MANILA, Philippines — Purple Yam, a long-running Filipino restaurant in New York is closing its doors after 15 years, co-owner Amy Besa announced in an Instagram post on August 2 (Manila time).
Besa runs the Brooklyn restaurant with her husband, Romy Dorotan.
“Good food was what we lived for no matter which culture nurtured and produced it. And so that’s how we want to say our goodbyes to all the people we treasure in our lives. Come celebrate this August with us before we hang up our aprons, chef hats and turn off our stoves,” Besa wrote.
The restaurant’s last day of business will be on August 30. It serves Filipino dishes, like fresh lumpia, lumpiang shanghai, chicken adobo, chicken thigh sugba, beef tapa, tocino, bagoong fried rice, and buko pie, among many others. It also serves homemade ice cream in iconic Filipino flavors, like jackfruit, purple yam (ube), champoy, and macapuno.
Besa thanked all of the people who supported them and their restaurant’s 15-year run, adding that she hopes all the friendships she’s forged will survive the next chapter of her and her husband’s lives.
“One thing I’ve learned is that running a restaurant is not divorced from the politics, religion and personal lives of people in our universe. And our universe has indeed been so vast encompassing continents and so many time zones,” Besa said.
“And of course, the most important lesson of all is that the world turns on food. It is through food that I have gained so much insight and wisdom. When coupled with Filipino hospitality and generosity, it is the most powerful weapon we have in bringing people together,” she added.
Besa told New York-based food website Eater that it was “about time” she and Dorotan retired, as they are now in their 70s. Despite the restaurant’s closure, she said that they still aim to be involved in the food industry somehow.
The Filipino-American further shared with Eater that 2024 has been an “extremely difficult” year for them in terms of the rising costs of goods — ultimately prompting them to decide to shut Purple Yam down.
Purple Yam also has a branch in Malate, Manila, which serves an array of homemade pies. It was established in 2014.
According to an ABS-CBN News report from 2020, Besa and Dorotan are both Filipino migrants who met in the US and later married.
In August 1995, they opened Cendrillon, their first restaurant together, in SoHo (South of Houston Street), New York City. ABS-CBN News’ report said that the couple shut the restaurant down before eventually moving to Brooklyn in 2009.
In 2006, the couple also published a cookbook titled Memories of Philippine Kitchens, which compiles over 100 recipes from private Filipino kitchens. It also tells stories on the role of Filipino cuisine in society. — Rappler.com