The name “Kanto Fiesta” roughly translates to “block party.” Camille and Nik Poliarco’s new food business lives up to the name.
Kanto Fiesta makes Filipino staples like lumpia ($7, fried and crunchy spring rolls with meat and cabbage) and pork belly adobo ($13, braised with soy sauce and vinegar and served over white rice). The couple’s weekend pop-ups — on Saturdays, they’re at The Hub; on Sundays, they’re at the Northside Farmers’ Market — are vibrant and energetic.
No one seems to order and simply leave the booth. People hang around, then come back after eating to tell the couple how great the food was. Camille refers to many of the women she meets as “tita,” a term of endearment akin to calling someone “auntie” or “tía.”
Filipino culture is “very big on parties,” Camille said. “That’s how we express our love. … It’s like a party on every block.”
Camille Poliarco serves a plate of lumpia, or fried spring rolls, to folks at her pop-up food booth, Kanto Fiesta.
Elsa Clemente, who drove to try Kanto Fiesta’s food from Edgerton one Sunday in July, celebrated her birthday with the cart. She was excited to eat pancit (stir-fried rice noodles with meat and vegetables). She said it’s traditional to eat noodles on your birthday for good luck and a long life.
The idea of celebration is reflected in all the choices at Kanto Fiesta. Menu decisions are based on what foods go first during parties, Camille said. “What is the first thing that people will dig into, or that they miss the most?”
“We’re the only country that celebrates the longest Christmas,” she added. “It starts in September, and it doesn’t end until Jan. 15.”
A bento box from Kanto Fiesta includes pancit, lumpia and pork belly adobo.
Pop-ups with party foods
The couple started hosting pop-ups in June, but had been brainstorming business ideas for the last year. Camille, who grew up in the Philippines, studied hotel and restaurant management and was inspired to pursue food by her brother (a chef) and mother.
Many of the recipes come from Camille’s family. Her mom, Carmen, often helps cook and serve food.
Many of the recipes at Kanto Fiesta come from Camille’s family, including Camille Poliarco’s mom Carmen, seen here portioning out servings of kaldereta, a traditional Filipino stew.
“I am the one who cooks the adobo, so that’s my specialty,” said Camille. “My dad is actually the one who’s doing the dessert.” These rotate, and may feature biko, a rice cake made with brown sugar, or maja blanca, a creamy dessert with corn.
Nik, who has lived in Madison since he was 10, runs the operational side of the business. He’s often the person running the deep fryer for lumpia. Camille estimated he fried over 1,000 lumpia during Fête de Marquette, a summer festival on Madison’s east side.
Madison has an active Filipino community, Nik said. He cited PAMANA, short for the Philippine-American Association of Madison and Neighboring Areas, a nonprofit organization that unites members of the Filipino community in southern Wisconsin.
Camille Poliarco shows off a bowl of kaldereta, decorated with the flag of the Philippines.
Still, he said, there aren’t many places to get Filipino food in the area. Many people drive to Seafood City, a Filipino grocery store in Chicago.
“My friends and I are always going there once a month,” Nik said. “We wanted to bring (Filipino food) here to Madison, so that way we can bring everybody together.”
Camille met Nik while he was studying in the Philippines. Camille worked in marketing at McDonald’s, and the two dated long-distance before Camille moved to Madison. The couple now has two daughters, who took orders and gave customers their change during the July pop-up.
A vendor at the Northside Farmers’ Market handed flowers to Camille Poliarco as the pop-up was winding down for the day. Camille said that they sell out of food at nearly every pop-up.
Saucy lumpia worth driving for
Kanto Fiesta likes to add twists to staples, like saucy lumpia ($8), topped with green onions and jalapeños. Weekly special could include silog, a breakfast dish featuring garlic fried rice and a fried egg, or kaldereta, a tomato-based stew.
Kanto Fiesta also offers bento-style boxes ($15) for those who want to try a variety of menu options, and catering options for parties (naturally).
Camille Poliarco scoops up pork belly adobo for a bento box at Kanto Fiesta.
Word has spread quickly about Kanto Fiesta. Clemente may have driven a half hour to try the Poliarcos’ food for her birthday, but the couple says people have driven “two or three hours” to get a taste. They’ve sold out of food during every single pop-up.
The Poliarcos use the commercial kitchen at the Black Business Hub on South Park Street. The goal is to open a food truck in the future and have a sit-down restaurant.
For now, they’re happy “putting our names out there,” Camille said. “It’s just amazing how we are being accepted in the community. It’s something that we were very thankful for.”
Nik and Camille Poliarco began laying the groundwork for Kanto Fiesta, a Filipino food pop-up, earlier this year. They began serving food at The Hub and the Northside Farmers’ Market in June.
Camille can sometimes get caught up in the pressure to keep the party going, but she’s grateful to have Nik to help balance things out.
“My husband keeps telling me, ‘It’s OK. We love this,’” she said. “‘Let’s put the pressure on the side, and let’s just keep doing what we love.’”
