In the Kitchen: Ande’s Kitchen & Catering is On a Roll

For chef Andrea Nadeau, choosing a dish that best represents her pop-up kitchen is like having to choose a favorite child – she can’t do it. But, she concedes, “Lumpia is my vehicle into the future of the business. Rolling them by the hundreds in the middle of the night is where I find my center, but it’s also a nostalgic pastime for me with my grandmothers, and growing up in their respective kitchens.”

Born and raised in South Texas, Nadeau learned the art of making lumpia, Filipino eggrolls, from her paternal grandmother, Solly, who rolled them by the hundreds for special orders, along with hand-crafting siopao, meat-filled steamed buns. “She taught me all there is to know about showing hospitality to everyone who I share my food with – the heart of Filipino culture.”

And from her maternal Lolo (meaning grandfather in Tagalog), she learned how to get creative with leftovers to reduce food waste – “a method I now refer to on my menu as Kitchen Sink Cooking,” she relays. It was in Corpus Christi with her paternal grandparents that she forged cherished childhood memories at a breakfast spot called Andy’s Kitchen, which she didn’t know at the time would influence the name of her own business nearly 2,000 miles away in Rhode Island one day.

Nadeau opened Ande’s Kitchen & Catering, LLC in fall 2021, though she’d been toying with different ideas since the end of 2019 after having a child. “I thought of offering a prepared meal delivery service to aid new parents, and specifically saw a need for quick-access healthy dishes and snacks to assist with lactation for breastfeeding mothers,” she explains. The pandemic and demands of making deliveries with a baby in the backseat put that idea on hold, but then opportunity knocked when a client reached out asking her to cater for touring Filipino celebrities passing through Providence, along with their enthusiastic guests.

“By October 2021, I was privately selling homestyle comfort meals, desserts, and lumpia to the wide community of Filipino students at Brown University,” says Nadeau. Word of her modern traditional cuisine traveled quickly among the AAPI (Asian American and Pacific Islanders) and Filipino Alliance clubs at Brown and the Rhode Island School of Design. It wasn’t long before she joined the brewery circuit, popping up at spots like Providence Brewing Company, Shaidzon Beer Company in West Kingston, and most recently, Lops Brewing in Woonsocket. Today, she also caters weddings and events, but enjoys the “street hawker state of mind” of vending at markets. “I can really be my zany, authentic self and talk with others around me, and confidently represent the Filipino heritage through every bite.”

While the recipes Nadeau uses were passed down from her grandparents, she values a health-conscious approach. Whether it’s using lean meats or developing vegan variations by not using an egg wash, she explains, “I’ve opened my creative process to look at how plant-based cuisine could shape the way Filipino food is presented to others unfamiliar with the culture.”

Hungry fans flock to special pop-up events, like Friday Fry Days of fresh-fried sweet and savory lumpia or Sunday brunch, featuring Silog, a traditional egg and rice dish she infuses with her own spin: pico de gallo with a sour tamarind Sinigang seasoning. While Chinese, Malaysian, and Spanish influences find their way into the menu, Nadeau emphasizes, “I want to put more Filipino food on the map where it’s not confused for another, and it’s recognized for its standalone qualities.”

Some good things are fleeting – as is the case with a special Ube Halaya Lumpia dessert made with purple yam jam. It’s a labor of love Nadeau hasn’t made in a while because the process is time-consuming, but it left an impression on those who got to try it. “It warms my heart that guests feel the love and thought I put into everything I do, including late-night lightbulb ideas I have while snacking on my favorite childhood foods,” she says. “I live for the head nods after the first bite and the fist bumps as they’re leaving the venue.” And who knows? Maybe the Ube Halaya will make a comeback soon.

Lumpia Fix

Follow Ande’s Kitchen & Catering popping up throughout the season at the Providence Brewing Company during the indoor Providence Flea Market, as well as other breweries, with a full schedule posted on social media. In October, watch for lumpia rolling classes, too. DM or email for statewide catering inquiries, with contact information online. Facebook: Ande’s Kitchen & Catering, LLC