Meet Anna Swann

Today we’d like to introduce you to Anna Swann.

Every artist has a unique story. Can you briefly walk us through yours?
Upon moving in Texas, I realized quickly that one thing that I missed most with the exception of my friends and family was Filipino food! When we cooked back home in California, it was always a family event. My grandparents, Aunts, Uncles, and cousins would gather around the dinner table laughing and sharing stories while enjoying our true soul food. I reached out to my Mom, Dad, and Aunts for recipes so that I could cook more of it here. With some guidance from my family, I then relied on my taste to make sure that I got the flavors right. Once I started making my own adobo or sinigang I once again became enthralled with the food and culture and wanted to continue to produce such great dishes.

My food journey is inspired by my Lolo, Reynaldo C. Ordonez. He always encouraged me to follow my dreams and inspired me to focus on the things that I was passionate about; however, it wasn’t until his passing in 2014 that I finally found the courage and motivation to do so. He is someone I often think about when cooking traditional Filipino dishes or dishes that we shared around the dinner table. Family is incredibly important to me, and my Lolo was always at the center of this. Television shows on the Food Network or anything with Anthony Bourdain also helped me to get out of my comfort zone and challenge myself in the kitchen. I auditioned for Master Chef in 2015 and made the top 80 which resulted in me flying to LA for the final cut before filming took place. While I didn’t make the cut, I walked away with much more confidence in myself and my abilities as a chef despite no professional training. With that new found confidence, I did my first pop-up event at Peticolas Brewing Company in 2017 and have continued to do pop-ups whenever the opportunity arises.

Please tell us about your art.
Ulam makes modern Filipino food. Being a first generation Filipino-American, I want to share the dishes and flavors that I grew up loving with the people of Dallas. I say “modern Filipino food” because while the dishes may not always look like traditional Filipino dishes, the flavors are still there and I don’t plan to change that. To Filipinos, food is our love language. While the ingredients may be simple, there are layers of flavor, love, and soul in each dish – that’s what I hope people take away from my food.

Filipino food is getting it’s time to shine, and I want to be a part of that movement. It’s through my food where I’m sharing my Filipino culture with others. More importantly, it’s through my love of cooking Filipino food where I honor my family, their journey in immigrating to the US and only hope to make them proud.

Given everything that is going on in the world today, do you think the role of artists has changed? How do local, national or international events and issues affect your art?
I don’t think the role of artists has changed as each person has their own perspective of their work. I do think, now more than ever; they’re able to express things in their work that opens peoples’ eyes and starts conversations.

For me, food has this power of bringing people together. In this fast-paced, tech-driven, tumultuous world we’re living in, I encourage people to gather back around the table and break bread with the people they love or, better yet, strangers! This plays a huge role in the hosted Sunday Dinners/Brunches I’ve done in the past and would love to continue to do.

Through these events, people are coming together, and I’m sharing my culture through the food. One concept I’ve been wanting to do for some time is a kamayan meal. It’s a communal type of Filipino feast, with a variety of food served on a table covered with banana leaves and eaten without utensils. Yes, you’re eating with your hands. It’s truly a community event in its purest form. My goal would be to get people together, disconnect from technology for a couple of hours and get to know the people you’re sharing a meal with. Be on the lookout, Dallas!

How or where can people see your work? How can people support your work?
People can give our food a taste at pop-ups around Dallas.

The best way to stay up to date with where we’ll be is by following @ulam_dallas on Instagram & Twitter.

On Facebook, give my page Ulam – Modern Filipino Kitchen alike!

Contact Info:

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ulam.dtx
• Facebook: fb.me/ulamdallas
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/Ulam_Dallas

Image Credit:
Chelsea Conway, Austin Spooner

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