I have five brothers and sisters and we’re all food nerds, so when we get together for Christmas, we’re always showing off for each other (though we totally pretend we’re not). Our mother, Sarah, is the same way with her eight siblings, and she gets it from her mother, Josefina, who always refused to share her recipes. When my mom was growing up in the Philippines, Josefina stole the show every year with her ensaimadas (sugary, Parmesan-y, buttery rolls) before church on Christmas morning.

When I was a kid, my family always opened presents at midnight on Christmas Eve so we could just cook and eat our way through Christmas Day. The menu spans Filipino classics to sous vide experiments. I’ve made everything from arroz caldo, a porridge traditionally slurped in the days leading up to Christmas, to fancy leaves of puff pastry as a complement (but also a challenge) to my sister Astrid’s beef Wellington.

The whole Dimayuga clan Photo by Alex Lau

The menu changes from year to year, but for Christmas to feel like Christmas, we always need a showstopper, like the whole pig (lechón) my grandmother requested last year. Filipino food is incredibly eclectic because the islands’ history is full of traders, occupiers, and missionaries, each of whom brought their own ingredients and dishes—from soy sauce to macaroni salad. When our extended family moved to the Bay Area before I was born, they brought all of those international flavors with them in a combination that reflects the Pampanga province but also their individual tastes and talents.