Honolulu chef and Army veteran Rob Vasquez of Mama's Boy shared his lumpia recipe ahead of Filipino American History Month, a feel-good local story for food lovers and Hawaii's Filipino community.

• Lumpia is the Filipino version of the egg roll, filled with ground pork, shrimp, onions, garlic, celery, carrots, and cabbage, all finely diced.
• The technique: place filling just below center of the wrapper, roll it tight with no air pockets, fold the corners in at a right angle so nothing spills, then seal the edges with egg wash and fry.
• Restaurants often skip the hand-rolling to save on labor, blending raw filling in a food processor and piping it out in long tubes before cutting.
• Vasquez, the son of Filipino immigrants who never lived in the Philippines, says cooking is how he reconnects with his heritage.
• He also teaches lumpia, pasta, gnocchi, sushi, and bagel classes at Hana Kitchens, a Honolulu kitchen incubator for local food businesses.

Outlook: Expect more Filipino food and culture features across Hawaii as Filipino American History Month approaches in October.