The third annual Filipino American Heritage Festival took place Saturday, October 17, 2026, at Slack Plaza in downtown Charleston, West Virginia. Organized by the Filipino-American Association of West Virginia, the free festival celebrated Filipino culture, cuisine, music and traditions as part of Filipino American History Month. There was plenty of food, of which I tried to eat all. Elena's
Fried Lumpia (2 Pcs) (Vegetables & Chicken) & Pepperoni Rolls (2 pcs) Laguna Bay Bistro
Ube bao & siomai Sangkutsarang Sarap
Tocilog – Sweet, caramelized Filipino pork with garlic fried rice and a fried egg. The pork has a slightly sticky, sweet-savory glaze. Filipino American Association of WV
Sampler with sausage, rice, pancit & lumpia FAAWV Kentucky
There were 3 sections; I focused on the homemade breads section. I did two baos - potk and pork with egg. Lola Jo's
Turon - plantains wrapped in a thin spring roll wrapper, and deep-fried until golden and crispy Zenaida Pritchard
Bilo-Bilo - raditional Filipino dessert made with small, chewy balls of glutinous rice flour, in warm, sweetened coconut milk.

Other vendors included: Shake Your Boba, Mona's Egg Rolls, Philippines Best Food, Breadth & Depth and Carol's Soul 2 Soul.

Pho King Store is a small Southeast Asian restaurant and market in downtown White Sulphur Springs. The specialty grocery shop portion offers a variety of products, like sauces and soup bases, instant noodles, crackers and candies, and other Southeast Asian pantry items. The restaurant portion offers items like pho, sisig, pancit, lumpia and more. But the menu rotates frequently, so it's best to call. Side note: The name “Pho King” is a pun based on pronunciation. The Vietnamese soup Pho is pronounced roughly “fuh.” When you say “Pho King” quickly, it sounds like “fuh-king.” So the name is a tongue-in-cheek joke that reads innocently on paper but sounds ... interesting ... when spoken aloud. I ordered pork adobo, which comes with white rice and lemon slices. It was deeply savory, tangy, and salty. The tender pork was braised in a combo of soy sauce, vinegar, garlic, bay leaves and peppercorns. I also ordered lumpia, which are minced pork spring rolls with carrots, onions, and spices wrapped in a thin, crispy, deep-fried wrapper and paired with a sweet chili dipping sauce. Have you been? Grade: B

Holiday Village is Capitol Market’s annual European-style holiday market — think twinkling lights, festive décor, artisanal vendors, and seasonal food & drink that give a cozy Christmas-market vibe similar to those in Vienna or Prague. It’s family-friendly and great for holiday shopping, enjoying delicious food, and browsing handcrafted gifts and specialty treats from local makers. 🇵🇭 The Filipino-American Association of West Virginia offered a sampler plate for $30. It included pancit, adobo, rice and lumpia. Additionally, I tried arroz caldo, which is like a Filipino congee, and kutsinta, which is a steamed rice cake with coconut. 🥣 Gritt's Farm offered Tinola Soup (Filipino Ginger-Garlic Chicken Soup), and I also tried a Toasted Marshmallow Hot Chocolate. 🍴 Sam's Ube Bread offered hopia, Spanish rolls, ensaymada, ube pandesal, pan de coco, chicken siopao (one of my favorite bites of the day) and longanisa. 🍲 Jocelyn's Authentic Food offered pancit, adobo, eggrolls & sesame seed balls (another favorite - filled with jelly). Others include Shake Your Boba, Connies & Zenaida.

Based in Elkins, Mona's Eggrolls is a food truck that offers "a taste of the Phillippines." In addition to eggrolls, Mona's also has pancit, curry, barbecue, adobo and more. I was excited to see this food truck locally as part of the Filipino festival. The line was very long, but after about an hour, I made it to the front and ordered the two eggroll and pancit combo. Lumpia is like the Filipino version of an eggroll, and they tend to be more light and crisp. I really enjoyed these - flavorful, but fresh. Pancit is a veggie and noodle dish that is more mild in flavor but just as satisfying. Grade: A