and raised in the Philippines. After immigrating to the states in 2011 and working as a nurse, he found himself inspired to pursue cooking with the desire to share his passion for Filipino food. He moved to Charleston, SC in 2018 and began Mansueta’s, a series of pop-ups in the city and the region that helped him hone his craft, his culinary point of view, and build his community, and he’s never looked back. His restaurant Kultura opened in 2022 and was promptly named best Filipino Restaurant in SC by Food & Wine magazine. Then he won on Food Network’s Chopped. Next, Kultura was named one of Eater’s Best New Restaurants in America. And earlier this week, Nikko was named a Finalist for Emerging Chef by the James Beard Foundation. So I’m far from the only person who thinks that his cooking is a special combination of skill, consistency, and a quality that is infinitely welcoming and delicious. He’s very clear about the foundation of his work -- community -- and it shines through in everything, from chef collaborations and local sourcing to occasional impromptu signalongs in the restaurant if a Beyonce song comes on the sound system.