{"id":159331,"date":"2026-06-10T12:10:02","date_gmt":"2026-06-10T17:10:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.thelocalvoice.net\/oxford\/?p=159331"},"modified":"2026-06-10T15:04:21","modified_gmt":"2026-06-10T20:04:21","slug":"chef-irish-fe-leighs-skillet-brings-manila-to-mississippi","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.thelocalvoice.net\/oxford\/chef-irish-fe-leighs-skillet-brings-manila-to-mississippi\/","title":{"rendered":"Chef Irish Fe Leigh\u2019s Skillet Brings Manila to Mississippi"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Manila Skillet celebrates six weeks of new lunch pop-up at Velvet Ditch Coffee Roasters<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

I first met Irish at The Farmstand<\/strong>, a big green food truck parked on the corner of the University of Mississippi\u2019s Business Row. Obscured by the truck\u2019s dim window and already busy plating another meal, she was just a concept to me then, out of reach\u2014the only chef serving Filipino cuisine in Oxford<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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<\/strong> order to my office and sat beside my wall of taped-up literary magazine rejection emails, those endless sheets fluttering in the air conditioner\u2019s light breeze.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I\u2019d ordered pancit, a Filipino noodle dish I grew up eating. A familiar staple at birthdays and celebrations. Still, Irish\u2019s was unlike any I\u2019d ever had\u2014bright and colored with local vegetables, deeply savory in a way that surprised me.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI think my food speaks for me, for Manila Skillet,\u201d she\u2019d say to me later.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

At that point, Irish and I hadn\u2019t truly met yet. But I felt like she was telling me that I wasn\u2019t alone, that I was going to be just fine.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Before Irish began selling Manila Skillet fare out of The Farmstand\u2014a partnership between the Oxford Community Market (OXCM)<\/strong> and Ole Miss Dining<\/strong>\u2014she lived in Nashville<\/strong>. Buoyed by her mother-in-law\u2019s appreciation for her cooking and the support of her husband, musician Lucas Leigh<\/strong>, Irish started selling her baked goods online as \u201cBaked by Irish.\u201d Then, as word spread among her Filipino community, people began contacting her with requests for full-service catering.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Photo Credit: Megan Wolfe<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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Photo Credit: Megan Wolfe<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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Photo Credit: Megan Wolfe<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

In 2016, Manila Skillet was born. Lucas, an alum of UM\u2019s School of Journalism<\/strong>, helped Irish build a website, design a logo, and name her new business. With \u201cManila\u201d paying homage to Irish\u2019s heritage and \u201cSkillet\u201d evoking Southern cooking and Lucas\u2019 background as a Mississippian, Manila Skillet melds the couple\u2019s Filipino and Southern roots. Recalling her husband\u2019s role in helping transport supplies to her very first catering event and underscoring his continued support, Irish explains, \u201cManila Skillet is not just about me. It\u2019s about the teamwork with my husband.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Irish\u2019s cooking, too, blends authentic Filipino cuisine with her care and appreciation for her diverse clientele. For example, her coconut macaroons\u2014an OXCM favorite and bestseller since the Baked by Irish days\u2014combine American and Filipino versions of the confection. Irish\u2019s adobo, while maintaining the traditional umami and vinegary flavors, is also a fresh take on the Philippines\u2019 unofficial national dish. \u201cManila Skillet is really flexible,\u201d Irish shares. \u201cIt\u2019s not just for Americans, not just for Filipinos, but every culture.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Photo Credit: Megan Wolfe<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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Photo Credit: Megan Wolfe<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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Photo Credit: Megan Wolfe<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

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. \u201cI had so much fun there,\u201d Irish remembers, \u201cbut it was like something was missing for me\u2026I really wanted to do my catering. I really wanted to sell my food.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Back in Nashville, Irish had hoped to sell her baked goods at the local farmers\u2019 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<\/strong> and applied to become a vendor. \u201cMs. Betsy opened her door for me, and it felt like a dream came true,\u201d Irish says. \u201cI know it\u2019s really a small thing, but for me, it was big. I felt so happy being at the market.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Photo Credit: Megan Wolfe<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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Photo Credit: Megan Wolfe<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

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<\/strong> on Tuesdays from 3\u20136:30 p.m. On May 19, in celebration of Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month<\/strong>, Irish was even featured as a guest chef at Taste OXCM<\/strong>, 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.\u20132 p.m.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Irish\u2019s newest venture is Manila Skillet\u2019s partnership with Velvet Ditch Coffee Roasters<\/strong>. Irish first met Lesley Vance Walkington<\/strong>, owner of Velvet Ditch<\/strong>, at The Snack Down<\/strong>, a culinary fundraising event sponsored by the Yoknapatawpha Arts Council<\/strong>. They were later reconnected by Chef Corbin Evans<\/strong> of the now-closed Oxford Canteen<\/strong>, and Irish joined the Velvet Ditch team as a cook. \u201cIt\u2019s so nice to be a part of somebody else\u2019s dream,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Thanks to this growing partnership, Irish celebrates her sixth week of offering sit-down Filipino meals at Velvet Ditch\u2014a 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.\u20132 p.m.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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I\u2019ve had the privilege of working alongside Irish in The Farmstand\u2014and more recently, at her lunch pop-ups\u2014since last fall. In the year following my graduation, I\u2019ve struggled to know how to push forward as a writer; I\u2019ve felt aimless, hopeless. During a year in which I couldn\u2019t find my way, Irish gave me a place to stand. \u201cYou\u2019ll get it,\u201d she\u2019s told me, time and time again. \u201cJust don\u2019t give up.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What we don\u2019t see from outside of Irish\u2019s kitchen is the unrivaled dedication, patience, energy, and care she feeds into her work. We don\u2019t see the early mornings, the trips to Memphis to procure ingredients, the teamwork with her family, her close friend and sous chef Rowena Black<\/strong>, and other supporters. We don\u2019t hear the prayers it takes to keep showing up and chasing a dream.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But all of this\u2014you\u2019ll taste it. And if you get the chance to see it, you\u2019ll feel inspired, too.   <\/p>\n\n\n\n

In Irish, I found a friend, a mentor, an ate<\/em>\u2014an older sister. In her food, you\u2019ll find a sweet and savory love letter to Filipino cuisine, and you\u2019ll 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\u2019t yet exchanged names.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I\u2019m 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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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<\/a>. To explore catering options and more, visit: www.manilaskillet.com<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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