Interview: Chrissy Nucum - Owner of KC Pinoy
We like to take time to highlight women we see out in the world doing their part to make the world a little nicer. In this Real Nice Lady Spotlight, we’re talking to Chrissy Nucum, Owner of KC Pinoy, about how she got from a glass of red wine to sharing Filipino cuisine with Kansas City.
Job Title/Profession
Head Dishwasher and Owner of KC Pinoy
Favorite Drink?
A very cold Cosmopolitan (with Ketel One)
Favorite Food?
Whatever is cooking in my mom's kitchen! Or my grandmother's!
Karaoke Song?
La Isla Bonita
What song are you listening to on repeat right now?
RuPaul's Sissy that Walk.
Female icon you would be for Halloween?
Ina Garten, I even have the chambray shirt. I just need to convince Robert to be Jeffrey.
Telling as little or as much as you want, how are you feeling these days
Anxious. That word has taken over the world, I think. It applies to so much. Owning a business is not easy but the curveball that is 2020 is testing even the strongest ones.
What part(s) of your life during the pandemic have made you rethink your "normal" life?
I've realized that I have to make time for myself outside of the restaurant and the food truck. It doesn't need to be 3 months of quarantine but an hour or so a week where I can read a book or work on our garden.
What first attracted you to your current profession?
It sounds like a cliche but I love to cook. That and I had a job that sucked the life out of me. I was so unhappy that my health suffered. I knew that I had to do something else. Cooking always made me happy so I started with that. Now that doesn't mean that I just jumped in a food truck and started cooking. But it was enough of a motivation to start some research!
Talk me through how you built your business, what made you choose to start a food truck before opening a restaurant?
I always say that it started with a glass of red wine. And then another. I was working a soul-sucking job. The kind where you cuss under your breath as soon as your feet touch the floor in the morning. It was a high paying sales job but I hated it. Loved the benefits and the paycheck, but hated the job.
One night in June 2015, my boyfriend, Robert, was in Boston for work and I had one of those days where I wanted to throw my laptop out our window. Poured me some red wine, sat on the couch, and turned on the TV - it was a Food Truck show on Food Network. I watched one episode, then another. And more wine. By midnight, I was watching YouTube videos of food truck city council meetings and exploding propane tanks.
The next day, I told Robert about how, maybe I can do something that I would enjoy doing. And maybe that's running a food truck. I remember his exact words - You better research the hell out of it before you do anything stupid.
So I did. I bought books. Signed up for a small business class at UMKC's SCORE. Talked to local food trucks. Even worked at a food truck (Thanks, Rachel at Plantain District!). Then I created my business plan. It sounds a lot less sexy than that movie, Chef, but you have to set your expectations from the beginning. The attrition rate of restaurants is so high, you need a realistic perspective.
By July, I had an LLC created.
I chose the food truck path because the risk is smaller. You don't need a 6 figure budget to get it up and running. Your menu is smaller so it's much easier to explain - especially with a cuisine that is not so familiar to Kansas City. The food truck also has the potential of reaching a bigger audience since we can bring the food to multiple locations.
Then how did you make the jump to a real deal restaurant?
The brick and mortar was the obvious next step after a food truck but it actually wasn't for me. I wanted to be part of a food truck pod (like Little Piggy in SW Blvd.) - it's slightly more permanent but would still give us the freedom to bring the truck to events in both KS and MO.
The motivation behind my jump was the seasonality of the food truck. We operate from April to November so there is a big gap where we weren't generating any revenue. We would get catering jobs during the holidays but winter and spring were pretty lean. So I decided to entertain the idea of a retail space. It would give us a commissary for the truck and a retail space where we can be open all year long. Plus we can expand our menu! Which was the most exciting part!
What was the process of putting together a menu that you felt would highlight Filipino cuisine for the folks in Kansas City?
