TOFA honoree Walbert Castillo is expanding the reach of his acclaimed pop-up, Istorya, in Las Vegas, most recently staging a large-scale event that brought centuries of Filipino culinary history into one of the city’s most prominent cultural venues.
Last month, Istorya’s “Isang Kusina” dinner took over the Keep Memory Alive Event Center in downtown Las Vegas, featuring a prix fixe menu created by a team of Filipino and Filipino American chefs. The one-night-only event used each course to explore a chapter of Philippine history, from pre-colonial traditions through Spanish and American occupation to contemporary Filipino cuisine, pairing the dishes with guided storytelling.
Istorya has been recognized by local media as one of Las Vegas’ standout pop-up dining concepts, including honors as a “Best Pop-Up Restaurant” and features that highlight its historical storytelling. Its dinners rotate through different venues and themes, but the core idea remains the same: use food, narrative and design to help audiences better understand the Filipino experience and the broader story of the diaspora.
Castillo’s path to Istorya began in journalism and media. Before moving into cultural and brand storytelling, he spent several years as a multimedia journalist and producer in Washington, D.C., working on explainer videos and digital features. His professional background also includes creative direction roles for global brands, where he developed campaigns and video content.
Born in Chicago to Filipino immigrants, Castillo has said his work is rooted in a desire to preserve stories that risk being forgotten, a mission that took on added urgency after his father was diagnosed with dementia. Istorya draws from family recipes, community memories and historical research to build menus that function as both meals and living archives.
In 2025, Castillo was recognized at The Outstanding Filipino Awards in Las Vegas as one of the TOFA100 Most Influential Filipinos in the World, honored for cultural advocacy and innovative storytelling through food. The recognition underscored how a project that started as a personal experiment has become a platform for Filipino history and identity in one of America’s most visited cities.
