{"id":1077,"date":"2013-09-21T04:05:29","date_gmt":"2013-09-21T11:05:29","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/66.147.244.209\/~canadiu3\/?p=1077"},"modified":"2014-02-01T04:12:26","modified_gmt":"2014-02-01T12:12:26","slug":"filipino-canadian-in-focus-diona-joyce","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/canadianinquirer.net\/v1\/2013\/09\/21\/filipino-canadian-in-focus-diona-joyce\/","title":{"rendered":"Filipino-Canadian in Focus: Diona Joyce"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Diona<\/a>
Diona Joyce of ‘Kanto by Tita Flips.’ Photo from eduplate.blogsot.com<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

It is impossible to walk along a street in the Philippines without encountering the perpetual line of various street food\u2014from deliciously charred barbecue and isaw<\/i>, to crunchy proven<\/i>, to the unchanging taste (and price!) of fishball, to the ever-so-tempting kwek-kwek<\/i>. You can even wash down the myriad of roadside treats with a glass of buko pandan<\/i> or samalamig<\/i>.<\/p>\n

But that\u2019s in the Philippines. For residents of downtown Toronto, street food was limited to hotdogs until Diona Joyce of Kanto by Tita Flips<\/i> came to town.<\/p>\n

An Accident<\/h6>\n

Diona Joyce was a medical representative back in the Philippines, until one fateful day when she accompanied a friend to a travel agency.<\/p>\n

\u201cAno bang gagawin mo dyan?<\/i>\u201d she asked her friend. The friend said she was going to get a visa to Canada. While waiting, Diona was urged and cajoled by the agency to answer a questionnaire to determine if she herself qualifies based on Canada’s point system at that time. They asked her what she was doing for work (med rep), where she graduated and several other hoops, and the verdict\u2014she qualifies. “Why don\u2019t you apply! You don\u2019t have to pay for anything, only when you get accepted,” she remembers them telling her.<\/p>\n

In eight months, she got her Canadian visa. She mulled, “So I guess I have to go to Canada now.”<\/p>\n

Single but the breadwinner, her family supported her decision to move to Canada. In June 2001, Diona flew to Canada and started living on her own.<\/p>\n

Diona considers it as a happy accident.<\/p>\n

\"Diona<\/a>
Diona of ‘Kanto by Tita Flips.’ Photo from KapisananCentre.com<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
Do what you have to do<\/h6>\n

Living alone may have its perks, but perhaps not so much in another country. Thousands of miles away from her family, Diona had to face new challenges by herself.<\/p>\n

\u201cLiterally, I started from nothing,\u201d Diona said. \u201cI have no family, I have no relatives even here in Toronto.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt was very challenging to get the same job that I had in the Philippines since you have to start from the very [bottom], like entry-level,\u201d she shared.<\/p>\n

\u201cI was a medical representative and of course I was looking for the same job or the same field here in Toronto. It was kind of hard because I didn\u2019t have any Canadian [experience]. I didn\u2019t go to school here, I don\u2019t speak French\u2026 I didn\u2019t have the time and money to go to school and everything, so I had to find whatever I could do to make a living because I live on my own,\u201d she explained.<\/p>\n

She had to do what she had to do. One of her first jobs was at McDonald’s.<\/p>\n

\"Bestseller:<\/a>
Bestseller: Palabok. Photos from Kanto by Tita Flips’ website.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
The beginning of Tita Flips<\/h6>\n

At a young age, she was exposed to her mom\u2019s cooking and developed an affinity to culinary arts as well.<\/p>\n

\u201cMy way of cooking is very traditional, I still follow whatever the traditional Filipino dishes are,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

When she came to Canada, she dutifully brought her share of food for potluck get-togethers. Until her friends started to get hooked on her deliciously satisfying concoctions.<\/p>\n

In an interview with Rina Espiritu of KapisananCentre.com, Diona said, \u201cI started to cook at parties, just socially. Soon after, friends would start requesting food and ordering party trays. Then I started catering to birthdays and weddings!\u201d<\/p>\n

