of my focal point, I think I'm coming at this restaurant business with a different lens. And um I think when we serve food from island to table, we're doing it through storytelling. So we have the cooks, the chefs, the food runners, the servers, the typical staff that you sort of see at a restaurant, but the way I empower them is through the stories, the research, the travels, the memories that I've been able to essentially curate and really guide them in how we serve the food. So it's not just food that is dropped on a piece of plate to your table, it's food that comes with a background.

How many events have you had so far?

We've had about 6 and we're going to have our 7th one in February. So here, having this new concept to introduce some of our culinary, you know, special dishes and everything is really exciting. But what I have to say that makes the experience different is the experience itself, because it is through the lens of storytelling and you do a beautiful job of that, whether it is, you know, the menu or how you are introducing the old native salts to the dishes and being able to discuss the history behind all of that.

So I think what also really interests me and what I love about your story, so you weren't born in the Philippines, right?

I wasn't born in the Philippines, born in Chicago.

Okay, so you never actually lived in the Philippines to experience it firsthand. Being born here in the States, you went through not an identity crisis, but a question, right? A question of who am I and how much of my roots?

Now my heritage and my ethnicity actually plays into who I am and what I do today, so that makes it really, really exciting.

So now one of my questions to you then is you've got this beautiful new venture that you've not just taken on but are sharing with the world, right? But where does the filmmaker part come in? The Mr. Producer hat, Mr.Director, writer, director hat. Where is that playing in? Or do you as a multi-creative separate the two?

That's a really great question. So I think for me it's always been about being a journalist and someone who's had this passion for telling stories, it's always been about what skills can I unlock? What skills can I include in my toolkit? And so as someone who would run across the newsroom to do a stand up at the White House or the Supreme Court and then run back to the office, edit, animate, illustrate, write the story, put it all together, publish and then work with the reporter. I think being a journalist in that vein has taught me to be nimble, but to also learn all the skills that I can to make myself a multifaceted storyteller. And so it's funny because given my experience at USA Today for about five years, I've run through the gamut of not only the skills that I've been able to apply to the stories that I tell, I've been able to focus on different narratives and different types of stories. So whether it was collaborating with the investigations team, or the internationals sort of world foreign team, or the breaking news team, every sort of lens that I've been able to put myself in, it's been an amalgamation of how quick can I be on my toes to make sure that the story goes out? And so all of that experience I've just had in the back of my mind. It's sort of that purview that I've had within the industry. Working at Amazon, specifically the marketing team of AWS, I've realized that my skills of editing, my skills of animating aren't necessarily being used as much anymore. For me, it's all about ideating the stories, ideating the documentaries. In my day-to-day role, I pitch ideas actively, and if those ideas are greenlit, then I'm sort of the one acting on those ideas, working with stakeholders to obtain a budget. And with those funds, I essentially get to hire the creative agency that executes the idea that I came up with. So at that sort of focal point, that sort of period of time, it's no longer me editing or illustrating, it's me guiding the creative vision. It's me working with an agency to sort of build the vision from the ground up and execute. So the documentary series that I had worked on, Climate Next, where we went around the world and we looked at people using technology to combat climate change. That's now in Prime Video. But that was an idea that, you know, I had to plant the seed and then work with the agency and the creative team to figure out, OK, who does what and for me, it's all about empowering the people that I know do well in those roles. So you have me being the creative director, but then you have the director of photography, the editor, the sound editor, the illustrator, all the things that might be, right? The fixer, et cetera. And so that experience has really helped carve out this new skill of putting people where their talents lie. Hence, Istorya. So for me I think being the creative director that I am I'm able to identify who which individuals are talented where where are their passions and if I can empower their passions into a role that they can carve out themselves then I feel that I'm doing them justice I feel that I'm helping them thrive in in their own craft and so yeah it's it's been exciting because we have folks who are video strategists. We have illustrators. But because I have that skill, I'm also able to provide the kind of feedback that we need to get the post, the post of validation, the post of approval, the post of the creative. The thing that needs to be created is also backed by this level of skill set that I have.

I love that. So now I have to ask, because you're wearing multiple hats in all of these, right? Do you have a favorite role that you play then?

