A taste of Filipino food in the heart of Charlottetown

by Nash Alonto

Oct. 19, 2023

Teresa Trinidad (centre) sells Filipino food through her small pop-up business, Kusina Food for Thought, at various events throughout Charlottetown. Her business is the first in the city to sell Filipino food that serves a growing Filipino community on the island, as well as other Charlottetown residents and tourists. (photo by Nash Alonto)

As time had passed, all the food cooked in Teresa Trinidad’s table sold out. It was another success.

Trinidad’s stall is set up downtown near the Charlottetown Library Learning Centre on Queen Street, covered by a white tent, and the tables are wrapped in blue tablecloth. On the tables were a rice cooker, fryers, and a food heater, along with plastic containers where the food is set and steel containers with plastic cutlery and condiments inside.

“We kind of expected the crowd because there is a cruise ship today and Farm Day is one of the biggest events in Charlottetown,” she said.

The stall is lined along with other similar ones that stretch from the Confederation Centre of the Arts down to the corner of Water Street. Several people gradually line up at her stall that has a variety of foods, like pork barbecue skewers, pork adobo, beef pares, and halo-halo, to offer.

Trinidad is the owner of Kusina Food and Thought, a small pop-up business in Charlottetown, P.E.I., which she runs along with her family. It is the first business in the city that sells Filipino food. She has lived on the island since 2011 and has become a Canadian citizen since.

She started her business in 2020. At first, it was small orders that were delivered from the family’s home. Gradually, they started to join some of the big events in the downtown Charlottetown area. In fact, this was the second time they’ve set up their stall at the “Farm Day in the City” event.

Other events they’ve joined include the Victorian Christmas Market and the Downtown Farmers’ Market during the summer.

Trinidad has also considered opening a restaurant. However, because of her full-time work at Service Canada, those plans would have to take a back seat for a while.

“It’s kind of hard for me to give that up,” she said.

“We changed some priorities. We had to consider a lot of different things, whether I move to run my own business or lose my job.”

Kusina Food and Thought is set to take a break from outdoor events during the winter, including the upcoming Victorian Christmas Market in late November.

However, Trinidad said they still accept orders for delivery and catering.

“It’s because of the weather. The weather isn’t really that good because it’s windy,” she said.