Kawit! Filipino & U.S. Barbecue Traditions Combine in New Haven Ghost Kitchen

Erik Ofgang June 19, 2021

Kevin McGuire wanted something more.

The Connecticut chef began his culinary career as a cook while in the Navy. Afterwards he spent years working in kitchens at Connecticut restaurants including the Hard Rock Cafe at Foxwoods and New Haven spots such as Caseus, Olmo and High George. But he always knew he wanted to venture out on his own in some capacity.

“The industry is tough,” says his husband, Seth Wallace. “Not a lot of folks see a great future for themselves cooking on the line. And so we had talked for a long time about, ‘What are you going to do? And do you want to open something? And if so, what?”

Eventually, McGuire realized the answer could be found in his Filipino heritage and its culinary traditions, which he had never delved into professionally.

“It was one of those moments where I was like, ‘Oh, it's been with me this whole time,’” McGuire says. “I started to dig into my own culture and actually get more acquainted with just a lot of the things that I wasn't aware of when I was growing up as a child.” He adds, “It's been a really cool way to build relationships with other branches of my family.”

It has also led to amazing food.

**Lumpia - Spring Roll Filled with Pork, Vegetables and Soy Sauce PHOTO: Winter Caplanson**

In 2018 McGuire and Wallace joined forces professionally and launched Kawit! Filipano barbecue as a popup, hosting events at various restaurants and breweries. On May 3 they took Kawit! to the next level by opening as a ghost kitchen. The restaurant, which is named after the city in the Philippines where McGuire’s family lives, operates on Monday and Tuesday out of the kitchen at St. Paul & St. James Episcopal Church in New Haven. Kawit! offers pickup or delivery via GrubHub in greater New Haven.

The menu is steeped in Filipino traditions with McGuire’s creative twists

“[Traditional] Filipino barbecue would be like, skewers with little bits of pork or chicken or beef, cooked over a grill, and covered with sauce,” McGuire says. “The way I do it is to kind of add Filipino flavors to American style barbecue.”

“One of the nice ways that he's done that is by setting things up like a traditional American barbecue menu,” Wallace says. “So we have a Filipino version of collards, of cornbread, of meat, and so it's this familiar à la carte format where you can navigate the menu, even though the flavors that you're experiencing are different.”

McGuire adds, “Some things are authentic. Some things are my Filipino American upbringing.”

There are also dishes you’re unlikely to find on the menu at other barbecue restaurants such as lumpia (spring rolls) and pancit bihon (rice noodles with vegetables) as well as a variety of additional plant-based dishes.

I recently made the pilgrimage to the New Haven area to try Kawit!’s food. The smoked ribs and chicken are marinated with adobo, a Filipino marinade, prior to being slow-cooked for many hours, then topped with a spicy coconut and banana sauce. The result, in both cases, are tender and tasty meats that will satisfy both my craving for barbecue and for new — to me at least — types of food.

**Sawsawan Eggplant PHOTO: Winter Caplanson**

These dishes are perfect examples of the way McGuire is combining his Filipino heritage and U.S. upbringing. The meat is presented in an American style but the coconut condiment comes from the Mindanao region of the Philippines and there are other flavorings inspired by Filipinao traditions. “So even in just a slab of ribs, there's like multiple identities in that,” McGuire says.

**Pancit Bihon - Bihon Noodles Sauteed with Veggies PHOTO: Winter Caplanson**

As good as the meat is, what really sets Kawit! apart from the competition for me are its sides and appetizers. In these dishes McGuire and Wallace dig deeper into Filipino culinary traditions and the results are delicious. The lumpia (spring rolls) are filled with pork, vegetables and soy sauce and served with sweet chili dipping sauce and are addictively good. These rolls are worth the trip to Kawit! all on their own (learn from my mistake and get an order of 12 instead of six). The pancit bihon noodle is another must-order. Light and vegetable forward, these noodles are brimming with freshness and flavor. They’re also one of several vegan dishes offered.

**Adobo Smoked Ribs Topped with Spicy Coconut and Banana Sauce PHOTO: Winter Caplanson**

The Laing — collard greens stewed in coconut milk — is also vegan and a successful example of how McGuire is combining Filipino flavors with American barbecue traditions. Speaking of American barbecue sides, the Bibingka is a gluten-free rice and coconut bread that is a worthy replacement for the cornbread found at most U.S. barbecue restaurants.

**Cassava Cake with Coconut Milk (Gluten-Free) PHOTO: Winter Capalanson**

For dessert the traditional Filipino dessert Cassava Cake is offered. The cassava root is also used to make tapioca but cassava flour uses more of the root than tapioca flour and provides a thicker texture. Kawit!’s Cassava Cake is light, flavorful and not overly sweet.

It’s easy to see why during its first month in operation, the restaurant is selling out many nights.

McGuire and Wallace were able to open Kawit! after they participated in the Food Business Accelerator program in New Haven, which is a partnership between CitySeed and Collab. They decided to go the ghost kitchen route to test out the concept and because opening a restaurant without investor support is difficult and putting that kind of pressure on a new business isn’t always the best way to produce creative and quality food.

While enduring COVID-related layoffs last year, McGuire began planning the concept. “I started to feel like the idea of building a model that is based on trying to turn 20 to 30 tables two or three times a night is no longer the route that I wanted to go,” he says. He thought, “Let's see if I can make this model work just based on takeout.”

Now that they’ve established a ghost kitchen, Wallace and McGuire are hoping the concept grows.

“We're very interested in ways to expand,” Wallace says. “Whether that's adding additional days, or adding additional ways to find our food maybe through other markets or something like that.”

In the meantime, if you live in New Haven, or can make it to the area on a Monday or Tuesday, get your phone out and place your order.

Kawit! 620 Chapel Street, New Haven

Order Here

Instagram: @kawitnhv