Small Town Big Business podcast with guest co-hosts Alison Hasler and Russell Williams interviews Aicy Munsell, owner of M.A's Filipino Cuisine in Marion, Illinois. Icy shares how she moved from the Philippines at 21, started the business as a food truck during COVID in 2020 because Filipino food was missing locally, and later opened a restaurant now in its fifth year. She explains Filipino cuisine as a unique blend of influences (including Chinese and Spanish), notes it’s generally not spicy, and highlights popular items like lumpia, chicken adobo, and a top-selling spicy pork belly adobo. The discussion covers sampling to help new customers, made-in-house items sold in a small grocery cooler area, catering options up to 250 people, marketing via Facebook, Google and reviews, and the challenges of getting customers in the door while relying on family and a chef for support.