How Martial Arts Saved My Restaurant
Presented by Society Insurance
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By Carlo Lamanga
A lot of restaurant owners have horror stories of getting their shop opened up. From funding, permits, various forms of red tape, and - in my case - firing the contractor in the middle of the project. We will not go through that yet, but instead, look at the power of community. To understand this story, a little backstory is important.
I started in the martial arts many many years ago, and in a different life, the combat arts would have been my professional path. Filipino Martial Arts and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu (BBJ) were all-encompassing. Alas, after many years of competing, sustaining injuries, and my deep love of the culinary arts, that train was derailed. I will say that throughout my entire cooking career, and life in general, I have always made time for my first true passion. I have surrounded myself by an amazing network of human beings. This network was strengthened by the nature of our relationship - the art of physical suffering via a complex combination of movements utilizing a rudimentary understanding of physics and anatomy to cause submission. In other words, choking, breaking limbs, and knocking people out. The great equalizer for me has always been the mat. It does not matter what walk of life you come from, your skill on the mat is what will dictate your fate during class. I have seen doctors get submitted by stoners, professional linebackers submitted by gamers living in their parents’ basement, and even a truce between cops and gang members forged from their shared time on the mats.
Now let’s fast forward to the day that my contractor walked out and didn’t finish the job. I was at a loss financially, physically, and emotionally. I let anger cloud my judgment and my frustrations affected everything around me. I had to dig deep within myself to bring myself back. The martial arts trains you to remain calm and think rationally under extreme circumstances. So, I took a deep breath and leaned on the network that has always been there for me. In two phone calls I had friends helping me bring my dream to life. Even someone I have never met until the day he walked through the door came to help, our only connection being Jiujitsu. Those very same people have become an integral part of our restaurant family and continue to contribute to our growth.
To its core, my restaurant, Magna Kusina, has been built on the foundation of Brazilian jiu-jitsu. I mean, my partners are Mark Vives, one of my first BJJ instructors and world-class competitors, and Lee, a student under Mark and a dear friend as well. Now, even the physical foundation has been built with the help of both the restaurant crew and jiu-jitsu teammates. One person, in particular, Jose, has now become a close friend and is the main reason the entire place hasn’t fallen over our heads yet.
The greatest lesson I have learned from martial arts is this: at the end of the day, surround yourself with good people and a path will always present itself, even if you have to carve one out together.
Headquartered in Fond du Lac, Wis., Society Insurance has been a leading niche insurance carrier since 1915. As a mutual insurance company, Society focuses on the small details that make a big difference to its policyholders while offering top-notch insurance coverage, service and competitive pricing to businesses in Wisconsin, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Minnesota, Tennessee, Colorado, Georgia and soon Texas.
Chef Carlo Lamagna is a Philippine-born, Detroit-raised, CIA- and Chicago-trained chef. Lamagna is the chef-owner of modern Filipino restaurant, Magna Kusina, located in Portland, Oregon.
In the city of Lamagna’s early childhood, Detroit, he grew up amongst Midwestern sensibility and genteel, gained a strong sense of family and an understanding that food was from farms, not grocery stores.
His mother Gloria sent young Lamagna and his elder siblings to the Philippines to live with their father, Wilfredo. Gloria and Willie wanted their children to be in touch with their culture. From his father, cooking and eating in the way that he himself grew up was a key point in Carlo's understanding and appreciation of Filipino food and culture.
Lamagna began a pop-up dining series, Twisted Filipino, in 2013 in Chicago and continued them in Portland with great success.
While Lamagna cites respected chefs influential in his career, philosophy, and leadership style, the chef he most reveres is his late father, Willie, who, alongside his mother Gloria, serves as a major influence of his modern Filipino restaurant, Magna Kusina.
Opinions expressed in this article do not necessarily represent the views of Best Served. To achieve our mission of bringing more voices to the table, we are committed to sharing a variety of viewpoints across the industry.
