Bad Saint’s Award-Winning Chef Is Leaving the Iconic Filipino Restaurant in D.C. - Eater DC

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A Giant Change at One of the Country’s Best Filipino Restaurants

Chef Tom Cunanan, the original chef at Bad Saint whose Filipino cooking has drawn a slew of national accolades to the 24-seat restaurant in Columbia Heights, is leaving his job after five years. Bad Saint announced the news in an Instagram post Sunday that included a photo of Cunanan with co-owners Genevieve Villamora and Nick Pimentel. “We have tremendous gratitude to Chef Tom for all the passion, hard work, and deliciousness that he has shared with us,” the post reads. “He’ll always be a part of our story and our restaurant family.”

According to the announcement, Cunanan will act as a consultant while sous chefs Hannah Anderson and Andres Gutierrez lead the kitchen. After remaining closed for much of the COVID-19 pandemic, Bad Saint reopened in mid-June as a weekend takeout operation with composed dishes, pantry items, and alcohol. A former Ardeo/Bardeo sous chef who cooked at Vidalia, Zentan, and D.C. Coast, Cunanan immediately wowed diners who queued up in long lines to eat at Bad Saint with dishes like impeccably roasted pork lechon, soft shell crabs coated with orange crab fat, and sweet potato ukoy fritters.

With Cunanan exploring his Filipino roots, Bad Saint was part of a crop of Southeast Asian restaurants that led the way as the District won national acclaim as a dining destination. The James Beard Foundation named Cunanan Best Chef: Mid-Atlantic at its 2019 awards gala. In 2016, Bad Saint landed the No. 2 spot on Bon Appetit’s list of best new restaurants in America. Eater named Bad Saint one of its 38 essential restaurants in America.

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“All things change, nothing perishes.” - The Metamorphoses, Ovid.⁣ ⁣ After almost 5 years, Bad Saint and Chef Tom Cunanan are parting ways. ⁣ ⁣ We have tremendous gratitude to Chef Tom for all the passion, hard work, and deliciousness that he has shared with us. He’ll always be a part of our story and our restaurant family.⁣ ⁣ In the interim, Chef Tom will serve as Creative Consultant to the restaurant, and Sous Chefs Hannah Anderson (@begbud) and Andres Gutierrez (@a.g.4.g) will continue to run the kitchen, guided by Co-Owner Genevieve Villamora as aesthetic and cultural guide.⁣ ⁣ When we opened in 2015, it was a unique moment in time and Filipino cuisine was starting to get widespread appreciation for its contributions to the American table. Now, Filipino cuisine is on the march, from the big cities on the coasts to tucked-away suburban strip malls, and we are here for it. We have felt the magic of mga ninuno - the ancestors - blessing this journey since the beginning.⁣ ⁣ We send Chef Tom off with all our love and support. With his prodigious talent, we know that he will slay slay slay wherever he goes, and we will cheer him on. ⁣ ⁣ At Bad Saint, our commitment to Filipino cuisine, excellence, and hospitality remains. We are ever grateful to our community of supporters and diners near and far, and we look forward to feeding you soon as we embark on this new chapter.⁣ ⁣ Mabuhay Ang Lutong Pinoy!

A post shared by BAD SAINT (@badsaintdc) on Aug 1, 2020 at 9:24am PDT

In other news ...

• Oyster Oyster, the mostly vegetarian tasting room in Shaw from former Hazel chef Rob Rubba, Estadio owner Max Kuller, and bar manager Adam Bernbach, has opened for takeout after several delays. Customers can get a $65, four-course meal for two on Thursdays through Sundays. [WCP]
• Latin bar Chupacabra announced on social media it will permanently on H Street NE on Saturday, August 8. Dine-in customers will be able to get $15 margarita pitchers until then.
• Alexandria’s London Curry House is rebranding itself as IndoChen, allowing chef Ram Thapa to explore Indo-Chinese food he grew up eating in Nepal. [W]
• Another local restaurant visitor has assaulted a restaurant worker as part of an ugly refusal to wear a face mask, as required by law. A man purposely spat on an employee Friday at Brew Belly Kitchen & Sudhaus in Olney, Maryland. [DCist]
• The owner of Snider’s Super Foods, a small Maryland grocer with an old-school store and deli counter that sells fantastic half-sour pickles in Silver Spring, is selling the business to Streets Market, which will keep the name. [WBJ]

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