Clyde Common

Carlo Lamagna is Chef of the Twisted Filipino Dinner Series and forthcoming Magna where he creates re-imagined dishes of traditional Filipino food. Lamagna was born in the Philippines, and lived in Canada and Michigan until he was a teenager when he returned to the Philippines. Starting out as a psychology major in college, it wasn’t long until he discovered his passion for cooking and moved back to Michigan at 20 to begin his culinary career.

Lamagna cooked at several restaurants in Detroit before attending culinary school at the Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park, New York. After graduating, he moved to Chicago and worked with Bruce Sherman at North Pond where he learned the importance of seasonality and supporting local farmers and purveyors. From here, Lamagna went to Europe, traveling to Germany, France and Spain to gather more culinary perspective. From the anchovy and Serrano ham pinxtos in San Sebastian, to a classic duck casserole in Lyon, France, to liver cheese and bologna in a bread pan with mustard and rustic bread in the Black Forest in Germany, each destination has helped shape his cooking style today. Returning to Chicago, Lamagna started working with Paul Virant, whose vast knowledge of preserving and pickling opened Lamagna’s eyes to a different way of cooking. 

Carlo moved to Portland in 2014 and took over as Executive Chef at Clyde Common.  There he received many accolades and recognition for his imaginative menu and take on foreign and domestic cuisine.

At the core of Lamagna’s cooking is his family and his Filipino heritage, both of which played significant roles in his career. The food he ate while growing up, from his mom’s potatoes and beef on rice, his brother’s chili, his dad’s pork adobo, and his sister’s baking, all hold a special place in his heart and have been large influences in his cooking today.  

Now, Carlo focuses on brining Filipino food to the forefront of today's culinary scene with his Twisted Filipino series and is working towards opening his Filipino focused restaurant, Magna.