The fact he knew nothing about the restaurant business didn’t stop Jojo Nardo from opening Baton Rouge’s first and only Filipino restaurant, Pinoy, earlier this year. Ever since he had moved to the Capital City from the Philippines with his wife in 2005, Nardo had cooked his native dishes for friends, receiving enough positive feedback to take his show to the masses. Nardo and his business partner, Val Suico, also from the Philippines, figured Baton Rougeans were curious enough to give their country’s cuisine a try. It’s been a good run, so far, but the team would like to develop a stronger following to go along with those 12 hours days. “What we serve is typical Filipino food,” says Nardo. “We have lots of regular customers and we get good feedback, but we still need to educate people about what we have.” To read more about the Pinoy team and their Filipino cuisine, click here.—Maggie Heyn RichardsonTo read previous Du Jour features on local chefs and other culinary experts, click here.
Du Jour: Jojo Nardo and Val Suico, Pinoy Restaurant
