When I interviewed Chef Juneil Cabreza in 2019 about his first Filipino culinary endeavor, the Bad English food truck, there was a quote that stuck with me:
"This isn’t about success or failure. It’s about fulfillment,” he said. “This is a really intimate way for me to share flavors that are comforting and familiar to me. I’m right here in front of you, cooking for you, hopefully making you happy."
Six years later, as I once again sat with Cabreza – this time inside Love Café at 3801 N. Oakland Ave. in Shorewood – I heard similar emotions bubbling up as he shared his personal impetus behind closing L’Incontro and the plans he has for moving forward.
From pasta to pancit
“When we started L’Incontro, I was really excited about the idea of using my creativity to infuse Asian flavors into Italian fare,” says Cabreza, “I loved telling the story and introducing people to the concepts, and I learned to love making pasta.”
But, he says, something clicked when he began hosting The Bad English Filipino pop-ups.
“The more I cooked and told the stories behind the food, the more my passion for Filipino fare and my desire to share it with the community grew. Milwaukee has an incredible Filipino population. But there isn’t a wide representation of its food. And the more I cooked those familiar dishes and watched people connecting to the culture, the more I knew it was time for me to move forward in my pursuit of making Filipino food.”
As he sat with his feelings, Cabreza says he realized that there was another path he needed to follow, and that now was the time to begin pursuing it.
“Ultimately, I decided to step away from the stress of ownership,” he says. “We were in a position where we could still end on a good note. The crew I worked with at L’Incontro was really amazing. And while the notice was short, I found work for a good number of people, and I have no doubt that every one of them will find something better. Moving forward, I’d also love to work with them again.”
For now, Cabreza says he’s moving on to a new position. But he’ll also be serving Filipino fare on Sundays from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. at Love Café in Shorewood, with the hope of expanding the food program as time progresses.
“I’m excited to move on and continue telling the story of Filipino culture,” he says. “It’s true to myself, and it’s something that I want to share on a deeper level.”
Finding home at Love Café
Cabreza met Kaleigh Atkinson years ago through an online dating app. At the time, she was operating a coffee cart at Zocalo Food Park and teaching and practicing yoga in Walker’s Point.
As they got to know one another, Atkinson shared that she had the desire to start her own cafe.
When the opportunity arose for her to open Love Café, a cafe and yoga studio on Oakland Avenue, Cabreza assisted her in designing the opening menu of pastries and food to serve at the cafe.
Last fall, Atkinson invited him to begin hosting Kamayan dinner pop-ups at the cafe. As the pop-ups grew more and more popular, they added Bad English Filipino brunch on Sundays.
“Filipino food has become part of the DNA here at the cafe,” says Cabreza, “So, for right now, I’ll be working full time and doing Bad English food here on Sundays.”
The menu, he says, will be simple. Brunch will showcase items like ube mochi pancakes; egg sandwiches featuring housemade brioche, longanisa patties, fluffy eggs, American cheese and hash browns; and a Filipino Breakfast with pork longanisa, java rice, cucumber salad, atchara (pickled green papaya, carrots, ginger, garlic) and fried egg.
Lunch and dinner will feature items like a Combo Plate with chicken adobo, pancit, java rice, lumpia Shanghai, cucumber salad and atchara.
“I know that there’s a way to make a living while also being creative and feeling fulfilled. So my goal is to feed my passion while doing what makes me happy.”
Get your Filipino fix
Mark your calendars. Bad English will be serving food at Love Café on Sundays from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. (brunch items will be available from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. with dinner from 4 to 8 p.m.)
Be sure to follow @BadEnglishMKE on Instagram for delicious news and updates.
As a passionate champion of the local dining scene, Lori has reimagined the restaurant critic's role into that of a trusted dining concierge, guiding food lovers to delightful culinary discoveries and memorable experiences.
Lori is an avid cook whose accrual of condiments and spices is rivaled only by her cookbook collection. Her passion for the culinary industry was birthed while balancing A&W root beer mugs as a teenage carhop, fed by insatiable curiosity and fueled by the people whose stories entwine with every dish. Lori is the author of two books: the "Wisconsin Field to Fork" cookbook and "Milwaukee Food". Her work has garnered journalism awards from entities including the Milwaukee Press Club. In 2024, Lori was honored with a "Top 20 Women in Hospitality to Watch" award by the Wisconsin Restaurant Association.
When she’s not eating, photographing food, writing or planning for TV and radio spots, you’ll find Lori seeking out adventures with her husband Paul, traveling, cooking, reading, learning, snuggling with her cats and looking for ways to make a difference.
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