Food Roots airs Thursday, May 14 at 9 PM

For the traveler who believes the truest map is drawn by taste, Food Roots offers an expedition unlike any other. Emmy Award-winning restaurateur Billy Dec embarks on a visceral journey across his mother’s native Philippines—all 7,641 islands—by plane, boat, jeepney, motorcycle, and foot. From bustling cities to mountain peaks above the clouds, he searches for his last living elders, hoping to learn the recipes of his ancestors.

What unfolds is a narrative of uncovered family secrets and cultural treasures. In one indelible moment, Dec meets a 108-year-old tribal tattoo master, who bestows a traditional hand-tapped tattoo—a permanent symbol of ancestral connection and continuity across generations. Through moments of joy, loss, and profound revelation, Food Roots transcends the cooking genre. 

This is not merely a cooking show. It is a deeply human story of joy, loss, and revelation, examining how food carries memory, preserves culture, and connects generations across the archipelago. As Dec notes, his hope is to inspire viewers of all backgrounds to seek out and explore the lessons of their own ancestors, heritage, and traditions; whether through food or whatever resonates and creates connections.