I think really it's bringing together the team I like. Bringing the Avengers together. Yeah, it's kind of funny, but I really, because I realize that I know I fall short or I lack the skills in certain spaces and I know that, you know, I can't do everything. But when I find people that I can learn from and I know that their talents lie in that sort of skill set or that industry because that is their expertise, then I feel that the pie is complete.

And then of all the different projects that you've worked on, do you have, aside from Istorya, not just as a, but as a creative director, um do you have a favorite project? Was there one in particular that really stands out to you? 

Out of all the works that I've done throughout my experience, I think the one that really stands out is this documentary that I had worked on at USA Today that highlighted Filipino World War II veterans. And so that was a really intriguing and intricate story because, just for some background and context, the Philippines was an ally to the U.S. during World War II. They were promised all these benefits, citizenship, health, pension, you name it. President Truman, toward the end of the war, after they had helped, revoked all their benefits. And they were one of the only countries who were an ally to get revoked of those benefits. And so for 70 plus years, Filipino veterans were fighting to be recognized for the wartime sacrifices. They would chain themselves to the White House fence in an act of protest to let, you know, the president know that this is something that's still top of mind 70 years down the line. But the thing that was really exciting was that my grandfather was a lieutenant in the Army. And so not only did I get to cover this story interviewing veterans in DC,but I also got to do something special. So one of the last things that President Obama had done before his presidency ended, he signed a bill that became a law that essentially recognized all Filipino World War II veterans for their sacrifices. And if they weren't alive, their family would receive a gold medal umm on behalf of those sacrifices. So I was at the Capitol covering this monumental story. This bipartisan sort of milestone event. And not only did I get to capture this story, publish it, report it for USA Today, but I also got to accept the gold medal on my grandfather's behalf. And so it really came full circle because no one in the newsroom was going to do that story except me.

Wow. That's a beautiful story to share. I can see why it's so special to you.

And the thing is too, what's really amazing with storytelling is this ability to provide transparency and visibility. So after that story had come out, there was an awakening. People that didn't know this event had happened were able to notify the Capitol that their grandfather, their father who had served and then they received the gold medal in the mail.

So what’s next? Because you're a filmmaker extraordinaire and you're a pop-up restaurateur extraordinaire. I see that they cross, but are you looking to move them as different projects or are you looking to create one big sort of a venture to combine them both?

In the future, I would love to have a brick and mortar for Istorya, but I think right now we're just building the brand identity and like letting people know who we are. I know that what we're doing is really special and you know, the type of experiential sort of dining that you get with our cuisine is something that I would say not a lot of Filipino restaurants are currently doing in the space.

And so you see these fine dining Filipino restaurants in Chicago, and New York, and LA, and Texas. And I've actually had people ask me, when are you going to open this up? I want to take my time. And I want to do it in the right way. And I think as we continue to build that and we take our time, the stories will also develop as well. What do I see in the future? I'm going to continue balancing my 9 to 5, because it's what helps finance the pop-up dinners.

But you're also a great storyteller. So it's like you don't want to close one talent, to pursue another, right?

I find a lot of pride in wanting to tell the stories for the foods and the chapters that we sort of shine a light within in Istorya. First chapter was pre-colonial. The second chapter right now is Chinese Filipino. And then chapter three, who knows, we might see Muslim Filipino. Chapter four, we might see Malay or Indian Filipino, and then five, Spanish Filipino, and then Japanese Filipino, U.S. Filipino, and then you bring it back home. So I want to make sure that I'm getting the historical timeline correct as well. So pre-colonial. So for those that aren't familiar, the Philippines was colonized by the Spaniards for 300 years. And so we were, we were given or liberated in 1905. But for 300 years, so much of our culture was influenced by the Spanish. So pre-colonial then would predate that.

So prior to the 1600s, is that the sort of the recipes and the culture that you're trying to infuse?

