Filipino Food Finds Fans in Santa Maria

Family Runs the Show at Capuno’s Lutong Bahay, Where Lines Snake Out the Door

Catering trays are available | Photo: Courtesy

I was introduced to Filipino food during elementary school, as many of my Catholic school friends in East San Jose were the first generation of their families to be born outside of the Philippines. Lumpia were an immediate hit, as was a salty-sweet-crunchy pork belly treat called tocino. Springy pancit noodles were a constant in their kitchens, and on special occasions, a full pig graced the dining room table, its mouth stuffed with an apple — a visual the non-Filipino 5th-graders of us had only witnessed in cartoons.

But once I left town for college in the mid-1990s, I almost forgot about Filipino food. As so many cuisines earned seats around the popular American table — Bengali to Burmese, Senegalese to Syrian, Georgian to Armenian — I wondered why this bountiful archipelago’s distinctive dishes weren’t doing the same. Shouldn’t we all be intrigued by flavors that bridge ancient indigenous traditions with Chinese, Spanish, American, and other influences that have infiltrated these islands over the centuries?

A family photo, clockwise from lower left: Michelle Capuno, Raul Capuno, Janelle Capuno, Marielle Capuno, Jonah Capuno, Jet Nino Pena, and Rona Capuno Pena | Photo: Courtesy

When, finally, a wave of Filipino restaurants started popping up in the United States, from the globally successful Jollibee chain to elevated experiences in New York City, along came articles with insights about what took so long. Among more complex analyses, the common thread was that Filipino food is historically homestyle in nature, made by and for families to be eaten at home. Formal restaurants were never historically a big part of the culture in the Philippines, so they weren’t inherent to the diaspora either.

That’s changed very quickly, as Filipino cuisine can now be found in many cities. Many spots are buffet-style café-markets, but there are high-end, haute expressions too, like the prix-fixe I experienced at Neng Jr.’s in Asheville in 2023.

Though there have been some pop-ups and caterers in Santa Barbara, the city is not yet home to a steady source. So, this story takes us to a strip mall in the heart of Santa Maria, where Filipino food is finding fast friends, thanks to an all-hands-on-deck family effort.

Bringing Home to Us

Capuno’s Lutong Bahay — those latter words mean “home cooking” in Tagalog — is the retirement project of sorts for Raul and Jonah Capuno, who left the Philippines in the 1990s to build their healthcare careers in the United States. After three-plus decades and multiple moves, from Jersey City to Connecticut to California in 2009 (with time back in the Philippines), they settled in Santa Barbara about eight years ago.

While raising their four daughters, the Capunos would celebrate birthdays by ordering from Jade’s Filipino Foods in Santa Maria. In the summer of 2023, when they called to order for one’s 18th, the owners said they were closing in order to care for ailing parents. “You want to take over?” they asked.

“I always dreamed one day I would have my own restaurant,” explained Raul when I visited the restaurant last month, recalling how he watched his mother in the kitchen as a child. “I just love cooking,” he said, though he’s learned much more than expected about running a business since opening in December 2023. “It’s a lot of work, but I enjoy it.”

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Raul’s enthusiasm aside, his daughter Marielle “Mia” Capuno, a Dos Pueblos High grad who serves as COO, quickly asserted that this whole thing was really Jonah’s idea. “My mom was the mastermind behind all of this,” laughed Mia, explaining that the conversation went something like her mom saying, “We’re doing this,” to which her dad replied, “Okay?”

For now, Jonah still works full-time as a nurse at the Artificial Kidney Center in Santa Barbara, where their youngest daughter, Janelle Capuno, attends San Marcos High and is a star on the basketball team. So, Mom cooks at Capuno’s every Sunday. “She’ll have her own specials,” said Marielle. “She cooks differently than my dad does. They tag-team on the flavors.”

The teamwork doesn’t stop there. Janelle designed some of the branding; sister Michelle Capuno helps with customer service when she’s back from college in New York; and the oldest sister, Rona Capuno Peña, works on operations with Marielle and develops the pastries, based on her decade as a baker at Jeannine’s in Santa Barbara. Rona’s husband, Jet Niño Peña, serves as Raul’s sous chef.

Adobos & Combos

A BBQ Combo and Lumpia | Photo: Courtesy

By nature of the country’s geography and the reliance on family recipes, Filipino food can be quite distinct depending on who’s in charge. “The Philippines have more than 7,000 islands,” explained Raul. “When people come from different islands, they cook things differently.”

The style of service stays more consistent, as combo plates are the standard. At Capuno’s, that means you get pancit, lumpia, and excellently toasty, soul-warming garlic rice along with your choice of entree, of which there are many.

There’s the more familiar pork or chicken adobo, where the vinegar-soy braise enlivens the palate; or the barbecued skewers glazed in Raul’s homemade grilling sauce; or the various pork-belly productions, from simply grilled or fried to more complex preparations in coconut milk with shrimp paste called bicol express or boiled in pork blood, known as dinuguan. There are fish options (tamarind soup with shrimp or deep-fried milkfish) and veggie ones too, particularly the tortang talong (eggplant omelet).

Aside from Jonah’s Sunday creations, Capuno’s standing specials include deep-fried pork leg, pancit with a slightly spicy sauce, and two dishes that nod strongly elsewhere: Pinoy spaghetti, where the tomato sauce is made from brown sugar and banana ketchup; and Pinoy macaroni, which puts that sauce with cream cheese. There’s also breakfast all day in the form of silog, which serves fried eggs and garlic rice with either corned beef, salty longanisa sausage, or sweet tocino pork slices.

“Everything we serve is what we grew up on,” said Marielle of these dishes. Perhaps most innovative is what Marielle and Rona have done with the desserts, integrating lush purple ube into cookies, brownies, ice cream, and more.

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Santa Maria — which is also home to a second Filipino restaurant called FoodTrip — loves it all. “Sometimes, people are standing outside and can’t get in,” said Raul.

He was surprised to learn how many Filipinos are in Santa Maria, at least compared to his experience in Santa Barbara, but was quick to assert that those are far from their only fans. “We are surprised that it’s not all Filipinos,” said Raul.

It’s not just Santa Maria, either. “We have people coming from San Luis Obispo and Santa Barbara,” said Marielle, hinting that those towns could one day get their own locations. “They’re saying, ‘We don’t have this.’”

Capuno’s Lutong Bahay, 2025 S. Broadway, Ste. B, Santa Maria; (805) 287-9442; capunoslutongbahay.com