Meet Stacy Bareng: Chef/Owner

We had the good fortune of connecting with Stacy Bareng and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Stacy, what was your thought process behind starting your own business?
My thought process behind starting my own business happened pretty fast. During the pandemic, restaurants got hit hard first. Most lost our jobs, few were able to keep them. I had lost my job and was unemployed for a few month. Out of the nowhere, my friend offered to do my own pop up at a restaurant that pivot its parking lot to an outdoor dining area. At the time, restaurants were able to run business with the offer of takeout food and outdoor dining. I came up with a menu quickly as possible because Employees Only was going to open to the public the next day. Because there were hardly any Filipino restaurants in the westside area, my thought was to run a Filipino-New American menu. I wanted incorporated the menu with my asian roots, my culinary training background and also farm-to-table fresh ingredients. I started off with a small menu and it eventually expanded to a restaurant quality full menu. Originally, my plan with this pop up was to try to survive the pandemic and run it once it was all over. Time of the pandemic was passing slowly but Tagalog Takeover was getting popular over the a few months of opening, With the exposure and the popularity, I then got offered to expand to another location at 1802 Roasters. Both locations offer similar Items, outdoor dining and a drink to wash down the delicious food(s). In my wildest dreams, I would have never thought I would be running a business during the most hard times in history. Tagalog Takeover is now an LLC and we are planning to have a brick and mortar soon once the world starts opening up.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
Im most proud of myself and how much Ive grown as a person and as a business woman. Honestly, if it wasn’t for the pandemic, I wouldn’t have a business this soon. I was pushed (in a good way) to help me start up something that I would have never thought of in the next year(s). I would have been still either unemployed or trying to work under someone else. It’s different when you are your own boss. Running Tagalog Takeover is my baby. It my very first project and who knows if i want to run another concept? This has definitely been a great learning experience and a stepping stone. Being an entrepreneur isn’t easy at all, its another level of intelligence I have to learn along my path. I know theres going to be ups and downs but you always have to be prepare at the worse and I’m okay with that. “How are you going to learn without failing?” To me, this is a project that I’m most proud of and can’t wait for the future it holds for me.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
Hmmm, I would definitely take her/him to a Dodger game. (Obviously, when the world opens up again). Being in the stadium is a whole different vibe. I would also take them to my favorite places to dine in. Los Angeles has the best diversity of ethnic cuisine. First place would be Korean BBQ. The Experience of cooking your own meat/vegetables on the grill, in a restaurant, is whole another level. You get to control your dining experience and the cookery of the food. As far as fine dining, I would take them to either Melisse, Cut by Wolfgang Puck or Spago. I was culinary trained in classical French cuisine and these places are exceptional. I would also take them to Grand Central Market for low key chill day. I think having the options of choosing different vendors to eat at is awesome. My list of restaurants to go to are endless. As far as landmarks, Santa Monica pier is also a great place to visit. And for more of an excitement, Six Flags and Disneyland are hands down places to be at in LA, period. For the night life, I would take them to either DTLA to get that city life or out in West Hollywood where all the drag shows and go-go dancers are at. lol.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
I want to shoutout to 1802 Roasters and Employees Only. Tagalog Takeover wouldnt have happened or survived without the help of these businesses. I also wanted to shoutout to my supporting girlfriend who helped pursue my dreams and never gave up on me.

Website: www.stacybareng.com

Instagram: @chefstacybareng

Yelp: Tagalog Takeover