Abi Balingit is a Filipino American home baker and author based in Brooklyn. Her debut cookbook, MAYUMU: Filipino American Desserts Remixed was released on February 28, 2023. When she’s not working full-time at a live music company, she is running a baking blog called The Dusky Kitchen.
“Simultaneously nostalgic and eye-opening in its novelty, Mayumu is the perfect example of what makes the modern Filipino American food movement so exciting. By building on the basics of both American and Filipino desserts, Abi shows us how refreshing and fun it can be to loosen the boundaries of tradition and let the two schools mingle a little more,” offers Bettina Makalintal, a food writer at Eater.
“Every recipe and every story in Mayumu bursts off the page with joy, love, ingenuity, and personality. Abi’s work is vibrant, eclectic, comforting, funny, deeply moving, and, to me, feels like a uniquely perfect articulation of the intricacies, depths, and jubilations of being Asian American. Mayumu is a celebration of what it means to be human and alive today. I absolutely adore this book,” says Jonny Sun, the New York Times bestselling author of Goodbye, Again.
Balingit’s #PASALUBONG treat box series helps to raise money for mutual aid organizations. She has been featured in Bon Appétit, Food & Wine, Eater, Thrillist, Food52, and more. Forbes sat down with Abi to talk about her inspirations and cooking and more.
Goldie Chan: Hi Abi, thanks for joining us. What was your inspiration for creating your cookbook?
Abi Balingit: The inspiration for creating my cookbook was my love for Filipino food, and especially desserts. During the pandemic, I was homesick and missed my family so much. I think the nostalgia for the flavors and dishes that I grew up with made me want to be in the kitchen more. Writing Mayumu gave me the opportunity to document not just recipes, but my own experiences growing up Filipino American. I felt like there was a void on my shelf where a cookbook like mine didn’t exist yet, and I wanted to fill it by telling my story.
Chan: What has your career journey been?
Balingit: My career journey isn’t very conventional for the average cookbook author (and that’s okay!). I went to UC Berkeley and graduated in 2017 with degrees in Business Administration and Media Studies. When I received a job offer at a company called Bandsintown that summer, I moved from California to NYC. Since then, I’ve continued to work there, first as a Campaign Coordinator, now as an Ad Operations Manager.
Even though I started baking when I was 13, it didn’t really take off for me until I started my blog The Dusky Kitchen in August 2020. I was also making Filipino American desserts and selling them in Pasalubong treat boxes. I donated the proceeds to mutual aid organizations and posted recipes of what I made online. My literary agent Emmy found me through one of my bakes I shared on Twitter, and asked me if I was interested in writing a cookbook.
I started writing the proposal in January 2021, and got my contract signed by the end of that year. I was developing recipes and writing all throughout 2022. The book was published in February 2023, and I’m so proud that I was able to get everything done while juggling my full-time job.
Chan: How does your own journey with your identity inform your creative projects?
Balingit: My Filipino American identity has informed so many of my creative projects as a baker and beyond. When I was in college, I was heavily involved in Pil student-run organizations and it gave me so much more confidence to embrace all aspects of being Filipino American. It also helped me build lifelong relationships and even collaborations. I’m lucky that my friend Charisse Celestial, who I met at Cal through the Pil community, made the illustrations for my cookbook. I love the Filipino community that I’ve made in New York as well, and it’s encouraging that it continues to grow.
Chan: Describe your personal brand.
Balingit: My personal brand is bubbly, creative, colorful, and whimsical. It’s wonderful to be my most authentic self both online and in-person!
Chan: What advice would you give on working part time on a project while maintaining a full time role?
Balingit: Working part-time on a project while maintaining a full-time role is so challenging! I hope people in the same boat as me are not being too hard on themselves. I used to compare myself to others when I wasn’t satisfied with my progress. But I’ve realized that we’re all on our own paths and it’s not fair to be so harsh with yourself. It’s so important to take breaks here and there to find the energy to create. Learning how to prioritize your needs, wants, and tasks at hand is a vital skill. Everyone finds the balance that best suits them on their own time. Kindness and patience goes a long way!
Lastly, you aren’t any less of a creative if it’s not your full-time job title. It doesn’t diminish the validity of the art that you’re making. Knowing this has helped me work through a lot of my imposter syndrome. I’m just someone wearing many hats, and there’s no shame in that.
Chan: What advice would you give your younger self?
Balingit: I would tell my younger self that it’s okay to take risks, and that dreaming isn’t a waste of time. When I was a kid, I used to seek external approval that didn’t actually matter in the grand scheme of things. I would tell her to listen to her gut when she is compelled by an idea. Even if it seems silly or out of reach at the time, it’s better to go for it than let that inspiration pass.
Chan: What are you working on now?
Balingit: I’m currently on my book tour and will be stopping by Talbott & Arding in Hudson, NY on Saturday, July 29th from 12-2pm. I’m so excited for this event, and hope to see you there! At home, I’m trying to bake and cook more with friends. I’m also starting to explore hobbies outside of food that I’ve put on the backburner.
Chan: Any career advice for this year?
Balingit: My biggest career advice for this year is to make time for more reflection on what goals you want to accomplish, and which ones will bring you the most joy. Even if no one is watching, as long as you’re happy with what you’re doing, that’s what matters most of all. I think that intrinsic motivation is so crucial to success. It’s easy to be pulled in a ton of different directions, and to simply go through the motions of life. It’s important to step back in order to intentionally go forward.
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