Former Prosecutor Brings His Mother’s Filipino Cuisine to Oceanside

In his native Philippines, Ed Resurreccion was a lawyer and prosecutor, but it also was there that he learned to cook from his mother.

“I used to cut all the vegetable ingredients whenever she cooked,” he said.

And now semi-retired in North County, Resurreccion is bringing some of his mother’s cooking to customers at the , where he’s offered Ed’s Filipino Cuisine for the past four years.

The sign in front of his booth says “Mabuhay,” which Resurreccion says means “welcome,” “It’s like ‘aloha’ in Hawaii” - a friendly greeting in the Tagalog language of the Philippines, he said.

In the morning, his booth is located on Pier View Way across the street from St. Mary, Star of the Sea Catholic Church. His Sunset Market booth is located right across from the main stage.

For now, the Oceanside markets are his only venues, Resurreccion said,

However, he has plans to set up on Sundays during the summer at a farmers market in La Jolla, and he has a part-time job  working for his brother-in-law who grows avocados on eight acres and sells them in farmers markets.

Filipino culture and food reflects myriad influences – Malay, Chinese, Indian, Spanish  and English, Resurreccion said. 

“Every race has contributed to Filipino cuisine,” he said.

The selection of foods at his Farmers Market stand reflect those varied contributions as well.

There are pancit, a noodle dish, and lumpia, an egg roll, borrowed from China.

And then there are chicken adobo (a mild chili sauce) and pork afritada (a type of stew with potatoes and vegetables) showing their Spanish heritage.

Often both pancit and lumpia are made with shrimp, but Resurreccion said “I’ve adapted  my the menu to the prevailing wishes of the people here in Oceanside” and  they don’t want shrimp or fish sauce, he said.

He offers four kinds of lumpia; vegetable, chicken, pork and beef.  “They’re greaseless and served hot,” he said.  They sell for $3 for five pieces. 

The pancit contains chicken meat and “lots of vegetables,” he said. 

Of course, the macaroni and cheese is a traditional American dish, but Resurreccion says his is offered “with a bit of a twist” - he adds bacon with four kinds of cheese.

And then there are beef and mushrooms, beef mechado (also a stew) and chicken curry.

In addition, Resurreccion says, he serves “the best eggplant omelet” in town with lots of garlic and ground pepper.  It sells for $3.

A one-item combo with rice and/or pancit is $6 and a two-item combo is $7.

For all his love of the cuisine of his homeland, Resurreccion also is glad to be here. He’s quick to note the exact date – Sept. 12, 1992, that he came to the United States and is proud to say that his entire family has gained U. S. citizenship and that all four of his children have graduated from universities in California – the University of San Diego, California State University Fullerton, San Jose State University and the University of Southern California.

Story and photos by Lola Sherman