About US

WE'RE MORE THAN JUST A RESTAURANT; WE'RE A GATHERING PLACE FOR FAMILIES, FRIENDS, AND NEIGHBORS TO CONNECT OVER DELICIOUS FOOD AND SHARED EXPERIENCES. EXPLORE OUR VIBRANT MENU, INSPIRED BY TRADITIONAL FILIPINO CUISINE, AND EXPERIENCE THE JOY OF "BAYANIHAN" - COMMUNITY SPIRIT - IN EVERY BITE.

OUR VALUES

PAMILYA

We treat our team and guests like family. We practice radical hospitality so that our guests feel a sense of belonging and ease. We create space to be present for our families.

UTANG NA LOOB

We respect and honor our community, elders, and ancestors, as well as the land and its resources. We take a no/low-waste, sustainable approach, and we celebrate the beauty and richness of our heritage.

KAPWA + BAYANIHAN

We care deeply about community. We treat one another with love, look out for each other, and lift one another up. We build a model that allows us to be full, whole humans in right relationship with one another.

MAPANLIKHA

We move from a place of possibility, learning from the past and our experiences while actively creating our vision for the future. We pay close attention to how we can constantly improve while shaping the narrative of what’s possible.

OUR TEAM

Kaya is owned and operated by Chef Lordfer Lalicon and General Manager Jamilyn Salonga Bailey, alongside Lo’s wife Julie Anne and investor partners Johnny Tung and John Rife III - longtime friends and game changers in the Central Florida food community.

When you walk in the door of Kaya, the first thing you see is a collage representing the Filipino value of "bayanihan," a spirit of communal support. It's often depicted as a house being carried on the shoulders of a group of people. It's the same imagery we use for our logo, where the house is Kaya. And it's carried by all these beautiful people who believe in us - our families, team, friends, guests, artists, potters, farmers, fisherfolk, purveyors, neighbors, etc.

As business owners, we know our people are EVERYTHING. Every day, our team comes together to share a collaboratively and thoughtfully made family meal, to prepare for the evening’s service and huddle up for our tradition of putting one hand into the circle while shouting “kaaayaaaaa natin!” The phrase is commonly translated as “we can!… but for Kaya - the restaurant, the family, and the community - the phrase has another, deeper meaning: “OUR Kaya.” It’s a beautiful reminder each day that each of us carries this place in important ways, that each and every person who touches this place plays a role in imagining, building and celebrating its impact.

It’s one thing to dream up a restaurant, to name your values, to plan out how you want everything to run. It’s a whole other thing to see a concept come to life - and in many ways, to take on a life of its own. It is a joy and an honor to witness our team take Kaya from concept to community.

MEET FULL TEAM

Our family is a huge part of our team, and they’re at the center of everything we do. They’re our first and enduring inspiration, our harshest critics and our biggest cheerleaders. Without them, none of what we do would be possible. Maraming salamat po sa inyong lahat!