Immigrant Chef and West Coast Husband Bring Filipino and Hong Kong Fare to Huntsville Restaurant

Pacific Pearl Kitchen at Lowe Mill arts center serves up essential local cuisine.

Published on Feb. 23, 2026

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Mayleen and Michael Epperson, the owners of Pacific Pearl Kitchen in Huntsville, Alabama, have created a restaurant that blends Filipino and Hong Kong cuisines. Mayleen, an immigrant from the Philippines, brings her family's cooking traditions, while Michael, from the West Coast, contributes his love of Hong Kong fare. The restaurant started as a food truck in 2023 before opening a brick-and-mortar location at the Lowe Mill arts center in 2025. With the help of chef Nathaniel Spooner, Pacific Pearl Kitchen has become an essential local dining destination.

Why it matters

Pacific Pearl Kitchen represents the cultural diversity and culinary fusion that is shaping the food scene in Huntsville. By blending Filipino and Hong Kong influences, the restaurant offers a unique dining experience that celebrates the city's growing immigrant population and their contributions to the local community. The restaurant's success also highlights the importance of small businesses and food entrepreneurs in revitalizing urban areas like the Lowe Mill arts center.

The details

Mayleen Epperson, the co-owner and head chef of Pacific Pearl Kitchen, grew up in the Philippines, where she learned to cook from her mother and grandmother. She later worked as a private chef in Qatar before moving to the U.S. and meeting her husband, Michael, at a Jason's Deli in Huntsville. Michael, a design engineer, had a background in working at pizza and Chinese restaurants, and he became interested in Hong Kong cuisine through a previous marriage. The couple started Pacific Pearl as a food truck in 2023, gaining a following on Redstone Arsenal before opening the brick-and-mortar restaurant at Lowe Mill in 2025. They hired chef Nathaniel Spooner, a Grissom High School graduate taking culinary courses online, to help expand the menu and bring new Filipino and Hong Kong-inspired dishes to the restaurant.

  • Pacific Pearl Kitchen started as a food truck in the summer of 2023.
  • The restaurant opened its brick-and-mortar location at Lowe Mill in 2025.
  • A government shutdown in 2025 that impacted Redstone Arsenal led the Eppersons to accelerate the opening of their Lowe Mill restaurant.

The players

Mayleen Epperson

The co-owner and head chef of Pacific Pearl Kitchen, Mayleen grew up in the Philippines and learned to cook from her mother and grandmother before becoming a private chef in Qatar and moving to the U.S.

Michael Epperson

Mayleen's husband and the co-owner of Pacific Pearl Kitchen, Michael is from the West Coast and had previous experience working at pizza and Chinese restaurants, which sparked his interest in Hong Kong cuisine.

Nathaniel Spooner

A 25-year-old chef who previously worked at Das Stahl Bierhaus and has been taking culinary school courses online, Spooner was hired by the Eppersons to help expand the menu at Pacific Pearl Kitchen.

Marcia Freeland

The executive director of Lowe Mill, Freeland connected the Eppersons with the available kitchen space at the arts center that became the home of Pacific Pearl Kitchen's brick-and-mortar location.

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What they’re saying

“I think because in the old times, before Spain came to my country, Philippines and China were doing trade already, so the countries exchanged food and ingredients.”

— Mayleen Epperson, Co-owner and Head Chef, Pacific Pearl Kitchen (al.com)

“You'll find crossover dishes like lugaw and congee, which are basically the same thing. They're just rice porridges. There's also Philippine style shumai [Hong Kong style steamed dumplings]. So there a lot of things that are crossover, especially from Hong Kong, because that's like the southern end of China that's closer to Philippines.”

— Michael Epperson, Co-owner, Pacific Pearl Kitchen (al.com)

“School is all French cooking, and I come here and it's completely the opposite. It's exciting learning about different flavors and ways of thinking that many people don't get to see, especially here in the West.”

— Nathaniel Spooner, Chef, Pacific Pearl Kitchen (al.com)

What’s next

The Eppersons plan to continue expanding the menu at Pacific Pearl Kitchen, incorporating more traditional Filipino and Hong Kong dishes as they work to solidify the restaurant's reputation as a must-visit dining destination in Huntsville.

The takeaway

Pacific Pearl Kitchen's success demonstrates the power of cultural fusion and immigrant entrepreneurship to enrich a local community's food scene. By blending Filipino and Hong Kong influences, the restaurant has created a unique dining experience that celebrates diversity and showcases the culinary talents of its owners and staff.