Leah Eveleigh knew it was time to pursue a career in food when she would bring lumpia, the Filipino egg roll, to potlucks and friends would clamor for her to bring them again — and again — using any party as an excuse for her to bring food. ''They'd say: 'We're having a Christmas party. Can you bring lumpias?' ''

Eveleigh was thrilled to be asked. Her enthusiasm is boundless.

''I love people,'' she says, and her food, in a word, is delicious.

On this particular day, she serves the lumpia, for which she makes her own skins, along with fried rice, chicken skewers and leche flan. All this is washed down with a drink/dessert called halo-halo, a mix of candied fruit or vegetables served over ice, with evaporated milk poured over the top and — if you're feeling really decadent — ice cream.

The fruits are an interesting, albeit strange, mixture of caramelized yam and canned jackfruit.

A Filipino native, Eveleigh has started a Filipino-American catering company, Tropical Grill (720-339-5252), and will showcase her food at the Colorado Dragon Boat Festival on Aug. 17. The catering is the first step, she says, before she goes full-tilt into opening a restaurant if she can find an investor. The need is there, she says.

''There are over 10,000 Filipinos in Colorado,'' she says, ''and they're looking for a restaurant.''

Nora Mercado, managing editor of the Denver-based Asian Pacific American Times, says Eveleigh's timing couldn't be better.

''People have been asking for a Filipino restaurant,'' Mercado says. ''We miss home, and at the same time there are many Americans and other Asians who have tasted Filipino food and who have been asking, 'Where can I get a taste of lumpia and chicken and pork adobo and other delicious recipes?' ''

A former banker, Eveleigh, 39, was a latecomer to cooking. She grew up in a little town called San Roque, in the provinces of the Philippines, the youngest of six children.

Her father was a secretary at the mayor's office, her mother a dressmaker.

Her childhood memories are happy ones: the neighbor who had a dozen children and was always cooking as kids ran in and out of the house, fiesta time when people from all over the provinces would turn out to sample food and to party for a week. Entertaining was part of the casual Filipino lifestyle.

''If you had company, you would have two tables of food,'' she says. ''You'd have a whole pig and people would come in and out all day. Everybody takes food home. If you'd hear of a party in the neighborhood, you'd go — not like here, with the 'RSVP only.' ''

Despite the current political unrest in the country, Eveleigh, who still has sisters there, says she suspects life in the provinces is the same as it always was. On a trip home in 1993, she found the slow pace refreshing and is looking forward to the time when she can return for a visit.

''It's a simple life,'' she says. ''The doors and windows are open; if your cousin comes, he walks through the house and helps himself to the food.''

Eveleigh ended up in the United States after marrying a man stationed at Clark Air Base in the Philippines and eventually moving with him to Homestead, Fla., where they had two children. Alex is now 19 and Vanessa is 18. Widowed at a young age, she eventually remarried.

Her husband, Dixon, was a member of the Air Force Thunderbirds; they moved to Denver when he hooked up with Federal Express three years ago. The couple have two children, Kenneth, 4 and Matthew, 2.

Along the way, Eveleigh realized that she didn't know how to cook but that she wanted to learn. As she began to think about the foods of home, memories came flooding back.

''I started remembering how I helped my mother and what was in the food, and I started asking my sisters how they would make this,'' she says. Motivated — and far from home — she taught herself to cook. ''I'd read Chinese cookbooks and tweak the recipes.''

Filipino cuisine borrows heavily not only from Chinese but from Spanish, Malaysian, Indian, Thai and even American food, with dishes such as paella, menudo and egg rolls. One of the country's most famous dishes is chicken adobo, chicken with soy, vinegar and spices.

The Philippines basically has two seasons, she says: ''hot and rainy.'' As a result, it has a bounty of tropical fruits and vegetables, such as mangoes, avocados and jackfruit, which is described in books as ''bland and sweet'' but which is described by Eveleigh as ''delicious.'' It's only available canned in this country.

Other key Filipino ingredients: soy sauce, vinegar, coconut milk, fish sauce, garlic, onions and Thai chiles — the very hot chiles that are often bottled with vinegar to spice up a dish. Spices include ginger, bay leaves, fennel seeds and annatto or achiote, the seed of a tropical evergreen tree.

''I have a passion for food,'' Eveleigh says. ''A long time ago, my friends said, 'You need to share your food.' Now I need to put it in action and share it with everybody.' ''

INFOBOX (1)

Colorado Dragon Boat Festival 2003

48 teams racing in dragon boats, an Asian marketplace and entertainment

When: 9 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. Aug. 17 (races begin 9 a.m., marketplace opens 10 a.m., entertainment begins 10:30 a.m., opening ceremony at noon)

Where: Sloans Lake Park, West 25th Avenue and Sheridan Boulevard

Cost: free admission; free parking at Invesco Field (with free shuttle buses)

Information: 303-722-6852 or www.coloradodragonboat.org

INFOBOX (2)

BBQ Pork or Chicken on Skewers

Serves 8 to 10

2 pounds pork tenderloin, cut into pieces 2 inches long and 1/4-inch thick, or chicken, cut into pieces

1 can pineapple chunks

Marinade:

1/2 cup olive oil

4 cloves garlic, minced

3 tablespoons fresh ginger, finely chopped

1/2 cup soy sauce

1/4 cup Worcestershire sauce

1/2 cup banana sauce (sold in oriental store)

1/4 cup brown sugar

1/3 cup fresh lemon juice

1/2 teaspoon black pepper

In a large mixing bowl, whisk together all marinade ingredients until blended.

