If your love language is kain na (let’s eat), Pinay writer Maria Olaguera wrote an epic book about…well, “How to Throw an Epic Filipino Barbecue”.
Her debut book started as a homesick blogger’s project—collecting family stories and recipes when her siblings moved out and Sunday dinners weren’t the same.
“I had a blog in my late 20’s, because by this time my siblings and my parents were no longer living in the same house.
“I missed them and our dinners together. So it became a way for me to tell stories, share recipes, and reach people who were far away,” Olaguera said in an online interview.
Years later, she stitched those posts into a cohesive “food memoir” to preserve family history for her nephew (and all the nieces/nephews to come).
It’s part recipe book, part love letter to Filipino gatherings—messy, joyful, and always centred on the table.
Where to get it
The book is self-published (we love an independent queen!) and easy to grab: print copies on Amazon (about $19.99), plus Kindle.
Prefer e-books? It’s also on Kobo, Apple Books, and Google Books.
If you’re in Montreal, check select indie bookstores such as Librarie Phoenix—she’s been placing copies locally for the holidays.
Perfect pasalubong or stocking stuffer for the pinsan (cousin) who suddenly became the family grill master.
What’s inside
Think of it as your tita–approved playbook for hosting: how to prep, season, and serve, with the side dish we all crave—stories.
Olaguera calls it a food memoir with 24 recipes that mix Filipino classics (yes, Filipino spaghetti makes an appearance) with North American and even Italian touches.
Her personal fave? Chicken with beer—an appetizer simmered down until the alcohol cooks off and the flavour clings to the meat.
“Some are recipes passed down through the family. Others are adapted recipes,” Olaguera said.
The chapters are anchored by moments from Olaguera’s life—moving to Canada in 1992 through family reunification, starting over in new cities, and carving out identity in the diaspora.
The opening story (once published in The Globe and Mail) is a hilarious tribute to her mom—equal parts lambing (to show affection) and truth-telling.
“I wrote it for my mom and when I showed it to her, she laughed her head off.”
Why she wrote it (and why it matters)
Olaguera, now a content manager with a publishing background from Langara College, didn’t want her family’s stories to fade.
She wanted the next generation to know their lolos and lolas (grandmas and grandpas) even if only through the recipes they loved and the rituals that kept everyone close.
“We all have all our different challenges that we go through, especially with the immigrant experience.
There’s a whole lot of challenges there, but writing your story down and sharing it can be a very healing process, not just for yourself, but also for other people,” she said.
By blending memoir and menu, she captures that Filipino superpower: turning migration and memory into food you can pass around.
Bring the grill; Olaguera brings the stories.
