After months of canceled gatherings and postponed beach cleanups due to the Palisades fire, the Harvard-Westlake Ohana community finally came together for a long-overdue potluck—and it couldn’t have been more meaningful. Held at Kalika and Rodney Yap’s new temporary home in Studio City, this special event was filled with laughter, connection, and plenty of delicious food from many different cultures.

Families shared a variety of dishes, including adobo and pancit (Filipino classics featuring savory stewed chicken and flavorful stir-fried noodles), sushi, turon (crispy banana spring rolls), banana lumpia, Porto’s pastries, Jollibee (a beloved Filipino fast-food chain known for its Chickenjoy fried chicken and sweet-style spaghetti), homemade artisan salads, fruit tart, Ube cookies, and mini Bundt cakes. Every dish reflected the spirit of aloha and generosity, and it all went quickly—thanks to the amazing contributions from our Ohana families.

A highlight of the day was Rodney trying Jollibee for the very first time—though Christine Brown wasn’t convinced it was his first taste—ha ha! Either way, he’s officially a fan now.

We’re especially grateful for everyone who came together on short notice—we planned this potluck just three weeks ago—and it was heartwarming to reconnect after such a long break. Now that we’re closer to school, we’re looking forward to hosting more events and seeing even more of our Ohana.

To those who couldn’t make it this time, we missed you and can’t wait to see you at our next gathering. We promise to give you more of a heads-up next time—ha ha!

Mahalo nui loa to all who attended and contributed—you helped make this day truly special.

Photos from the event below capture the joy and warmth we shared together.