Kaya earns MICHELIN Green Star

ClickOrlando on May 14 highlighted Kaya, a Filipino restaurant in Orlando’s Mills 50 district, as a MICHELIN Green Star destination during Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month. The profile described a restaurant built around “elevated, authentic Filipino flavors,” local sourcing and community ties. MICHELIN’s guide lists Kaya at 618 N. Thornton Ave. in Orlando and identifies it as a Green Star restaurant, a designation the guide says recognizes leaders in sustainability. Kaya’s Green Star status is not new this month, but the May 14 profile brought renewed attention to how the restaurant presents that work to diners. MICHELIN’s restaurant listing says Kaya serves a multi-course tasting menu with a modern spin on Filipino dishes, using local seafood and Central Florida produce. The guide’s separate Green Star feature says chef and co-owner Lordfer Lalicon works with Everoak Farm and other local purveyors to reduce waste without compromising taste. (clickorlando.com) ### What exactly did MICHELIN recognize at Kaya? MICHELIN says the Green Star is awarded to restaurants “at the forefront of the industry in sustainability.” In Kaya’s case, the guide says the restaurant pairs Filipino cooking with local sourcing, waste reduction and community-centered practices in Orlando. (clickorlando.com) The restaurant’s MICHELIN listing quotes Lalicon saying that “90%” of Kaya’s produce comes from Central Florida farms. The same listing says the team works to divert waste from landfills and reuse trim and byproducts in both cooking and cocktails. ### How does Kaya describe its food? MICHELIN’s inspectors describe Kaya as a Filipino restaurant in a bungalow-style space in Mills 50, with an open kitchen and a tasting menu that changes often. (guide.michelin.com) The guide points to dishes such as kinilaw na isda and kare kare as examples of a menu that gives classic Filipino flavors a modern format. ClickOrlando’s May 14 profile described a meal that included braised oxtail kare kare, kinilaw, a Bahay Kubo salad and an adobo risotto. (guide.michelin.com) The story said the menu felt rooted in memory while using an elevated approach that did not erase familiar flavors. ### Who is behind the restaurant’s sustainability approach? Chef Lordfer Lalicon is the executive chef and co-owner, according to ClickOrlando and MICHELIN. (guide.michelin.com) MICHELIN’s October 2024 Green Star spotlight says Lalicon drew on nose-to-tail practices he associated with his ancestors and on training with Dan Barber of Blue Hill at Stone Barns. In that MICHELIN feature, Lalicon said sustainability at Kaya starts with people and culture, using the Filipino concept of kapwa to frame interconnection. (clickorlando.com) He said the restaurant tries to use scraps and trims at least one more time, including in vinegars and fish sauces, and grows ingredients such as calamansi, guava, figs, bananas and lemongrass on the property. ### Why does Mills 50 keep coming up in coverage of Kaya? Mills 50 is the neighborhood Kaya itself uses to describe its location, and both MICHELIN and ClickOrlando identify the restaurant with that district. Kaya’s website calls it a “Filipino neighborhood restaurant + bar” in Mills 50, while ClickOrlando’s profile framed the visit as part of reconnecting with Filipino food and community in Orlando. The restaurant’s own site says “kaya” means capable and links the concept to “kaya natin,” or “we can.” It says the business aims not only to cook Filipino food but also to “nourish a sense of community,” a theme that also appears in MICHELIN’s Green Star spotlight. (guide.michelin.com) ### What can diners expect next if they want to go? Kaya’s website says the restaurant continues to operate in Mills 50 and promotes Kapé Kaya, a daytime bakery concept featuring pastries by chef Clarice Lam on Saturdays from 9:30 a.m. to 12 p.m. (kayaorlando.com) The site also directs diners to its events calendar for scheduled programming including karaoke, mahjong and live music.