Meet Trish Choa | Foodie & Social Media Marketer

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

Hi Trish, where are your from? We’d love to hear about how your background has played a role in who you are today?
Growing up in the Philippines food has always been the focus of my family.

From eating the most flavorful Lechon (whole roasted pig) from Cebu city, to having balut as a midnight snack, and indulging in the freshest seafood from the local mercado, food has always been a central part of my childhood experience.

I grew up in my Lola (grandma) and Lolo’s (grandpa’s) house and the happiest moments have always been surrounded with my family around the kitchen table. I learned to embrace local flavors at a very young age and knew the importance of flavors and fresh ingredients. Going to the local mercado daily to pick out live seafood and fresh produce was like going to Disneyland as a child.

Food has always inspired me to connect with others. My food background from Cebu, Philippines has shaped my perspective everyday seeking out the story behind every dish, no matter where it’s from around the world.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
In my early career I worked on social media management and creating content for a marketing agency focusing on food brands. It came natural to me being able to market food and be creative with it.

I then had a shift to event planning and advertising for an investment company. It was a great way to network with vendors, publishers and having attention to detail with advertisements. Managing nationwide events taught me to always have back up plans and things may not always go your way.

I then followed my passion and started to consistently post on my social media platforms (@hungrytrish Instagram & TikTok). I wanted to see where it can take me in my career. I posted everyday for a month and started to see my engagement grow. I currently work with multiple brands and restaurants ranging from food, drinks, travel, and lifestyle. I’m excited to continue growing my brand and see where my passion can take me. I hope to expand into new areas like hotels, family ventures, and more.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
Eat: I love eating hot pot. You can get individual pots at Boiling Point or AYCE spots around LA/ OC

Dessert: Koreatown is my go to spot for desserts. You can find everything from boba tea shops, bingsu, pastries, and donuts

Drink: My favorite bar at the moment is Baby Gee in Long Beach. They use the most unique ingredients, yet still serve up some of the best-crafted cocktails in town

Visit: Rooftop bars & restaurants to catch a view of the sunset

Hang out: Farmer’s market Irvine is my favorite place to try new food & pick out fresh unique produce

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
I would love to dedicate my story to my late grandfather, Lipang. He used food to connect with me at a very young age. Street food was easily accessible where we lived so we always had foodie adventures daily. When I was 6 years old I moved to Los Angeles from Cebu, Philippines and our relationship stayed strong by talking about all of our favorite foods via Skype (video chat).

Our favorite food was Aninikad (Kinason) a type of local seashell from Cebu. He would make it for me every time I came back to visit him. He would cook it 2 ways. One with coconut milk and the other with ginger.

He definitely played a huge role of how I became a foodie today. One of our last meals together was garlic crabs, scallops, and pork belly from his favorite restaurant called Mr. Crab in Capitol Cebu City.

Instagram: @hungrytrish

Other: Tiktok: @hungrytrish