Billy Dec knows how to throw an epic party—or dinner party adventure. His restaurant and nightlife empire, which began with iconic Chicago venues like Circus, Le Passage, Rockit Bar & Grill and Sunda and also included the long-running club Underground, attracted celebrities like Jeremy Piven, Chance the Rapper and Katy Perry. The party hasn’t slowed: Underground moved and reopened last year in Nashville (as The Blueprint Underground). And Sunda remains as popular as ever, with the original location in River North Chicago, their newest location in Fulton Market, and extensions in Nashville, Tampa and—later this year—Detroit.
So it was a major shift when Dec decided to slow down, turn inward, and travel to the Philippines—literally going off the beaten path—to connect with relatives and explore his Filipino heritage. What started as an effort to document time-honored recipes from his lolas (Filipino for grandmother or female elder) evolved into a deeply personal journey of self-discovery and reconnection.
“I didn’t mean to make a documentary,” Dec says. “I just wanted to record recipes for a possible cookbook. I didn’t want to be writing everything down—I was moving so fast.” Instead, that footage became the foundation for “Food Roots,” a documentary due out later this year.
Growing up, Dec learned about home cooking and hospitality from his real Lola Caring, who immigrated to the U.S. to help his mother raise the family. “She was known for being an amazing cook and for sharing food generously,” he says.
But as a kid, Dec was bullied for bringing Filipino food to school. “People were like, ‘That’s gross, it smells bad,’” he recalls. “Back then I pushed it away. Now, people are exploring world cuisines. But when I went to college, I missed it.”
As a restaurateur, Dec added Filipino dishes like lumpia to Sunda’s menu, but always felt the approach was limited. “I realized I was really disconnected from my family… and I wasn’t learning these recipes the way my cousins were. That always made me feel guilty.”
Then came a turning point: “Two of my last three elders passed away on the same day. I thought I had all this time to learn more about my past, but then, suddenly, I didn’t. That’s when I dropped everything and left the country to learn the recipes of my ancestors.”
A Raw, Remote Trek
Finding family members across the Philippines—home to more than 7,000 islands—was no easy feat. “There were times I was off the grid for days,” he says. Staying with one cousin often led to the next connection. “It wasn’t like I could FaceTime someone or drop a Google pin.”
One memorable trek involved hiking up a storm-ravaged mountain to meet a 103-year-old mambabatok (tattoo master). “Some of the team couldn’t even make it up. But she blessed me with a tattoo once she understood my heritage. It was spiritual—like going back in time to understand who I am.”
Food Stories, Family Revelations
“Each dish had a story,” Dec says. For example, his Lola Caring’s lumpia differed from Lola Pilar’s version—because Lola Pilar [Dec’s grandaunt] had been raised by a neighbor in a different province, separated from her siblings. That early experience shaped her palate and the recipes she passed down.
Another poignant moment came in his grandfather’s village in Ilocos Sur. “My grandfather, Lolo Monico, would cook whatever people brought him—goat, chicken, vegetables—and serve them food, including kalderetang kambing, a goat stew. I thought that was powerful.” Dec, whose middle name is Monico, felt deeply connected to a man he never really knew, but who, like him, put himself through law school and supported his family.
“I kind of broke down. It was just this crazy emotional and spiritual moment.”
From Homeland to Menu
After returning, Dec and his Sunda team began integrating dishes from the trip. “We’re doing oxtail kare-kare and sisig—dishes I was embarrassed about as a kid,” he says. “Now chefs love it, and food writers flip out when we serve it.”
One particularly nostalgic dish was ginataang kuhol, a snail-based stew that was his mother’s favorite as a child. “My cousins’ kids would pick snails from the rice fields and lemongrass, garlic, ginger, chilies from within 20 feet of the front door.”
Dec reimagined the dish with mussels and clams at Sunda alongside his chef-partner Mike Morales. “We just tried to reinvent it and elevate it in a creative way.”
A Documented Legacy
Though he hadn’t set out to make a film, the power of what he captured lingered. COVID delayed the project, and his focus shifted to survival. “I had to furlough 400 employees in one day. I was just trying to keep Sunda and our team alive,” he says.
A year later, Dec met Emmy-winning Filipina-American director Michele Josue on a film festival panel, and Oscar-winning producer Doug Blush through a friend. “They loved the story—culture, identity, bullying, confidence—and turned it into something meaningful.”
“Food Roots,” he says, isn’t just for the Filipino community. “Theaters at our film festival screenings have been filled with people of all ages and backgrounds. It’s a story of family, loss, heritage, pride and understanding identity—one that so many of us can relate to.”
The film helped Dec find clarity and healing. Now, he hopes it does the same for others.
“I hope it inspires people to find their own journey—to reconnect with their heritage, or just with themselves.”
Produced by 3-time Oscar Award-Winning Executive Producer Doug Blush, Emmy Winning Director Michele Josue, and scored by Grammy Award Winning Black Eyed Peas’ Apl.De.Ap, Billy Dec’s inaugural, award-winning documentary, FOOD ROOTS, explores themes of self-discovery, multicultural influence, and family heritage. After receiving devastating news of family loss on the other side of the world, Dec leaves Nashville to journey through his mother’s native 7,641 Islands of the Philippines to find his last remaining elders, and himself. He travels by motorcycle, boat, plane and on foot to find and preserve the lost recipes of his ancestors, discover culinary and cultural treasures, and learn family stories that forever change his life. To watch the trailer and check out the schedule of screenings, visit billydec.com/documentary.
It’s a story of family, loss, heritage, pride and understanding identity
There were times I was off the grid without phone signal or internet for days