Dear Seattle
Chef Melissa Miranda’s letter to the Seattle hospitality community
Illustration: Rachel Krohn
My story begins here, in Seattle, as the daughter of Filipino immigrants who came to this city with the hope of something better.
They arrived carrying their faith, their recipes, and a deep belief in hard work—all of which became the foundation for how I see the world. Growing up, food was how my family stayed connected to where we came from and how we showed love. It was how we cared for one another, built relationships, and found our place here.
I didn’t always know I would end up in kitchens, but looking back, it’s clear that cooking was a way of honoring those beginnings. It was a way to tell my parents’ story; to continue the legacy of hope, resilience, and creativity they brought with them.
Seattle has a quiet kind of beauty. It reveals itself slowly, through gray skies and rainy mornings. It’s a city that asks you to pay attention; to listen; to be patient. That patience has shaped the way I cook and the way I lead. In this city, I’ve learned that food is never just about what’s on the plate, it’s about the relationships behind it: the people who grow, harvest, cook, and serve it.
When I opened Musang, I wanted it to feel like home, like the living rooms I grew up in, filled with family, laughter, and the smell of garlic and vinegar simmering on the stove. I wanted to create a space where Filipino food could exist without translation, where people could gather and see themselves reflected on the menu. Later, with Kilig, that vision expanded.
Running restaurants in Seattle isn’t easy. The challenges are real—rising costs, shifting expectations, the constant need to adapt. But this city has always been full of people who persist. There’s something about Seattle that makes us resilient. Maybe it’s the rain—the way it teaches us to keep moving, keep creating, even when the sun doesn’t show up. Maybe it’s the people—those who care deeply, who show up for one another, who understand that hospitality extends far beyond the walls of a restaurant.
I’ve watched Seattle change over the years. Neighborhoods shift. Old spaces close. New ones open. But what remains is our commitment to feeding people with care. The city evolves, and so do we. The next generation of chefs will define what comes next, and it’s our job to make sure they inherit not only our recipes but also our values: collaboration, integrity, and the courage to tell their own stories.
Seattle has given me everything I needed to build a life in food—inspiration, connection, and the reminder that our work is about honoring where we came from while building what comes next. I hope we can continue to be rooted, to stay open, and to keep creating something worth gathering around.
— Chef/Owner Melissa Miranda of Kilig and Musang
