In the heart of Ontario, where winter winds meet warm cravings, you’ll find a place where tapa meets grilled cheese, and pancit shares a table with poutine. It’s called Hermie’s Filipino & Canadian Diner, and it’s more than just a restaurant—it’s a dream cooked slowly over time.
In this episode of Katas ng Kusina, we meet Hermie, a Filipina who started her culinary journey not in a commercial kitchen, but in a modest household kitchen back in Grade 1, learning to make vegetable soup. From those early memories to cross-country moves and career shifts, Hermie’s life has been anything but linear.
After working as a nurse in Saudi Arabia and then migrating to Canada, Hermie hoped to continue her profession. When that didn’t pan out, she found herself cooking at home—taking requests from coworkers and eventually hearing the same suggestion over and over: “Bakit hindi ka na lang magbukas ng restaurant?”
So she did. With zero restaurant experience and a whole lot of heart, Hermie and her husband opened their first place in Orillia. It was far from easy. Plates came back. Complaints came in. Fries weren’t crispy enough. Eggs not quite right. But Hermie didn’t quit. She listened. She adjusted. She obsessed over every detail until her cooking spoke for itself.
Now on their third location, Hermie’s Diner has become a cozy community gem where Filipino flavor meets Canadian comfort food. Think grilled cheese—but instead of regular deli meats, it’s filled with tender Filipino tapa. It’s her way of bridging cultures: introducing Canadians to adobo, sinigang, and turon, while offering fellow Filipinos the comfort of Western diner classics.
Her mission? Simple: “Gusto ko ma-introduce ang Filipino food sa Canadian.” She believes in fusion not just as a food trend, but as a way to build connection.
From heartbreak and hesitation to heaping plates of joy, Hermie’s story is proof that sometimes, the best recipes come from courage, humility, and the willingness to keep showing up. One plate at a time.
📍 Visit Hermie’s Filipino & Canadian Diner – where every bite tells a story.
