As a young boy growing up in the rural farmlands of the Philippine province of Southern Leyte, my father spent countless hours in the kitchen with his mother and siblings while his father cut lumber to provide for their family. My father stayed at home learning many traditional Philippine cooking techniques while dreaming of building a better life and legacy for his family in the future.

In the 1980s, he met a charming and fiercely independent woman – Tita Jean, my beautiful mother – whom he married in civil court. Once married, he set off to his new Canadian home in Winnipeg as a sponsored spouse and newcomer.

Throughout his career, my father wore an impressive number of hats. He worked as a wholesale grocery store general manager, an assembly line worker, a machine operator, a healthcare aide and, most notably, a chef and baker. For many years, he dreamed of opening his own restaurant where he could share the delicious, aromatic and hearty foods from his home country. 

In 2021, my father’s dream came true when he opened a small restaurant in Parañaque City, Manila. Now, a year later, he is setting up shop closer to his Winnipeg home as the culinary curator behind the menu of Tito Boy Restaurant.