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Tom Cunanan

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Tom Cunanan
EducationThe Art Institute of Washington
Culinary career
Current restaurant(s)
  • Bad Saint
Award(s) won

Tom Cunanan is a Filipino American chef in Washington, D.C.

Early life

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Cunanan immigrated from the Philippines to the United States at the age of three, growing up in Hyattsville, Maryland as the sixth of seven children.[1] He went to Northwestern High School and through the Boys & Girls Club, he got a job as a dishwasher and bar-back at Corduroy, a restaurant on K Street in Washington, D.C.[2] After high school, he enrolled in the culinary school at The Art Institute of Washington.[1]

Culinary career

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Cunanan gained experience in kitchens across D.C., including Jeffrey Buben's Vidalia, Nicholas Stefanelli's Bibiana, and Ardeo + Bardeo, where he was executive sous chef.[3] When Cunanan's mother was diagnosed with cancer in 2012, he worked with her to write down her recipes for Filipino cuisine, forming the basis for a catering business.[4]

In 2014, Cunanan met Filipino American restaurateurs Nick Pimentel and Genevieve Villamora, who were developing plans to open a Filipino restaurant.[3] With the help of a Kickstarter campaign, the three opened Bad Saint in 2015 in the Columbia Heights neighborhood of Washington, D.C.[4][5]

Bad Saint was recognized by Bon Appétit magazine as one of the best new restaurants in the country in 2016.[6] Pete Wells of The New York Times gave the restaurant a three-star review, writing that "the food that Tom Cunanan and his cooks prepare under columns of wok smoke is richly compelling no matter how many prior run-ins you’ve had with Filipino food."[7] Eater named it one of the 38 essential restaurants in America in 2017.[8]

After being a finalist in 2017 and 2018, Cunanan won the 2019 James Beard Award for Best Chef, Mid-Atlantic.[9]

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Bad Saint

References

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  1. ^ a b "Chef Tom Cunanan of Bad Saint - Biography". StarChefs. October 2018.
  2. ^ Nnamdi, Kojo (May 1, 2019). "James Beard Award-Nominated Chefs Kwame Onwuachi And Tom Cunanan In Conversation". The Kojo Nnamdi Show.
  3. ^ a b Frederick, Missy (October 22, 2014). "Tom Cunanan to Lead the Kitchen at Upcoming Filipino Restaurant Bad Saint". Eater DC.
  4. ^ a b Williams, Erin. "Memories on the Menu". Edible DC. No. 2017 Spring.
  5. ^ Nick Pimentel; Genevieve Villamora. "Bad Saint - Filipino Food in Washington, DC". Kickstarter.
  6. ^ Knowlton, Andrew (August 16, 2016). "Bad Saint is the #2 Best New Restaurant in America 2016". Bon Appétit.
  7. ^ Wells, Pete (November 29, 2016). "Filipino Food Worth the Wait at Bad Saint in Washington". The New York Times.
  8. ^ Rojas, Warren (November 8, 2017). "Bad Saint Is One of the 38 Essential Restaurants in America". Eater DC.
  9. ^ Spiegel, Anna (May 6, 2019). "Two DC Chefs Win Big at the 2019 James Beard Awards". Washingtonian Magazine.