The food truck menu was inspired by my grandmother's atsara recipe. It's pickled green papaya, onions, bell peppers, and carrots. And a very popular condiment/side dish in the Philippines. I know it's weird that it started with pickled papaya, but my grandmother has been the only keeper of that recipe until she wrote it down for me in 2013. The goal was to create a menu that will feature our family's atsara. The menu features a very popular breakfast dish in the Philippines called a Silog. It's a portmanteau of sinangag (garlic fried rice) and itlog (fried egg). Filipinos have created dozens of combinations, one of the most popular ones is the Tosilog - tocino, fried rice, egg. My grandmother also wrote down the family recipe for Tocino for me so that was our first menu item. The silog concept worked well with the truck. It's very Filipino but also very approachable to the uninitiated.
What has it been like introducing Kansas Citians to Filipino food and culture?
It has been a blast. I don't get sentimental but it has been a joy to see people's faces light up when they see our truck. We've had people who've never had Filipino food before talk about chicken adobo like they've been eating it since they were kids. It sounds like a cliche but food does bring everyone together. Just don't ask me for lumpia! :)
What is your favorite thing about your industry? Your least favorite?
Connecting through food. With how divisive the country is, food still has that power to bring people together. That's my absolute favorite thing about the restaurant industry. My least favorite - social media. It's a necessary evil for a small business but I am so bad at it. And I hate having my photo taken!
What do you want for the future of your industry?
I would like the quest for authenticity to end. Does anyone really know what an authentic taco is? And would you pay $5 for an "authentic" taco? Authentic should not be equivalent to cheap eats. If I had a dollar every time someone tells me that the food at KC Pinoy is not authentic, I'd be driving a Range Rover instead of my Kia Soul. STOP IT!
Since we’re ending the quest for authenticity, what do you think people should focus on when they dine out?
Is it delicious? I think we (me included) have put so much weight into validating the authenticity of food that we miss the primary reason for eating out. Did it make your tummy happy? Did you do a little shoulder dance after the first bite? Have you taken 200 photos of the same plate so you can post about it on IG? If the answer is yes, who cares who made it? Does the chef have to be French to make french food? Let me tell you, the best french food in NYC is not made by Francoise, but by Francisco. And it's magnifique!
I've had reviews, even DMs, complaining how my food is not authentic Filipino food. How does someone gauge that? How do you define authentic Filipino food? The Philippines has 7,641 islands, do you think they make chicken adobo the same way? Do I have to bring my grandmother to KC so she can cook it in the kitchen? Do I have to speak with a thick accent to show everyone I'm from the motherland?
Authenticity should not be the gold standard - it's overrated and an unattainable goal.
<end rant> Sorry!
What advice would you give other women trying to succeed in your industry?
Success doesn't come to those who wait in the sidelines. Take risks. Ask for that promotion. Take on more responsibility. Speak out. Get uncomfortable. Every time I doubt myself, I just repeat this three times: Well-behaved women seldom make history.
What was a formative moment in your life that made you who you are
Moving to Kansas City. It turned a cold, bitter, east coaster into a warmer human being. She's still bitter and mean though. :) I blame that on Robert (the better half). Kansas City opened up a world of possibilities for me. And I'd like to think KC has made me a better person.
What was the biggest or even most unexpected adjustment for you when you moved from the East Coast to Kansas City?
People wave at you when you drive in neighborhoods! I've lived here for 13 years and I am just finally doing it! It is such a Midwest thing!
When do you feel the strongest in your life? When do you feel the most vulnerable in your life?
Every time I open the door to KC Pinoy in the morning. It fills me with pride that we are open. It also fills me with anxiety that it might be the last day I get to do it.
What have you been doing to maintain your mental health since the pandemic hit?
Belly rubs - lots of belly rubs. My boys Murphy, Teddy, and Johnny are always on duty!
Who are five women that inspire you?
My grandmother (Dey), my mom (Cherry), and my aunt (Shirley) - they are the strongest women I know and I am who I am today because of them. They are the perfect mix of generosity, intelligence, determination, hard work, and love. With a tablespoon or two of neuroses. I can only hope that I make them proud everyday.
My sister (Jess) - she is a healthcare worker in NYC. During a pandemic. I am so proud of her. So for crying out loud, wear a mask!
All the women business owners in Kansas City. I know so many who work long hours to make their dream come true. They are some of the most passionate, most inspiring people I know.