Marinate the pork or chicken for 2 to 3 hours or overnight in the refrigerator.

Thread the pineapple chunks alternately with the pork or chicken onto skewers.

Heat the grill.

Grill the pork or chicken on skewers, turning 2 or 3 times and brushing with marinade mixture, until meat is tender and cooked through, 8 to 10 minutes.

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Leche Flan — Creme Caramel

Serves 10

Custard:

1 (14-ounce) can sweetened condensed milk

2 (12-ounce) cans evaporated milk

1/4 cup heavy cream

12 egg yolks

1 vanilla bean or 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

In a large bowl, combine condensed milk, evaporated milk, heavy cream, egg yolks and vanilla extract. (If using a bean, cut in half and scrape seeds into mixture.) Stir until mixture is smooth. Pour custard mix slowly into caramel-lined flan mold or custard cups.

Preheat oven to 325 degrees.

Cover mold with aluminum foil. Place mold in a bigger tray filled with hot water. Bake for 50 to 60 minutes or until mixture is firm. Refrigerate overnight.

Unmold, run a sharp knife around the edge of the custard. Put a serving dish over the mold and quickly invert.

Caramel

1 1/4 cups brown sugar

1/4 cup water

In a saucepan, combine sugar and water to a boiling point, stirring constantly.

Reduce heat to medium until sugar is caramelized. (Be careful not to burn.)

Pour caramelized sugar into mold. Swirl the caramel around the sides of the mold.

INFOBOX (4)

Fresh Lumpia (Fresh Egg Roll)

Serves 4 to 6

1/2 pound shrimp

1/2 pound chicken

1 small can bamboo shoots

3 cloves garlic, crushed

1 medium onion, diced

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

3 whole green onions, chopped

1/4 cup shredded carrots (about half a carrot)

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon freshly ground pepper

1/4 teaspoon garlic salt

12 to 15 Romaine lettuce leaves

Fresh lumpia wrappers, recipe to follow

Devein shrimp and cut into small pieces. Cut chicken into small pieces and cut bamboo shoots into long strips.

In a skillet, saute the garlic and onions in the oil. Add the chicken and shrimp, cook for about 10 minutes, then add the bamboo shoots, green onions, shredded carrots, salt, pepper and garlic salt to taste. Cook for 5 to 7 minutes more. Chicken should be cooked through.

To assemble: On a plate, place a lettuce leaf at the center of a lumpia wrapper. On top, place about 2 tablespoons of filling, and roll wrapper.

Seal the edge with a few drops of water and place edge down. Serve with lumpia sauce (see recipe).

Note: If you prefer to use prepackaged egg-roll skins, you can fill the skins, seal and pan-fry.

Lumpia sauce

3 tablespoons cornstarch

1/3 cup brown sugar

1 1/2 cups water

1/4 cup vinegar

1/4 cup soy sauce

In a saucepan, combine cornstarch, brown sugar, soy sauce, water and vinegar.

Cook 5 to 7 minutes over medium heat, stirring constantly with a whisk until the sauce has the consistency of gravy.

Fresh lumpia wrapper

Makes 12

1/4 cup flour

1/2 cup cornstarch

2 eggs

1 cup water

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 tablespoon vegetable oil

In a bowl, separate egg yolks from whites. Beat the egg whites until fluffy. Add in the egg yolks, water, cornstarch, flour, salt and vegetable oil. Mix until smooth.

Lightly grease a nonstick pan and heat over medium heat. Pour 3 tablespoons of the mixture into the pan.

When dough starts to peel away from the pan, lift wrapper out carefully.

INFOBOX (5)

Fried Rice

Serves 8

2 tablespoons finely minced garlic

1/4 cup chopped onion

3 tablespoons vegetable oil

5 cups cooked rice

1/4 cup frozen peas and carrots

1/2 cup chopped chicken

4 tablespoons soy sauce

1/2 teaspoon black pepper

1/2 teaspoon garlic salt

2 eggs scrambled

1/4 cup scallions

In a frying pan, fry garlic and onion in oil.

Add chicken, cook for 5 to 7 minutes. Add rice, peas, carrots, soy sauce, pepper, garlic salt and scrambled eggs.

Continue frying and stirring occasionally for 5 minutes, to blend all ingredients.

When done, garnish with scallions.

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