The Day Olivia Rodrigo Enjoyed a Boodle Fight By Chef JP Anglo

(SPOT.ph) “We… can’t help but be proud of other Filipinos,” says chef and Sarsa Kitchen + Bar founder JP Anglo in an Instagram reel caption, “whether they were born in the motherland or not.” You don’t have to live under a rock to have missed this midnight post, but those in the know are probably already internally screaming the lyrics to "drivers license" or "vampire."

Yes, it’s true: Olivia Rodrigo got all up in a boodle fight over at Sarsa during her Philippine stop of the GUTS tour—or, as some might say, her trip home, powered by American Express. Prior to the chef’s reel, the singer herself posted a three-minute YouTube video about the significant side quests she embarked on prior to her performance, including a bike ride at classic tourist destination, Intramuros. “I feel like [seeing the Philippines] was something that I’ve always wanted to do, and I got to check that off my bucket list,” she says.

Fans may recall that during this visit, Rodrigo donated proceeds of the Manila show to Jhpiego, a non-profit organization “dedicated to improving the health and lives of women and girls in the Philippines, especially in underserved and conflict-affected areas,” according to her own Instagram post, where she also hinted at the Sarsa spread.

Putting the Filipino forward first

“I’m not exactly Olivia Rodrigo’s target market, right?” laughs Sarsa chef-owner Anglo in a conversation with Spot.ph. “I was initially feeding off of my niece’s energy—she’s a die-hard fan—but I very much admire her, because I know what she’s been trying to do. She says she’s Filipino-American, as in she puts the ‘Filipino’ part first. So the Sarsa team was all hands on deck… because we wanted to make sure she could come here and feel connected to the Philippines through the food. She’s so, so nice, too.”

Met with a halo-halo station (the singer’s favorite), a barbecue station, and a long table covered in banana leaves, Rodrigo and her team were ready and armed with their appetites—not that any of this was new to them. “They’re not just foodies,” notes Anglo, “they know their Filipino food. I think the only thing they weren’t super familiar with was the boodle fight, which we assembled in front of them.” The group noshed on a kamayan feast of inasal, adobo, garlic rice, ensaladang talong, barbecue, and even isaw.

But the singer didn’t leave her grandparents’ country of origin empty-handed, and it definitely wasn’t limited to the food that Anglo served her and her team. The lunch was “like reconnecting with an old friend,” as per artist and interior designer Kitty Bunag, who gifted her a cropped abaca Terno top from Kultura Filipino. “[The top was] a welcome gift… in ikat weave, which is deeply meaningful to us. It reflects the modern Filipino spirit—fusing tradition and style.” A perfect gift for the curious, introspective, and fashion-forward Rodrigo, we’d say!

The "warm and genuine" Olivia Rodrigo

“She’s incredibly warm and genuine,” Bunag tells Spot.ph. “That day at Sarsa was a family affair! My daughters designed [the ‘Filipino forward’ shirts]... rooted in a vision that far outweighs fame or fortune. We are so inspired by Olivia’s advocacy, [and her awareness] that the global stage is a responsibility—a chance to honor our heritage and inspire others to do the same.”

Nacionale Bladeworks also contacted the Sarsa team to make sure that the young entertainer could always reconnect with her Filipino roots in the kitchen. “They told me they had purple knives they’d set aside,” reveals Anglo. “She looked like everything was a core memory being formed; she kept going out of her way to thank people.”

While there is something to be said about requiring a foreign lens to appreciate what we have, both Anglo and Bunag share that Olivia Rodrigo’s enthusiasm for all things Pinoy is far from abstract, tangential, or theoretical. “I felt [the] authenticity and pride in her roots,” says Bunag.

“You know how it is when Filipinos have visitors,” adds Anglo. “We roll out the red carpet, bring out the fine china… it can be a bit much, I can see that. But for me, she went out of her way to make her show more accessible and extend the good that it could do for others. She can put on a show for thousands of screaming fans; I can put on a show of Filipino food for her, because she’s so proud of it, she absorbs it all—it makes me proud, too.”