Yeah, I think what we'll find is we're not going to find a finite timeline for certain events that'll take place across history. I think there will be a blend of it for sure, pre, during, and post. What I find so interesting with the second chapter the Filipinos have been trading with China as early as the 9th and 10th centuries ohh so prior to the Spanish setting foot on the islands however the oldest Chinatown in the world was established by the Spanish as a means for the Chinese to convert to Catholicism and they put them in this area so interesting. Then trade with spices and all of course. So the Chinese chapter, while we are going in this sequential chapter one, chapter 2, chapter 3, every chapter will be a deep dive on what we've seen across rather than being a linear sort of point in history. That makes sense because the Chinese influence, it continues, the oldest Chinatown in the world continues to thrive today. And so we're seeing those dishes in the present-day world, but we're seeing the dishes that came during the Spanish. An example of that, empanadas, right? So empanadas is a classical dish, but it is one of the few dishes that actually show a blend of Spanish influence, Chinese influence, and Filipino influence altogether. So if you go to Binondo, that's the oldest Chinatown in the world, you'll see this restaurant, Quick Snack, & they serve empanadas. But what you'll find inside are chives, tofu, ingredients from Chinese culture, and then chicken meat from the Filipino culture. But then on the outside, the Spanish culture is very inherently present. So this classical example of a Spanish-looking dish has traits of both Chinese and Filipino in the inside. And so we're going to see that throughout history.

Are you seeing a difference in terms of the spices and the influences in those foods as you travel throughout the Philippines, the South versus the North?

Of course, yeah. So adobo is a really prime example of a dish that you see being different in any mother's or grandmother's home. There's like 10 different recipes for adobo. 200. Three hundred. A friend of mine, Chef Claude, introduced sisig and adobo to Anthony Bourdain, and he has a book called The Filipino Adobo. which spans 300 plus ingredients. Oh, I'll have to say that yeah, 300 plus recipes for adobo and how it sort of changes from the north to the south, sweeter, more vinegar, more sugar, more black beans, more soy sauce. There's so many different variations. One thing I've learned, too, is what's so interesting is that you know we are familiar with sinigang, right? That comfort sort of soup that you sort of see, the tamarind. It's very much there. We saw that in the north. But in the south and the Visayas area, we didn't see sinigang. We saw tinola. So you'll find different ingredients based on the galleon trade. Based on the way that maritime trading had taken place across years with the Chinese, with the Muslims, with the Indian, Malay, you name it. I think what you'll find is a different pedigree of so many ingredients all across the board geographically. Yeah, and it's so crazy to think becauseI think way back when the Philippines didn't see itself, before it was called the Philippines, it didn't see itself as one country. They were separate kingdoms, separate, you know, entities. And at one time I think we were Mariana Islands. But there's this whole thing with Filipinos. Are we Oriental? How Asian are we? And some view us as more historically as part of the Malay race or closer to Indonesia in terms of likeness. And then some of the earlier historical stuff, some of the borrowings from the etymology of some of the words. Yes, we share similar words like asin, like salt. You have so many things, you could only cover so much. So that's why we do four dinners for every chapter before we go on to the next one. So um so we finished pre-colonial, we're moving into the Chinese influence. Our next dinner will celebrate Chinese New Year, February 27th. We're going to try to do the lion dance. We're going to try to get some performers involved and sort of have that be a milestone celebration.I would love to incorporate some of the local talent. Right now I'm trying to get the local lion dance involved and sort of be a part of that. But as someone who is still new to Vegas at the same time, I would love to get connected to folks in that community and sort of see if like oh maybe I can. I probably still have their phone numbers in my phone, so we'll make sure to chat afterwards. 

So now I have a fun little question to ask you. So here you are, a filmmaker, Mr. Creative Producer, Director/Writer/everything. So now you are creating a movie about yourself, including Astoria, including your vision, your passion. It's about the beauty in the mind of Walbert. So what is your background music playing?

