St. Louis couple launches line of Filipino BBQ and dipping sauces

The Youngs’ Filipino BBQ pop-up at Earthbound Beer Brewery on Cherokee Street was named one of 2021’s Rising Stars by Feast magazine. They have launched a line of Filipino barbecue and dipping sauces. MU

A Filipino American transplant from Los Angeles and her husband have launched a new condiments and sauces lines headlined by a real banana and soy barbecue marinade and a spicy vinegar dipping sauce, a staple of Filipino tables.

It all began on game nights Charlene Lopez Young and her husband and business partner, Darren, would cook feasts of Filipino BBQ and invite friends over for a meal. It was such a hit that word got around that people started asking them to cook for their events. The Fattened Caf was born.

The couple have run their pop-up, which specializes in Filipino BBQ, from a perch in Earthbound Beer Brewery on Cherokee Street. It was named one of 2021’s Rising Stars by Feast magazine.

They were aiming for a brick-and-mortar future, but the pandemic made them change their business model. As they packaged to-go boxes during the pandemic, they also started working on their longganisa sausage line and selling one-pound packages to locals.

The Youngs’ Fattened Can line offers Filipino barbecue and vinegar dipping sauces. WEBSITE

Schnucks then approached them about putting the food on their shelves. Darren and Charlene were surprised by the response, as customers caused the longganisa to fly off shelves. This is where Darren says the “unique pivot” of The Fattened Caf began.

The Youngs received a $50,000 grant from UMSL’s Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Accelerator which helped the couple grow and leverage their business, particularly in manufacturing. Since receiving the grant, the two have learned as much as they can about the manufacturing process.

Now,  they are determined to bring Filipino food into the mainstream with their a new sauce and condiments line that builds upon their St. Louis-based The Fattened Caf barbecue brand. The line launched nationwide on March 11. The sauces can be shipped nationwide without the expense of refrigeration.

Two products take center stage: A Filipino barbecue soy-based marinade made with real bananas, something that makes it “uniquely Filipino,” Darren says, and a spiced vinegar dipping sauce, another staple in Filipino culture. Darren notes that the spiced vinegar pairs well with grilled meats, veggies, lumpia or really, anything you want.

“We don’t fully understand what nationwide actually really means yet. So we’re still trying to operate as a small business, but provide our items on a larger scale. There’s a lot there that we still don’t understand. But we’re going for it,” Charlene told Riverfront Times.

The Youngs’ new sauces are available on TheFattenedCaf.com. They also plan to be sell their wares at Soulard Market and at one of their semi-regular pop-ups at Earthbound Beer.

“I genuinely believe that Filipino food is good and there’s a place for it, a more significant place for it, in the food scene throughout the United States. And not just in those large cities that we think of like New York or Los Angeles, where there are large Filipino populations.”