Interview: Fish Shop’s Chef Ria Montes Shares How Food and the Immigrant Experience Inform Her Table

I’m an immigrant myself. I moved from the Philippines when I was six. It was a culture shock, but I’m glad I moved to Queens, New York. I got to experience so many cultures, and that really shaped my idea of what being an American is. 

I think the most American experience is the immigrant experience because it’s about experiencing other cultures. Growing up, there were so many Greek, Spanish, Indian and other influences around me.

I grew up in Queens, where so many different cultures come together. Filipino food and influences will always show up in my cooking. But because I grew up eating so many different things, inspiration from many different places find their way into my dishes. 

I’ve made kare-kare with a Mexican condiment, cacao nibs, and peanuts. Those are flavors I’m familiar with, so bringing them together feels natural to me. 

There are also a lot of Latin and Mediterranean influences in my cooking. I went to St. Francis Prep, and my fellow alums will know there are a lot of Greek families in that neighborhood. 

During the summer, my family went to Maine a lot. One of my standout memories is trying my first oyster. I remember sitting at a restaurant with my family. My dad loves oysters, and he was going to town on a raw plate of them. I got curious, and that was how I tried my first one. I was seven or eight, eating raw oysters! 

I also remember going out for sushi with my dad for the first time and trying octopus. I loved it. It had such a unique texture. 

I think they always show up. For example, I love sneaking fish sauce in unexpected places. 

We have a dish called kinilaw on the menu, which I like to describe as “Filipino ceviche.” It’s become a mainstay. We serve it with lettuce cups and dots of lemon purée. 

I also draw a lot of inspiration from Filipino food when I make desserts. We have our version of mais con yelo, a traditional dessert in the Philippines, which we make as a semifreddo. 

In the fall, we’ll do sans rival, with layers of cashew meringue and rich, velvety buttercream in between. 

The immigrant story is something that’s very close to me. It’s my personal story. I think we’re in a time in our country when people don’t really understand how difficult and expensive the process of immigrating is. 

My parents came first. I was very lucky to have my mother’s family caring for me while we were apart. 

When my parents first petitioned to bring my brother and me to the United States, we were denied the first time. We were only about five or six years old. 

People have misconceptions about what the process involves. It’s not only complicated; it’s also very expensive. 

I’m so grateful to partner with an organization that helps others with this process. 

I think this menu showcases how I like to draw from different cultures. The trout carpaccio has sake and a citrus aioli. I like mixing cultures that way. 

The braised short rib kare-kare is rooted in the Philippines, but I’ve put my own spin on it. For dessert, we’re serving a corn semifreddo inspired by the mais con yelo [mentioned above]. 

I want the braised short rib dish to feel comforting. When I’m craving Filipino food, it’s because I’m craving comfort food.