Daly City, California (The Adobo Chronicles) – Filipino restaurants in the U.S. and Canada are experiencing a rare phenomenon never before seen since the introduction of Philippine cuisine to the Western world.

From 5-star restaurants in New York, Chicago and California to fast food stalls in American malls across the country, Filipino restaurant owners have reported an unusually high demand in just the last week of two items on their menu: lumpia and adobo. Many of them have run out of the food items despite conscious efforts to double their daily preparation and cooking.

This sudden surge in the demand for lumpia and adobo came soon after U.S. President Barack Obama delivered his speech at a state dinner in the Philippines last week .  Obama was in Manila on the last leg of his tour of Asian nations.  During that speech, Obama lauded Cris Comerford, a Filipino who has been working at the White House since 1995.

“There’s our shared pride in the millions of Filipino Americans who contribute to our nation every single day,” said Obama. “There’s one in particular I’m grateful for — Cris Comerford, our executive chef at the White House,” he added. Obama then proceeded to say that he and his family in the White House “enjoy the occasional lumpia and adobo.”

Comerford is the first woman and first person from an ethnic minority to become a White House executive chef.

It looks like the prediction of Andrew Zimmern, host of “Bizarre Foods” on the Travel Channel is finally coming to fruition.  Sometime last year, Zimmern said that Filipino food “is going to be the next big thing.”

When asked by reporters if The Adobo Chronicles is on the list of what he reads on a regular basis, Obama simply winked his eye and said, “No comment.”