November 1, 2025 — Mention the word “barbecue” to any Philippine-born immigrant and images of succulent pieces of pork on skewers grilled on live charcoal shared among family and friends come to mind. It is this intimate memory of food being shared that author Maria Olaguer writes about in her new memoir How to Throw an Epic Filipino Barbecue.
“In this book, I invite readers on a culinary and personal journey that is more than just a collection of recipes,” says Olaguer. “It is a celebration of Filipino culture, community, and the simple joy of sharing good food.”
Montreal-based author Maria Olaguera with her book How to Throw an Epic Filipino Barbecue.
Olaguer was just out of high school when she moved to Canada with the rest of her family. Her maternal grandparents and aunts were already in Canada at that time, one of whom petitioned Olaguer’s family under the family reunification program. She shared with Canadian Filipino Net (CFNet) that her “dad was not so keen to leave the Philippines at first, but after he finally visited Vancouver, he agreed that emigrating would give us children so many more opportunities.”
Being the big sister of the family, Olaguer made food her “love language.” “I’m always the one most concerned about what we’re going to eat at family gatherings,” she told CFNet. Much of her love affair with food was influenced by her paternal grandmother who “made the best laing, stuffed crab and sotanghon” and the family helper Nana Ted who would let the young Olaguer chop vegetables, stuff and roll lumpia. “I baked my first cake under her supervision.”
Through How to Throw an Epic Filipino Barbecue, Olaguer hopes that her “personal anecdotes and reflections on family and tradition will resonate deeply with the experiences of other Filipinos, especially those in the diaspora who understand the unique role that food plays in connecting us to our heritage and to each other.” The food memoir is not just a collection of recipes developed through the years but stories of family and friends that weave the fabric of what it means to be Canadian Filipino.
On the topic of Filipino cuisine and its place on the global food scene, Olaguer argues that Filipino cuisine is now making its mark alongside other popular Asian cuisines. She tells CFNet that “while it might not have the same widespread recognition as Thai or Korean food just yet, its unique flavors and incredible diversity are definitely winning a lot of fans.”
She cites Filipino restaurants in the U.S. like Kasama in Chicago which is the first such restaurant to earn a Michelin star as proof of the Filipino food’s growing popularity. In Montreal, where the author is currently based, Junior Filipino restaurant has established itself in the Montreal food scene for over a decade. According to Olaguer, all these show that “Filipino cuisine is poised to become a major player in global food culture.”
How to Throw an Epic Filipino Barbecue is available on Amazon and Indigo-Chapters.
About the Author
Rachel-Reid Ramon started writing for magazines and newspapers when she was still a junior at the University of the Philippines’ Communication degree program majoring in Journalism. She continued to write in a public relations/corporate communications capacity in various private and government offices until moving out of the country in 1997 to work as Programme Officer for the arts and culture branch of the Southeast Asian Ministers of Education Organization (SEAMEO-SPAFA) in Bangkok, Thailand. At the end of her term, Rachel found herself immigrating to Canada in the year 2000 and again searching for new beginnings.
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