The Untold Truth Of Jordan Andino

When you know, you know — and chef Jordan Andino has known he loves food and cooking since the early age of nine when he entered the culinary world under his father's guidance (via Jordan Andino). This Toronto native has embraced his time on both the California and New York food scenes to develop his own unique style of Flipino-meets-French cuisine. Andino quickly rose in food circles to his current level of fame with his signature techniques of embracing both cultural food traditions and classical culinary techniques to create an all-new fusion which he serves at his Flip Sigi restaurants.

You probably know Andino from his many TV appearances including "Chopped," "Rachael Ray," "Beat Bobby Flay," and "Worst Cooks In America." This chef who trained at Cornell University's School of Hotel Administration also studied under the restaurant greats at The French Laundry, Spago, and Jean-Georges. In summer 2021, you can see Andino on the Voltaggio brothers' "Battle of Brothers" cooking competition where he'll be one of a "rotating panel of culinary experts" helping to decide which of the chef hopefuls is eliminated each round (via People).

Andino's sunny smile and engaging personality will win you over. Described by many as youthful or dynamic, Andino's happiness and love of food is contagious and reaches viewers from across their home screens. This promising young food celebrity describes himself as "chef, TV personality, and best runner up."

We always want to know: What is a chef's favorite food? With their refined palates, food celebrities must know good quality, and their favorite is always something to add to our sampling bucket list. Known far and wide for his love and championship of Flipino food, it's no surprise that Jordan Andino loves the widely popular national Filipino dish called chicken adobo. Andino says, "Chicken adobo — it defines me, it's the national dish of the Philippines, I've been eating it so many different ways for my entire life. It's delicious, it's easy, it's cheap, it's fun, anyone can make it," (via Good Morning America).

This rustic yet modernly popular dish is simple to make too, the chef adds, "And it involves five ingredients (not including the chicken) Bay Leaf, pepper, vinegar, garlic and soy." Andino likens this dish to the "Ratatouille" cartoon, where simple yet authentic flavors win over the harshest critic. For home viewers, all adobos feature a protein (in this case chicken) braised in vinegar and seasoned with garlic and peppercorns (via The Culture Trip). Beyond those basics, recipes can vary quite widely. In the Philippines, you may find recipes that include sugar, liver, potatoes, morning glory, and laurel leaves while in other areas, spice and coconut milk or even a patented squid are added to adobo recipes.

Chef Andino outspokenly supports diversity and inclusion. Speaking up about recent hate incidents against the Asian American Pacific Islander (AAPI) community, he shared, "I owe it to the people that have helped me get to where I am to represent my culture and not take this opportunity or my platform for granted," (via Instagram). This statement comes in reference to an interview the chef gives about his multicultural heritage and includes many anti-hate hashtags which help clarify his message.

Andino is also an ally to the LGBTQ+ communities. In May 2021, he shared his charity collaboration with City Cakes in the form of a rainbow ice cream sandwich. In a post surrounded by rainbow flag emojis, he described the limited item at Flip Sigi: "Rainbowdoodle Sugar Cookie dusted in coarse sugar and a golden cinnamon sugar base then filled with two colossal scoops of Ube Macapuno ice cream. Only while supplies last for a limited time." Andino shared that for every rainbow ube doodle sold, $2 would go towards the Human Rights Campaign, which is the nation's largest LGBTQ civil rights organization.

Jordan Andino is not only energetic and charismatic, but this young cook also has his own distinct style. Hawaiian shirt — check. As Andino told The Manual, "Who says only old dads on vacation can wear these!?" These shirts may well be paired with some Nike high tops or Levi's 511's. Describing his style Andino said, "I would say my brand has been and will always be youthful exuberance with a passion to grow and learn every day. My style is cool, collected, but not always calm because my fun and happy-go-lucky attitude sometimes get the best of me! See me in board shorts on a long board riding through New York City or in a three-piece suit ... but always ready have fun!"

Even Andino's Flip Sigi restaurants reflect this vibe. When his partners were helping design the restaurant they wanted the cuisine to drive the experience, but also reflect the young chef and owner. Andino described, "They wanted my positive energy to represent the vibe of our locations and brand. Our good vibes are supported with the right music and a spectacular graffiti mural design," (via Total Food Service). 

And while youthful is the vibe, this chef can dress up too. His suit of choice: "Nothing but custom Tom James."

Many who are familiar with Hawaiian or Filipino food know that Spam is an often-used ingredient, although it is one that often has a stigma in the U.S. Andino is not only a fan of this culturally relevant ingredient but also partnered up with Spam to share the canned-meat-product love (via Forbes). Andino said, "I'm trying to change the stigma of the Spam brand in the U.S. because it's a product me and my family grew up eating, and I'm proud to partner with a brand that gave me fuel to grow up and become the person I am today! It's delicious, easy to cook, and has so many uses it's nearly impossible to not love once you give it a try!"

And just how should a person add Spam to their dinner menu? Describing one of his own Spam creations, Andino said, "I recently made Cheesy Spam Pastor Tacos which are inspired by my Filipino taqueria, Flip Sigi, along with my love for Mexican cuisine! The dish consists of diced Spam Classic, pineapple, cheese melted directly onto the tortilla, and a classic onion and cilantro garnish which brightens up the whole dish."

While Chef Andino is clearly the face of his brand, he knows that restaurant success depends on a fantastic team. In a 2018 interview, Andino discussed the need to invest in his team, while also investing in technology that makes the team run more smoothly and helps manage expenses. "I am very concerned with an increase in minimum wage that we get this right. It's a very delicate balance; we are committed to helping our people grow. At the same time, we are looking to see how technology like ordering kiosks can make our restaurants more efficient," he told Total Food Service.

More recently he shared a glowing thanks to his restaurant team on his own Instagram: "The best thing about @FlipSigi is the people that I meet through the restaurant! Because of these phenomenal SLAYSIANS, I've been introduced to so many wonderful people and learned so much more about being unapologetically Asian," (via Instagram). He goes on to list his collaborators saying, "...thank you for helping me find a voice and all the good times we've had the past year!" Naming more names he adds compliments like, "you've been the connector and the glue to all these new homies and for that and so much more I'm so grateful!" Congrats to the whole team!