If you’ve ever been to a food festival around Melbourne, you may have seen smoke wafting from a stall selling Filipino barbecue and a whole pig roasting on an honest-to-goodness fire pit. The aromatic smoke beckons, and yes, the long queue won't deter you from patiently waiting until you bite into some juicy grilled meat.
Childhood sweethearts Regina and Chef James Meehan own and operate the popular, melodically named Filipino food stall, Hoy Pinoy. The Hoy Pinoy website describes their food as “laid-back, self-possessed, [and] quietly confident [when it comes to] authenticity”.
An idea born from her visits to the Philippines as well as her early years living in Olongapo, Ms Meehan was able to build a successful business around the common gastronomical obsession of Australians and Filipinos for barbecue. Now, the Melbourne-based business has a devoted following around Australia and New Zealand.
Born Regina Alcantara, this Filipino-Australian migrant and entrepreneur arrived in Australia with her family when she was 16 years old. Carrying a skilled migrant visa, her father was able to bring his wife and four children to Australia.
The reason why her family chose Melbourne was because they had family living in the area. Although her father had friends in Sydney, Ms Meehan shares that choosing Melbourne made the transition to another country easier because they had family around them.
A young Regina Meehan (second from the left) in Olongapo Source: Rizzi Chavez
Regina Meehan with her proud parents in front of a Hoy Pinoy stall Source: Maddy Alcantara
Ms Meehan shares that when they moved in 1995, she was surprised that teenagers worked while they studied, considering that kids back home typically didn’t have to while they were still in school.
“Being 15 [in the Philippines], you didn’t really think about work straight away. You think about hanging out with your friends. Whereas here, at 15, 16, you have a tax number,” she adds.
Working at a young age allowed Ms Meehan to develop the work ethic and drive she has today. And while it can be challenging being a mother to two teenage boys and running a business at the same time, she has done it successfully in the city where she met her husband and bore her children, in the city she now calls home.
She sums up her Melbourne story perfectly, saying, “I wouldn’t live anywhere else. Definitely – Melbourne’s home to me.”
Regina and James Meehan with their sons Source: Regina Meehan (Facebook)
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