Meet Cassaundra Bayot | Co-Founder /// Alonzo Goodrich Co-Founder

We had the good fortune of connecting with Cassaundra Bayot and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Cassaundra, maybe we can start at the very start – the idea – how did you come up with the idea for your business?
My co-founder (and partner) and I grew up eating the same foods. He’s a quarter Filipino so when we met, it was nice to share and show him Filipino culture the way I knew it. I’ve always known food to symbolize love so for me, cooking for others is an extension of my heart.

I’ve been cooking for years and after culinary school, I knew I wanted to share Filipino food; to connect to my roots and showcase all that I loved about it. Alonzo was very supportive and we would dream what our business would look like one day. Then one day, he encouraged us to start putting action behind our dreams.

Mahal in Tagalog translates to “love” so we decided to open a traveling kitchen called Mahal Eating, which represents the love I have for cooking and the love we share for Filipino food.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
So much! We just launched our YouTube channel where we do mukbangs and teach viewers about Filipino food and our culture, all while eating yummy food. We like to keep busy by expanding our business beyond our popups so a Mahal Eating Etsy shop is in the works too! We both have full-time jobs and work our popups around our schedules. You’ll find us marketing our business, prepping for the event, and cooking ourselves.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
We’re obsessed with Parliament’s happy hour so first stop right at 5 PM! Afterwards, grab dinner at Loro – the garlic sesame noodles, yes please! If you love espresso martini’s, you have to try the Spiked Vietnamese Coffee.

After dinner, grab a drink at Greenlight Social, personally we have friends there and we love seeing them. If we’re near Fair Park, we really love Las Almas Rotas, a fun & energetic Tequila and Mezcal Bar.

Brunch the next day has to be Kirin Court, a Dim Sum staple in Richardson. Pushed carts with dim sum and succulent roasted duck – it’s truly the best. The chili oil is my favorite that I’ve tried to recreate with no luck YET.

Late night spot- Yama Sushi, a Japanese pub that’s open late until 2 am. It’s the best spot if you’re in the service industry and you’re getting off late.

Of course, any time we pop up in Dallas for Filipino food 🙂

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
I think it’s only right to shoutout those who inspired me to cook. Our families, like my mom and dad, or our relatives in the Philippines, and Alonzo’s grandmother, who is Filipino as well. Our families teach us so much of our culture and our roots. I go to them before I pickup a cookbook. Our families are the ones who teach us what flavors and techniques we’ve used for years in Filipino cuisine. They are truly my mentors in every way.

Also, I want to shoutout my partner, Alonzo Goodrich. With just the two of us, there’s so much that goes into running your own small business and I couldn’t imagine it without him. He’s my backbone, the one who pushes me to dream, and my right hand man. He’s with me every step of the way; he’s always showing up for our business. Mahal Eating wouldn’t be what it is without him.

Website: https://mahal-eating.square.site/

Instagram: instagram.com/mahaleating

Youtube: Youtube.com/EatingwithMahal

Image Credits
Ty Dozier, Cabus, Trinity Ciders