Filipino-Americans father and son Ladd and Andrew Dizon won $10,000 in the Food Network reality show 24 Hour Restaurant Battle. The show is composed of two aspiring restaurateurs who have 24 hours to conceive, plan and open their own restaurants for one night.
In the episode aired last August 18, the father and son team created a Filipino-themed restaurant they named Noy – short for Pinoy. Their menu consisted of oxtail Kare-Kare, beef tongue Lengua, bittermelon or ampalaya stuffed with shrimp, spring rolls or lumpiang shanghai for appetizers and banana turon ice cream for dessert. Served for at least 75 customers.
“I love those. I mean those are my favorite dishes. I didn’t want a beefsteak and do something mainstream, and not have tasted it. These dishes, we’ve made numerous times and I was comfortable making them, and I knew it tasted good,” Chef Andrew said in an interview with ABSCBNNnews.com
The judges initially thought the Dizons’ menu was too ethnic and feedback was right. Most of the customers shied away from their menu and jumped to vegetarian restaurant of their competitors Neeka Dockeny and Dorinda Hampton. But Chef Andrew offered lumpia sampler to get customers in. The tactic worked and customers decided to give the restaurant a try.
In the end, the father-son team won the contest and soon will open their own restaurant named “Noy”.