Ange Branca, Global Tastes 2026 Margaret Harris Award Honoree

When Ange Branca arrived in Philadelphia, she was shocked. The city she discovered was far different than the picture of America developed during her life in Malaysia. As an executive with Deloitte, Fujitsu, and IBM – she was among the youngest female, Southeast Asian partners in IBM's history – Ange traveled a lot. Little of what she saw looked like the movie version of America. But, whenever she would come back to Philadelphia, she always knew, “this is where I want to live.”

Always a foodie, Ange began to explore the city through cuisine. She says, “this city has so much diversity, and it’s been here so long that it’s layered. People hold on to certain things and let go of others.” She also loves the volume of hole-in-the-wall spots in Philly, something she considers unique to the city.

“My partner sometimes thought I was just walking into someone’s house.”

Eventually, Ange’s love of food led to a career transition. “When I left the corporate world, I decided I wanted to spend time in the food world. That’s what I was passionate about. I may not be able to speak the language of every culture, but I can learn it through food.”

Due to her corporate job, Ange’s transition to America was relatively seamless. The immigration process was managed for her - far different from the experience of many she knows now. For 16 years, she felt welcomed – like the diversity she brought to this country was a strength. However, the 2016 opening of her first restaurant, Saté Kampar, coincided with a steep rise in Islamophobia, including vandalism of other South Philly restaurants. Malaysia is a Muslim country, but Ange worried about the sign in their front window, noting the food was Halal and that, “we serve our Muslim neighbors.”

While the restaurant experienced early and significant success, she wanted to do more. In response to the fear and xenophobia she was witnessing, Ange launched Muhibbah Dinners, a format in which small groups could have great meals celebrating diverse cultures. She would feature a number of chefs and ask them to tell the story of the food they created, creating an opportunity for learning and the celebration of the culinary scene’s diversity. Each event raised money for a local organization serving immigrants.

Ange and her team might not always feel safe protesting in the streets. But this – true hospitality in service of cultural food exchange – they could do.

And they didn’t stop there. In her decade of leadership in Philadelphia’s food scene, Ange has experienced a number of challenges. An increase in occupancy costs led to the closure of her first restaurant. COVID led to a pivot to a food delivery service, Kampar Kitchen, that gave a platform for emerging, immigrant chefs. And, most recently, a fire at Kampar, her current venture. None of these challenges has caused Ange and her team to stop serving the community however they can.

Ange’s passion is cultural exchange through food, and you can see her fingerprints all over our city. While she came to a city that offered Asian food, restaurants now celebrate their specific cultures and stories. The recent Philly Mag listing of the city’s 50 best restaurants exhibited true cultural diversity: Thai, Cambodian, Japanese, Filipino, Chinese, Indonesian, Tibetan, Vietnamese, and Georgian – and those are just the ones rooted in Asian culture!

Each of these cultures is different. You don’t need to understand those differences when you walk into a restaurant, but Ange wants restauranteurs to feel that telling their stories and teaching their culture is part of the food experience. It’s what Ange has spent the past decade encouraging so many to do.

While she has endured a lot during her time in the food business, Ange continues to give back, shining a light on immigrant chefs across our city. When asked why, she credits her grandmother always telling her that a rising tide lifts all boats.  

There is no doubt that she is bringing the spirit of that quote to life each day.

In addition to all she does for our city, Ange has been a particular source of support for NSC, including the role she has long played in recruiting restaurant partners for Global Tastes. She’s the reason why a couple of PhillyMag’s 50 best restaurants will be with us on May 7th. We are grateful to Ange, her team, and the community they are helping to create.

We are proud to honor Ange Branca with the 2026 Margaret Harris Award. Our city is so much better because of her presence in it.

The Margaret Harris Award is named for one of NSC’s longest-serving volunteers and supporters. In honor of her service to our organization, we present the award to a person or organization who has gone above and beyond to help NSC serve our clients through significant technical expertise, resources, and other supports. It will be presented at Global Tastes on May 7th at the University City Science Center. Join us to honor Ange, celebrate the contributions of immigrants and immigrant cultures, and raise funds for NSC’s vital support services.