This is the sweet story of a viral and photogenic ube cheesecake. To many Filipino-Americans, ube is not a trend. It’s a staple. Yet here in the United States, it was known for decades as an ethnic specialty ingredient. That is, until Chera Amlag got her hands on it and made it the star of her Hood Famous cheesecake. When Chera’s homemade ube cheesecake became a culinary phenomenon, ube was transformed. Chera’s cheesecake put Filipino culture and identity in the spotlight through her imaginative use of ube. And her collaborative approach has strengthened the Filipino-American community. 





Ten Thousand Thingsis produced by KUOW in Seattle. Our host, writer, and creator is Shin Yu Pai. Whitney Henry-Lester produced this episode. Jim Gates is our editor. Tomo Nakayama wrote our theme music. Additional music in this episode by Young Collective, Olive James, Sonny Oh, N. Kerbin.

And of course, we don't exist without listeners like you. Support Ten Thousand Things by donating to KUOW.

This is the sweet story of a viral and photogenic ube cheesecake. To many Filipino-Americans, ube is not a trend. It’s a staple. Yet here in the United States, it was known for decades as an ethnic specialty ingredient. That is, until Chera Amlag got her hands on it and made it the star of her <a href="https://www.hoodfamousbakeshop.com/">Hood Famous </a>cheesecake. When Chera’s homemade ube cheesecake became a culinary phenomenon, ube was transformed. Chera’s cheesecake put Filipino culture and identity in the spotlight through her imaginative use of ube. And her collaborative approach has strengthened the Filipino-American community.  
 
 
<a href="https://www.kuow.org/podcasts/bluesuit">Ten Thousand Things</a> is produced by KUOW in Seattle. Our host, writer, and creator is<a href="https://shinyupai.com/"> Shin Yu Pai</a>.<a href="https://kuow.org/authors/whitney-henry-lester"> Whitney Henry-Lester</a> produced this episode.<a href="https://www.kuow.org/authors/jim-gates"> Jim Gates</a> is our editor.<a href="https://www.tomonakayama.com/"> Tomo Nakayama</a> wrote our theme music. Additional music in this episode by Young Collective, Olive James, Sonny Oh, N. Kerbin.
And of course, we don't exist without listeners like you. Support Ten Thousand Things by<a href="https://www.kuow.org/donate/tenthousandthings"> donating to KUOW</a>.

An award-winning podcast about modern-day artifacts of Asian American life, hosted by poet and museologist Shin Yu Pai.

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