First Filipino Restaurant Month Launches in April 2022

First Filipino Restaurant Month Launches in April 2022

The restaurateurs with Consul General Castro (5th from left) and Consul Mary Grace Villamayor

By Michelle Chermaine Ramos

The Philippine Reporter

Filipino food has been gaining a growing presence in the Canadian culinary landscape with the emergence of more Filipino restaurants, Instagram pastry artists, pandemic-born home-baked goods businesses, and a young generation of chefs serving up fusion cuisine. Canada will experience its first Filipino Restaurant Month from April 1-30, 2022.

Mike Cruz of MB the Place to Be

The Philippine Department of Tourism (PDOT), Philippine Embassy in Ottawa and Philippine Consulates General in Toronto, Calgary and Vancouver held a hybrid virtual launch and in-person press conference with select media at their locations on March 21, 2022. Local restaurateurs were given the opportunity to introduce themselves to the media to give them a preview and taste of their upcoming prix-fixe offerings for April. The Consulate General in Toronto presented the following participating Ontario-based Filipino restaurants at the PCG office.

Toronto: Islas Filipino BBQ and Bar, Kanto by Tita Flips, and Lechon Republik.

Etobicoke: B’s Sizzling Kitchen

North York: CASA Manila, Republika RestoBar and Grill, MB the Place to Be, and Wilson’s Haus of Lechon

Scarborough: FV Foods and Wilson’s Haus of Lechon

Marc Buenaventura of Islas Filipino BBQ & Bar and Mel Galeon of FV Foods

Also participating in Ontario is Tamis Café, located in Ottawa and supported by the embassy. Foodtrip Kitchen, which is also under the Toronto PCG’s jurisdiction in Winnipeg, participated virtually. Toronto Consul General Orontes V. Castro shared his thoughts on their long-term vision of Philippine cuisine diplomacy in our interview.

THE PHILIPPINE REPORTER: Filipino food is becoming more popular internationally and I heard from the community in Vancouver that there are many talented Filipino chefs emerging. What prompted you to launch this event now?

CONSUL GENERAL CASTRO: This is a common cultural project of Philippine posts in Canada, meaning the Philippine Embassy and the three Philippine Consulates General. In charge this year is the Philippine Consulate General in Calgary, so sila in charge ngayon together in partnership with the Philippine Department of Tourism based in San Francisco. So kanina, the labour attache was there and nag open kami nang opening remarks and of course, kami rin, the Philippine ambassador to Ottawa spoke and together with us now, the Philippine consuls general in Vancouver and Toronto.

B’s Sizzling Kitchen

So, this one is timely because number one, April is the Philippine cuisine month in our country. So tamang-tama we are promoting Philippine cuisine and internationally, part of our diplomacy, they sort of call it Philippine cuisine diplomacy. We are introducing to those who have not yet tasted Philippine food and drinks, not only food, but drinks, because Filipinos are known to also to have different types of drinks, from the north to the south. So, we are trying to introduce them to those who have not known yet about the Philippines. Because knowing a culture is sometimes very easy if you taste the food. You will know for instance, where it came from. Like in our case, we have different regions. Alam natin when we taste the food with coconut milk, alam natin it’s from the Bicol region. But if you taste anchovies, it came from the north. Pinakbet, no? So ganoon. Pinapaalam natin. Also, we want to internationalize our Philippine cuisine. When our Philippine cuisine will become known, it also includes the mentality of our culture kasi people will become, of course, mag iistart yan sa knowing and becoming curious about Philippine foods. Then later, they will be encouraged to go to our country na to know what is in the Philippines, what the Philippines can offer which we have so many different tourism spots, different places to go. And, of course, number one, the friendly Filipino people.

Nancy Del Napoles of B’s Sizzling Kitchen

We are reopening and this is timely, as I said earlier. The largest food fest in Canada is in Toronto city. That’s why we don’t want to be left behind. We want to be part of this common cultural calendar because we have so many Filipino-owned businesses, restaurants, most of them in the Greater Toronto Area, in the Bathurst area, in Mississauga, also in Scarborough, and in other places. In fact, one of the participating restaurants from our jurisdiction is from Etobicoke and as far as Winnipeg. We have a participating restaurant from Winnipeg, Manitoba, also under our jurisdiction. So, it’s reopening. It’s only timely that we have this Filipino restaurant month.

Jaeybee Martinito of Wilson’s Haus of Lechon

TPR: How did you select which restaurants to showcase for this event?

CGC: We did not choose. We sent the invitation to everyone, but some said they don’t have the facilities and some, they cannot reopen yet. So, they have different reasons. But this is not the last of it. In our area of jurisdiction, marami tayong Filipino restaurants and we want to help them. And we think those who don’t have the facilities, that they only offer yun tinatawag, you know, by order lang, will have them. Our consulate will provide them platforms needed for them to be known. Ang gusto namin is for them to be known not only to our community, but to the mainstream Canadians and other ethnicities, because this generation, young generations now, not only Filipino-Canadians, but the young generations now, they’re very experimenting. They want to know cultures of other countries. They sort of want to taste other cultures, so this is one way that we want the Philippines to be known to others, most especially to mainstream Canadians, and I think mga kababayan, young generations of Filipino Canadians. So, we will continue this and yun mga kababayan na hindi nag participate ngayon we’ll think on how we can help them. That’s our job. To help our kababayan who have businesses here to flourish, to be known, kasi part of our trade and investment promotion.

Claire Dumaliang of Lechon Republik