Manila Skillet celebrates six weeks of new lunch pop-up at Velvet Ditch Coffee Roasters
I first met Irish at The Farmstand, a big green food truck parked on the corner of the University of Mississippi’s Business Row. Obscured by the truck’s dim window and already busy plating another meal, she was just a concept to me then, out of reach—the only chef serving Filipino cuisine in Oxford.
That was in the spring of 2024. I was a grad student in the second year of my MFA program. As usual, I was tired, likely frustrated over one thing or another. I brought my Manila Skillet order to my office and sat beside my wall of taped-up literary magazine rejection emails, those endless sheets fluttering in the air conditioner’s light breeze.
I’d ordered pancit, a Filipino noodle dish I grew up eating. A familiar staple at birthdays and celebrations. Still, Irish’s was unlike any I’d ever had—bright and colored with local vegetables, deeply savory in a way that surprised me.
“I think my food speaks for me, for Manila Skillet,” she’d say to me later.
At that point, Irish and I hadn’t truly met yet. But I felt like she was telling me that I wasn’t alone, that I was going to be just fine.
Before Irish began selling Manila Skillet fare out of The Farmstand—a partnership between the Oxford Community Market (OXCM) and Ole Miss Dining—she lived in Nashville. Buoyed by her mother-in-law’s appreciation for her cooking and the support of her husband, musician Lucas Leigh, Irish started selling her baked goods online as “Baked by Irish.” Then, as word spread among her Filipino community, people began contacting her with requests for full-service catering.
In 2016, Manila Skillet was born. Lucas, an alum of UM’s School of Journalism, helped Irish build a website, design a logo, and name her new business. With “Manila” paying homage to Irish’s heritage and “Skillet” evoking Southern cooking and Lucas’ background as a Mississippian, Manila Skillet melds the couple’s Filipino and Southern roots. Recalling her husband’s role in helping transport supplies to her very first catering event and underscoring his continued support, Irish explains, “Manila Skillet is not just about me. It’s about the teamwork with my husband.”
Irish’s cooking, too, blends authentic Filipino cuisine with her care and appreciation for her diverse clientele. For example, her coconut macaroons—an OXCM favorite and bestseller since the Baked by Irish days—combine American and Filipino versions of the confection. Irish’s adobo, while maintaining the traditional umami and vinegary flavors, is also a fresh take on the Philippines’ unofficial national dish. “Manila Skillet is really flexible,” Irish shares. “It’s not just for Americans, not just for Filipinos, but every culture.”
When Irish and Lucas moved to Oxford in 2020, Irish began working as an assistant supervisor in the kitchen at the Veterans Home. A few months later, she joined other Filipino employees in the Activity Department, where they often enjoyed singing karaoke with the residents. “I had so much fun there,” Irish remembers, “but it was like something was missing for me…I really wanted to do my catering. I really wanted to sell my food.”
Back in Nashville, Irish had hoped to sell her baked goods at the local farmers’ market but never got around to fulfilling that goal. In 2023, after having acclimated to her new life in Oxford, she reached out to OXCM director Betsy Chapman and applied to become a vendor. “Ms. Betsy opened her door for me, and it felt like a dream came true,” Irish says. “I know it’s really a small thing, but for me, it was big. I felt so happy being at the market.”
These days, Irish and her bestselling coconut macaroons and chocolate crinkle cookies can typically be found at OXCM, which takes place at the Old Armory Pavillion on Tuesdays from 3–6:30 p.m. On May 19, in celebration of Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month, Irish was even featured as a guest chef at Taste OXCM, where she gave a free cooking demo to shoppers. On Thursdays when school is in session, Irish brings Manila Skillet to The Farmstand, offering signature dishes like pancit and lumpia and rotating specials like Filipino-style spaghetti from 10 a.m.–2 p.m.
Irish’s newest venture is Manila Skillet’s partnership with Velvet Ditch Coffee Roasters. Irish first met Lesley Vance Walkington, owner of Velvet Ditch, at The Snack Down, a culinary fundraising event sponsored by the Yoknapatawpha Arts Council. They were later reconnected by Chef Corbin Evans of the now-closed Oxford Canteen, and Irish joined the Velvet Ditch team as a cook. “It’s so nice to be a part of somebody else’s dream,” she says.
Thanks to this growing partnership, Irish celebrates her sixth week of offering sit-down Filipino meals at Velvet Ditch—a significant milestone en route to her goal of owning her own restaurant. Upcoming lunch pop-ups, where customers can enjoy Velvet Ditch offerings alongside Manila Skillet meals, are on Friday, May 29 and Saturday, May 30 from 11 a.m.–2 p.m.
I’ve had the privilege of working alongside Irish in The Farmstand—and more recently, at her lunch pop-ups—since last fall. In the year following my graduation, I’ve struggled to know how to push forward as a writer; I’ve felt aimless, hopeless. During a year in which I couldn’t find my way, Irish gave me a place to stand. “You’ll get it,” she’s told me, time and time again. “Just don’t give up.”
What we don’t see from outside of Irish’s kitchen is the unrivaled dedication, patience, energy, and care she feeds into her work. We don’t see the early mornings, the trips to Memphis to procure ingredients, the teamwork with her family, her close friend and sous chef Rowena Black, and other supporters. We don’t hear the prayers it takes to keep showing up and chasing a dream.
But all of this—you’ll taste it. And if you get the chance to see it, you’ll feel inspired, too.
In Irish, I found a friend, a mentor, an ate—an older sister. In her food, you’ll find a sweet and savory love letter to Filipino cuisine, and you’ll find that the chef behind the plate in front of you is thinking of you, trying to make your day better, even if you two haven’t yet exchanged names.
I’m saying goodbye to Oxford at the end of the summer, to Irish and the joy that being a part of Manila Skillet has given me. So when you find a seat at her table, give her a smile or kind word for me, and please enjoy the gift of her food.
To stay up to date with news regarding future lunch and dinner pop-ups and other events, follow Manila Skillet at www.instagram.com/manilaskillet. To explore catering options and more, visit: www.manilaskillet.com.
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