Tagalog for “by hand,” kamayan is the traditional Filipino way of eating without silverware. Credit: Jenna Rimensnyder

Earlier this week, adventurous foodies gathered outside of the Show + Tell space at Armature Works, anticipating what awaited beyond its doors. Local restaurateur and chef Noel Cruz, chef Ron Vicencio and their small team teased the attendees of chismis & co.'s second kamayan dinner, who watched them finish building a generous spread for the Filipino feast.

Two long community tables spanning from one end of the room to the other were covered with large banana leaves. Then chismis & co. began to curate the dining surfaces, adding everything from sauces to entrees up and down both, one element at a time. The expert assembly looked like an orchestra of hands, and hands, turns out, were key to this meal.

Once the tables were set, the crowd flooded in. Their eyes widened with sheer amazement, and they took photo after photo to commemorate the family-style dinner in front of them.

Tagalog for "by hand," kamayan is the traditional Filipino way of eating without silverware. Guests received a quick tutorial on how to "properly" enjoy the feast before digging in: When constructing a bite, pinch the food into a clump at your fingertips and use your thumb to push the food into your mouth.

Another pro-tip is to save your dominant hand for food intake, keeping the secondary one clean for your beer (genius!).

Attendees had an assortment of sauces to choose from during the meal — sweet and sour, garlic vinegar, shrimp paste and spicy vinegar. Cruz encouraged guests to sample each.

"During a kamayan feast, the chef is at the table," he said, "so tailor each bite how you like."

Whole crispy fried snapper was among the family-style dinner’s featured dishes. Credit: Jenna Rimensnyder

Severs quietly fluttered about, supplying guests with tropical calamansi cocktails and San Miguel, a Filipino lager that lowered inhibitions and enhanced flavors.

Early on, attendees took dainty bites — they were chowing down with their hands among strangers, after all — but it didn't take long for them to embrace the kamayan experience. At one point, Cruz looked to a group who had devoured their whole crispy fried snapper in record time.

"It's a marathon, not a race!" the chef shouted over the crowd's laughter.

The feast was a first for nearly every guest.

"Once you break the wall of getting messy, you start to get comfortable," said Alex Alicea, hastily peeling off the shell of a big langoustine braised in tamarind and aromatics.

Alex and his wife, Tommie, were invited by friends who suggested that they attend the dinner, as Tommie is half Filipino. Thinking back on her childhood, Tommie remembers her mother eating with her hands.

"But she wouldn't let the kids do it," Tommie said, "out of fear we'd get too messy."

Throughout the meal, the couple discussed the classic preparation of the featured dishes, alongside the updated twists and techniques executed by chismis & co. The no-utensils menu included lumpia (pork egg rolls perfect for dunking in the sweet and sour sauce), duck egg salad, adobo long beans, crispy pata (fried pork) and chicken inasal (grilled chicken marinated in vinegar, garlic and lemongrass and finished with an annatto glaze) — all of which are available on the Heights Public Market vendor's regular menu.

chismis & co. plans to host pop-up kamayan feasts on a monthly basis, fostering a sense of community while introducing more Bay area residents to its tribute to Filipino culture.