This page was born from hunger -not just food, but for meaning.

Dishing My Life is inspired by the quiet strength of my Lola, the chaos and warmth of family kitchens, the long journey from Cebu to the Isle of Wight and the many roles I've worn:daughter, mother, migrant, entrepreneur, and chef. Every dish I cook carries a memory; every memory carried a lesson.

This isn't just a recipe book. It's a storybook flavoured with truth -of sacrifices seasoned woth hope, of homes built from scratch, and of dreams that found their way through fire and time. Writing this was my way of preserving the soul of our food and the stories too often left untold.

To every Filipino far from home, every woman rebuilding herself, and every dreamer stirring a pot full of ''what ifs'' - this book is for you.

Because food isn't jsut what I serve. It's who I am.

-Cris Arago Pedley