Kultura: Inventive Filipino Food
Having only been a Charleston resident for a few years, Chef Nikko Cagalanan has quickly cemented himself as a staple in the Charleston food scene—first with Filipino pop-up Mansuetas, and most recently with his new concept, Kultura. A self-taught chef, Cagalanan pulls heritage-driven culinary inspiration from his late grandmother, Mansueta—the inspiration for his initial concept.
The former “Chopped” champion spent his early days commuting to Charleston from Myrtle Beach and working in downtown hot spots like Zero George Street. In 2019, Cagalanan began hosting Charleston’s first Filipino food pop-up, Mansuetas. After initially popping up at breweries, after hours at coffee shops, and a week-long kitchen takeover at James Island hot spot, Kwei Fei, Mansuetas got the call from Workshop and had its first permanent home.
As Cagalanan started doing more pop-ups, he met more people and began to make more connections. He’s hired regulars as sous chefs, hosted collaborations with other local chefs, and led philanthropic efforts raising money for various local causes. As someone who seems to build community wherever he goes, Cagalanan credits the enthusiasm of Charleston foodies with helping his Filipino dishes gain such immediate traction.
“When I started, everyone was so welcoming with me and my food,” says Cagalanan, “nobody had Filipino food, especially in this part of town. Mei Thai and Formosa are here and they’re amazing, but they’re not [downtown].”
After a successful run at Workshop, and many more pop ups hosted around town, the view for Cagalanan’s original concept Mansuetas has transitioned to a product line of frozen “take and bake” favorites like lumpia and dumplings. The first batch dropped earlier this year and sold out within a few hours.
Enter Cagalanan’s new concept—Kultura.
Currently popping up in Baguette Magic’s downtown space (73 Spring St.), Kultura is only open on Friday and Saturday nights, with plans to add a Sunday service in the near future. “I’m not rushing,” says Cagalanan about Kultura’s search for a permanent space, “it has to feel right.”
Serving self-proclaimed “Filipino comfort food”, the rotating menu at Kultura offers classic dishes such as pancit, tocino and lumpia, as well as creative, whimsical desserts flavored with ube (sweet, purple yam) that you’ll want to save room for. For the past two years, Cagalanan has been traveling all over the East Coast, working with different chefs and offering collaborative cuisine that represents their cultures. His vision is to continue this tradition in Charleston. Once Kultura finds its permanent home, he hopes to continue diversifying the Charleston food scene by providing a space for up-and-coming chefs to host kitchen takeovers on the nights his restaurant is closed.
“Once we get the permanent space open, one of our big goals will be to have a kitchen where up-and-coming chefs can come in and have that as their restaurant for a few days,” says Cagalanan. “I know how hard it is to find a space when you’re just starting out.”
As the culinary landscape in Charleston continues to evolve, Cagalanan hopes to see more chefs branch out and offer the foods of their childhood and culture. “I think Charleston is moving forward for sure. We’re definitely going in the right direction.”
Visit Kultura at 73 Spring St., on Friday and Saturday nights, from 5pm-9pm.
