Calgary, 4 April 2023 – The month-long event to celebrate, promote, and mainstream the Filipino cuisine in Canada has officially started.

In a luncheon event organized by the Philippine Consulate General (PCG) in Calgary at Chopstix Filipino Restaurant on 1 April 2023, about 80 members of the Filipino community gathered to mark the start of the 2nd Filipino Restaurant Month in Canada (FRMC).

In welcoming the guests, Consul General Zaldy Patron explained the background and objectives of the 2nd FRMC, a joint project of the Philippine Embassy in Ottawa, the Philippine Consulates General in Calgary, Toronto, and Vancouver, the Philippine Department of Tourism, and the Philippine Department of Trade and Industry.

“This nationwide project will help elevate the stature of the Filipino cuisine in Canada while also helping our Filipino-owned restaurants grow their business,” Consul General Patron said.

“I would like to seek the support of the 957,000-strong Filipino community in Canada for the 2nd FRMC,” he added.

The ongoing FRMC, taking place from 1 to 30 April, has 47 participating restaurants in 19 cities and eight provinces across Canada.

Every order of the FRMC prix fixe menu at any of the participating restaurants will entitle diners to a free raffle entry that will give them a chance to win major prizes, such as two (2) roundtrip domestic plane tickets in the Philippines, 3D/2N hotel accommodation in five (5) hotels in the Philippines, a CAD500 travel voucher for travel to the Philippines, a culinary tour in the Philippines, and gift certificates to Seafood City.

The minor prizes include dining certificates to the 47 participating restaurants and a CAD100 travel voucher.

Gracing the FRMC luncheon were Alberta Advanced Education Minister Demetrios Nicolaides & Madame Michelle Nicolaides, and Ms. Linda Garson, Editor-in-Chief, Culinaire Magazine, Alberta’s biggest food magazine.

The paying guests who attended the event mostly came from the following organizations: Filipino Airdrie Association, Filipino Catholic Society of the Diocese of Calgary, Philippine Cultural Center Foundation, UP Alumni Association of Alberta, Knights of Rizal (Calgary & Airdrie Chapters), Sulong Kalayaan Society, and Pangasinan Society of Calgary.

In his remarks, Minister Nicolaides gave his full support for the FRMC as he disclosed his experience growing up in a Greek restaurant that his family owns since 1986. Likewise, he acknowledged the importance of the large Filipino community in Calgary and how they contribute to Alberta’s cultural diversity.

The guests were able to enjoy various Filipino dishes, such as beef kaldereta, beef pares, chopsuey, pork menudo, lumpiang shanghai, fresh lumpia, pancit, puto, and turon. These are some of the dishes that Chopstix is serving for the 2nd FRMC.

The next day, 2 April 2023, Consul General Patron dined with members of the Filipino community at Rise N’ Shine Breakfast Place, another FRMC participating restaurant in Calgary.

For the 2nd FRMC, Rise N’ Shine offers Filipino breakfast, such as daing na bangus, beef tapa, pork tocino, and longganisa.