Photos and reporting by Joss Higgins.
Aren Rey Normal and Therese Normal have been building up Malaya Eats here in Reno since 2023, first as a pop-up tent at the Riverside Farmer’s Market, then as a food truck and now settling into a physical space on Wells Ave. as a restaurant.
The couple met where they grew up in Cavite, in the Philippines, on the southern shore of Manila Bay.
“You know pretty much everyone. It’s a small town, but now it’s different I heard, because I haven’t been back for ten years,” Therese said. “We grew up together. So, there’s one church. Everyone goes to this church. Everyone goes to that school.”
Therese moved to the U.S. when she was 21 thanks to family connections in the United States, including their military service. Her grandfathers and uncles had previously been recruited into the U.S. Navy during the 1970s. A lot of Filipinos were recruited at the time and brought to California under the Philippines Enlistment Program (PEP). After her family brought her here, Aren followed soon after.
The couple first went to Anaheim. Aren then relocated to Reno in 2015 when he joined the Army, stationed in Herlong, California for a three-year contract.
“And then we loved it here,” Therese said. And so they stayed.
When Malaya Eats started, the couple didn’t have a precise plan in mind. They dove in head-first, hoping to widen the growing Filipino culinary footprint in Reno. Aren always wanted to have his own business, but Therese was skeptical at first.
“I’m opportunistic and radical,” Aren said. “She became supportive. She was not before.”
The hustle was on, and the community’s response was overwhelmingly positive.
“As I always said, what drove us here is our good intention,” Aren said. “There’s a lot of people that will take advantage of you, especially on the business side. We just kept our mission and our vision, to share our culture through food, good vibes, and good intention.”
Malaya Eats is set to have its very own soon-to-be restaurant location on 805 S Wells Avenue, where Von Bismarck used to operate from, a big change from the food truck they’ve been doing business from themselves. They are hard at work preparing for the opening in the early months of next year, going through inspections, repairs, and many, many documents.
While the opening awaits, Aren is working at a home health and hospice agency as well. With both pursuits, his schedule and his brain are jam-packed. There is no time to take a breath.
“We take pride in our actions, in how we interact with people,” Aren said. “We’re very particular. We don’t want to have a bad rap, of course, with our culture. I’m very proud to be Filipino.”
“What a blessing, right? For you to be able to have this business as a source of income for our family and for their families too,” Therese said, tearing up of being able to employ others now. “Never thought of it, that it would happen.”
They take pride in the incredible work ethic and diversity of their team, full of different ethnicities and cultural backgrounds.
“We want diversity,” Therese said. “We want everyone, so that everyone sees that everyone’s welcome here, not just Filipinos, not a specific race or ethnicity.”
With the new location in the works, Therese has plans to bring in some aspects of her culture from Cavite, while also supporting local artists. She’s been inspired by the inclusive nature of the Farmer’s Market, where small businesses can set up shop and get their names out there.
“It’s going to be a part of the mission, connecting this place to home, to where we grew up,” Therese said.
This December, Aren and Therese are going back to Cavite before the new restaurant takes off, this time to show their kids what the Philippines is like and to see Aren’s family.
Therese also wants to bring a piece of their hometown back to Reno.
“Part of why I’m going home is I want to bring back items from the Philippines, native items,” Therese said.
She wants to get into contact with some talented craft makers so she can showcase them here, at their new location—native baskets, clothing, and other hand-made items. They are working with a local ad firm whose lead artist is from the Philippines, and they plan to work together to display these pieces in the restaurant.
“When people walk in, they’re going to feel like this is a Filipino restaurant,” she said.
Filipinos will be able to connect with these displays and feel welcomed and appreciated in this way, while people of other cultures can get a taste of something new, something they might otherwise never know about.
“People are so open to knowing other cultures now,” Therese said. “It’s amazing how food can give you that—a sense of what the culture is about.”
Feel free to share this story on social media below:
