“Every plate has a heart” — Rex Alba brings Filipino flavors to Season 4 of The Great American Recipe
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Rex Alba from The Great American Recipe (Image via Instagram @rexalba77)The Great American Recipe returned to PBS with season 4 on July 11, 2025, featuring eight home cooks from across the country, including Rex Alba from Columbus, Ohio. In an exclusive interview with The Columbus Dispatch, Alba spoke about his journey from being on American Ninja Warrior to now sharing Filipino food on national television.
The PBS show, which highlights culture and personal stories through cooking, airs every Friday at 9 pm on WOSU-TV until August 15. Contestants are asked to cook meals that reflect their family history and where they come from. Alba, who grew up in Tagbilaran in the Philippines, said he used the show to share the richness of Filipino food.
“Having 7,461 islands in the Philippines, we make each dish unique from region to region,” he said. “Every plate has a heart, every bite has a soul and every moment you share a Filipino dish is worth savoring,” he shared.
While Alba can't disclose the competition results yet, he was glad to use the opportunity to represent his heritage. He explained, like other contestants from California, Colorado, Louisiana, Montana, New York, North Carolina, and Washington, he brings his personal and cultural background to every dish he presents in The Great American Recipe.
Alba shares his Filipino roots through food on The Great American Recipe
Rex Alba joined The Great American Recipe with a simple mission — to share the flavours of his homeland with as many people as possible. The home cook from Columbus, Ohio, who immigrated from the Philippines in 2005, explained that Filipino cuisine represents a sense of local identity, with both indigenous and cultural connections.
“Each dish has its own story. It’s more than food — it’s memory, history, and community,” Alba shared.
On The Great American Recipe, contestants cook dishes that reflect their personal stories. Alba chose recipes from his Visayan roots. He didn’t say which ones appeared, but mentioned adobo, bulalo, pancit, and lumpia.
He said cooking under pressure was very different from American Ninja Warrior. While that show was physically hard, this one challenged him to share his culture through food in a short time.
“You have all these ideas, and then they say you have to cook it in an hour,” he explained.
At home in Columbus, Alba often cooks like he does on the show — many dishes cooking at once, neatly plated food, and talks about culture and family around the table.
He is president of the Philippine American Society of Central Ohio and shares Filipino recipes on his YouTube channel, Bisdak Chef. Alba said he was glad that other contestants and judges on the show were familiar with Filipino ingredients and enjoyed them.
“That’s the sad part. After you cook, you don’t have time to eat,” he said.
Still, he said the experience helped him bring Filipino culture into kitchens across America, one plate at a time.
Columbus community celebrates Alba’s journey on The Great American Recipe
Ahead of the July 11 premiere of The Great American Recipe, Rex Alba planned a watch party in Columbus, where he wanted to serve lechon, a whole roasted pig often made for celebrations in the Philippines. Alba frequently does community events and pop-ups, with food from his Filipino heritage. He had a restaurant and prepared many meals for his father and siblings back in the Philippines after his mother passed away.
Here in Columbus, he cooked adobo, pancit, and lumpia at home and shared these dishes on his YouTube channel, Bisdak Chef. Restaurants like Bonifacio and Laguna Bay Bistro have also made it possible for more people in the city to become familiar with Filipino food. Alba stated that he was glad that other contestants and judges on the show knew about Filipino ingredients and flavors.
Stay tuned for more updates.
TOPICS: The Great American Recipe, PBS, Rex Alba, Reality TV