I would say Beethoven's Piano Sonata No. 23 F minor? It starts off fast, but then it goes slow. There’s definitely peaks and valleys as far as the song would go, but I actually come from a classical music background. I used to play piano. Before I even got into storytelling, music was always sort of my my thing and so I did a lot of classical piano growing up and I competed across the Midwest and so that was just like a really awesome opportunity for me to learn what that piece of multimedia looked like, and till this day I still consider music just being top of mind. Whenever I select a soundtrack for a documentary that I'm working on, I have visibility in that space. I feel like that's just like another element that I'm able to grab from that toolkit because of my background. Music has always been so prevalent in my life. And people will question, but I can't work, I can't edit, I can't do this without listening to music in the background. I always have to have something on. That's just sort of how I operate in this space. My manager at USA Today, he would always grab my headphones. “He's like, what song are you listening to now? You shouldn't listen to music while you edit.” And I was like, “this is how I go into the editing mode.” So that was just always an interesting tidbit of mine, but. Yeah, I think that's sort of how, you know, like I said, music, it's connected, so it's interesting that you mentioned needing music in the background.

So what next? You've told us about Istorya, & the timeline. Will you please share the schedule, and where we’lI can find you?

So the next event is going to be on February 27th at Taverna Costera in the Arts District. It'll be our third dinner where we highlight Chinese Filipino food. It's named Binondo after the world's oldest Chinatown dinners three and four and then move on to the next chapter. We recently found out that we landed a vendor spot at the Super Bowl. So we'll be there on February 6th on Media Day. It'll be the first time Istorya will be doing outdoor vending. We'll have one dish. We're still thinking about it.We have some ideas, but we're going to be passing out the one dish. So I think 500 to 600 people for Media Day. We're going to have our first non Vegas dinner in San Francisco. We're going to be having a dinner at the Philippine Embassy in San Francisco, a prefix Kamayan dinner that'll celebrate Filipino history throughout the ages. And so we're going to do a three night, one dinner per night sort of approach. And so it's going to be an exciting year because my goal this year is to have two more dinners that will consist of them being outside of Vegas. We're going to go into Chapter 3 and hopefully a bit of Chapter 4, another trip to the Philippines, I think in Q2. And then I think what we want to do is continue to be a voice for the community and find ways that we can expand our reach. So not only are we going to focus on our pop-up dinners, but we're also going to focus on private dinners. We're going to focus on engaging the youth. UNLV, FOSA, CSN, seeing if there are opportunities to pop up with them. I think this year is going to come with a lot of collaboration.

So far, what is your favorite dish?

Ooh, so far, what is my favorite dish? I would say the Pyonggang chicken, the pre-colonial Filipino. Burnt chicken. It's not really burnt, but that's my favorite because I remember that it was delicious. Yeah, it's so exciting because just like, you know, a dish that we see and love today, I love it. Dinuguan, you know, it's a dish that oftentimes people want to veer away from. But I think with Pyongyang manok, Pyongyang chicken, it also breeds that sense of stimulus that, you know, comes with food that looks black and you're like, oh, earthy, earthy, very earthy. I like that element of surprise. And I think for me, I am typically a person that goes in with no expectations and I want to get surprised by something that I have. And so when I tried that and I saw that unearthed itself on our menu, I was like, wow, like I'm thoroughly surprised. 

So with this entire venture that you've taken on, an adventure you've taken on, what has been the biggest surprise for you?

The biggest surprise is how fast we've been able to grow as a team together that is beyond you know I when I had this idea I I wasn't sure where it would go and for me it was more about planting the seed I had mentioned this earlier but planting the seed and seeing where it grows When I first announced Istorya, it wasn't perfect by any means, and it still isn't perfect. Just like any app that you release into the market, you release what is an MVP, the Minimum Viable Product. And so like for me, I felt like why wait for something to make it perfect when you can just put out the first thing and and improve it as you go. And so the thing is like what has surprised me the most was how much we've grown in the way that we are, that we are learning about the history, how we've grown as a team, how we've grown to the community. I think there's so much to learn there. The other thing that I've been surprised about is the history. I didn't know that adobo was pre-colonial, and that the reason why it was named adobo was because the Spanish had stepped foot on the islands, named it that dish because it's something that they have in their palate. But you'll quickly realize that, you know, marinating and simmering or simmering with vinegar has always been in our palate prior to the 300 year long Spanish colonization. I think I'm learning every single day about who I am. And so I'm on this journey. It was solo, but now it's a village. Please come and support February 27th. If not, the end of March will be our last Binondo dinner.

OK, great. Well, thank you so much for spending the time with us today.

Thank you so much, Rachel.