According to a recent permit filing, Bry’s Filipino Cuisine will soon open a brick-and-mortar in Bellingham at 1151 N State St.
“I’m currently figuring out my goal opening date. I was originally hoping to open for Valentine’s Day but I’m still waiting on the health department. Due to that, the beginning of March is more realistic. We are currently building a bar right now, have painted everything, and are building everything from scratch,” owner and chef Bryan Matamorosa told What Now Seattle.
“Bry’s will have traditional and modern-style Filipino food with a nice ambiance and a bunch of specialty cocktails. Some cocktail ideals will be ube cocktails or mango cocktails. I’m still working on that! I’m a chef, but not really an experienced bartender, so I decided to go to bartending school. I’m also currently a board member of Bellingham’s Farmers Market, and I started my business there.”
“My future goal is to be able to expand Bry’s. I started from the bottom, as I moved here from the Philippines in 2009 and I barely spoke English. It hasn’t always been easy, but I’m feeling accomplished. This is a message to people who moved from different countries that there is a chance to be successful. Find a way to keep on growing! I just hope to influence other folks, such as other immigrants, that there is a way to do something for yourself,” Bryan added.
Bellingham Farmers Market’s website tells us more about Bryan, stating, “My name is Bryan John Matamorosa and I have been with the BFM since 2019 and I served authentic Filipino food. I was born and raised in the Philippines and lived there for 19 years. That is where my love for food started.”
“I have always been very curious and always watching my uncle, grandpa, and my dad cook. My grandparents own a rice farm and a coconut farm and had pigs, chickens, fish, ducks, turkeys, and lots of other animals. After moving to the United States I began my career as a chef. I received my Bachelor’s Degree in Culinary Arts.”
“I decided to branch out and develop my own independent business, deriving my culinary inspiration from my Filipino heritage and my education at BTC. Combining my tailored culinary skills with traditional Filipino style cooking creates the blend of passion and techniques that I’d love to continue to share with the Whatcom County community at the Bellingham Farmer’s Market on Saturdays, the restaurant at the Herald building, the food truck, catering, and events. All of my menu items are made 100% from scratch and are created with locally sourced ingredients.”