Her friends\u2019 support gave her the idea of starting her own food business. At a time when street food in Toronto was almost unheard of, Diona broke culinary barriers.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere\u2019s literally no street food in Toronto. So, bawal siya (it was prohibited),\u201d she recalled. \u201cThere\u2019s really no Filipino food in the mainstream.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAt first, sabi ng iba, \u2018Wag, kasi mahirap, wala namang Pilipino, wala namang bibili, mga puti marami<\/em>.\u2019 (People said, don’t, there’s not many Filipinos, no one will buy, but the white market is big). But I said, \u2018I don\u2019t know, let\u2019s see. Let\u2019s try,\u2019\u201d she shared.<\/p>\n

\u201c(Then) I was given the opportunity to have a space at the Scadding Court Community to represent Filipino cuisine,\u201d she told Espiritu.<\/p>\n

She then decided to launch Pinoy-style street food, which started out as a food cart\u2014a generic shipping container converted into a small restaurant.<\/p>\n

\u201cEverything that a restaurant has, we have it,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s situated by buses and vendors, and is called \u2018Kanto<\/i>.\u2019 I don\u2019t want to do a different brand or different name para hindi malito yung mga tao (so the people will not get confused),\u201d Diona laughed.<\/p>\n

She also shared with KapisananCentre.com where the name \u201cTita Flips\u201d came from.<\/p>\n

\"The<\/a>
The famous ‘Sisig Fries’ from Kanto! Photo from foodietroll.blogspot.com<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\u201cIn Filipino culture, we don\u2019t call our elders by their first names. Most common is \u201cTita\u201d for an older Filipino woman, usually an aunt. And \u201cFlips\u201d is basically just a nickname for Filipinos.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI just had to do something very appealing to North American people\u2026 Make the food enticing. More presentation. We make it in a way (where) the compromise should be acceptable to the North American palette, which is hindi masyadong maalat<\/i> (not too salty), di masyadong mataba<\/i>, less fatty or greasy,\u201d Diona explained.<\/p>\n

Today, Kanto<\/i>\u2019s bestsellers include Palabok<\/i>, Tapa, <\/i>and Lechon Kawali<\/i>. They also have \u2018Sisig <\/i>Fries,\u2019 Diona\u2019s spin on Poutine\u2014Canada\u2019s gift to humankind.<\/p>\n

\u2018You have to love it.\u2019<\/h6>\n

\u201cI\u2019ve been everywhere, I\u2019ve been in medical work, I was in sales, and for the last 10 years in Canada I was a broker. But still, there\u2019s something missing,\u201d Diona recalled.<\/p>\n

That something missing was cooking for a living.<\/p>\n

\u201cMy quest really is to bring Filipino food in the mainstream,\u201d Diona announced.<\/p>\n

\u201cI know I\u2019m doing street food, but still people are trying [the food] because they wanted to see what\u2019s in there, and for them to come back, that\u2019s really something,\u201d she beamed.<\/p>\n

When asked about her tips for aspiring entrepreneurs, Diona shared her words of wisdom.<\/p>\n

\"Bestseller:<\/a>
Bestseller: Lechon Kawali. Photos from Kanto by Tita Flips’ website.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\u201cFirst and foremost, you should have a passion\u2026 You should have a passion for what you\u2019re doing, you have to love it.<\/p>\n

\u201cGive the best in whatever you can give. [Don\u2019t be] mediocre.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen you\u2019re cooking, I always think this is the last time I\u2019m going to cook, so it has to be the best meal ever. All the time, everyday. You have to think like that.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou have to be consistent in what you\u2019re doing. [But at the same time], you have to think of new, exciting dishes,\u201d she shared.<\/p>\n

So, what\u2019s next for Diona and Tita Flips?<\/p>\n

Diona said they\u2019re hoping for a permanent place where patrons can sit down and enjoy the home-style Filipino cooking without freezing.<\/p>\n

\u201cPeople can only enjoy the food during summer,\u201d she said. \u201cMost of the time, it\u2019s cold in Canada.\u201d<\/p>\n

We\u2019re sure Tita Flips will continue to grow, thanks to the warmth of Diona\u2019s Filipino cuisine which will surely draw the crowds and make them stay.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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