#jillian-repalda — Public Fediverse posts

LOLA LIZA FOODS: A TASTE OF THE PHILIPPINES

A single table, some stools, a shelf stocked with Filipino snacks, candies, chips; a tub of garlic chili oil sitting overtop a mini-fridge—these are the first impressions upon entering the front door of Lola Liza Foods, a Filipino street food spot on Victoria St. N. and Ahrens St. W.   

Sharing a corner with Kitchener-Waterloo staple Smile Tiger Coffee Roaster’s, Jillian and Jovin Repalda opened the store front  in August 2024.  

“I moved to Canada from the Philippines in 2019 as an international student—the first in my family,” Jillian said.    

My first time at Lola Liza, I was greeted by Jillian at the counter with a smile and a swift recommendation that I try the grilled pork belly with a side of pancit and steamed rice. She radioed my order over via walkie-talkie to Jovin who was manning the food truck as I took a stool right by the window  

“Back home, there’s street vendors everywhere—I wanted to bring that experience here. When I had the idea initially, I knew that it had to be affordable like the street foods in Manila. Simple foods and snacks for the community to have, nothing formal. Just come, eat and hang out. That’s why we call ourselves a tambayan,” he said.  

To my right, sat a little girl no older than five, focusing intently on her iPad game while casting occasional glances my way. A family of four sat behind us at the only table, chattering away loudly, occasionally calling on the child to have a bite of kwek-kwek.   

The Pork BBQ skewers are a favourite here, grilled and marinaded with a traditional sauce of soy sauce, calamansi and other flavours. The spring rolls—veggie or pork—with a serving of pancit noodles combine well for a delicious, easy meal to either take out or eat in.   

The storefront itself does not hold any cooking equipment or stovetops aside from a countertop food warmer—all the cooking is done in the food trailer sitting adjacent to the store.   

“It’s very expensive to open up a full restaurant, that’s why I had the initial idea to just get a food trailer. It was hard because we didn’t know where to find or buy one! There were lots of ads we looked through. Eventually we found a used trailer in London and picked it up,” Jillian said.  

The trailer now sits just outside the shop, becoming a familiar sight for anyone driving up and down Victoria S.   

Jillian and Jovin moved out of Scarborough and into Cambridge in 2021, both working full time—Jovin as a production team member and Jillian as an IT consultant. At the time they were only able to open the restaurant once a week, but as the demand and number of regulars increased, they are since able to open six days a week.  

“We found such a great community here, it’s very peaceful,” Jillian said.  

A regular entered shortly after I did, whom Jillian greeted happily, already reciting for him his order. Sounds of chewing, the little girl kicking her legs against the stool, the muffled crackle of Jovin over the walkie-talkie, it was a beautiful sight, and already I felt the atmosphere to be exactly as Jillian had described her hopes for what Lola Liza would be: casual, informal and nothing short of welcoming. 

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