San Mateo County Libraries invites you to meet Jill Damatac—writer, filmmaker and author of the powerful new memoir Dirty Kitchen.

Join us at Foster City Library on Saturday, January 31, from 3-4 PM for an author talk where Jill shares the stories behind her book, followed by an audience Q&A and book signing. Attendees at this event will have an opportunity to receive a free copy of Dirty Kitchen at the door, while supplies last. Giveaway copies are limited and offered on a first-come, first-served basis.

Following in the footsteps of wildly popular food memoirs like Crying in H Mart comes DIRTY KITCHEN: A Memoir of Food and Family. In this unflinching book, Jill revisits the outdoor “dirty kitchen” she grew up with in the Philippines— a space full of heat, smoke, laughter and truth. Through food, memory and lived experience, she reflects on complex layers of migration, growing up undocumented in the U.S., family resilience across distance and uncertainty, the lasting imprint of colonial history, and how cooking can become a way to reclaim identity and home

Her storytelling is vivid, honest and deeply rooted in Filipino traditions and the complexity of migration.

Schedules

  • Occurs Saturday, January 31st, 2026 @ 3:00 pm – 4:00 pm

Venue

Foster City Library

1000 E Hillsdale Blvd
Foster City, CA 94404

Contact

San Mateo County Libraries

Welcome to the discussion.

Keep the discussion civilized. Absolutely NO personal attacks or insults directed toward writers, nor others who make comments.
Keep it clean. Please avoid obscene, vulgar, lewd, racist or sexually-oriented language.
Don't threaten. Threats of harming another person will not be tolerated.
Be truthful. Don't knowingly lie about anyone or anything.
Be proactive. Use the 'Report' link on each comment to let us know of abusive posts.
PLEASE TURN OFF YOUR CAPS LOCK.
Anyone violating these rules will be issued a warning. After the warning, comment privileges can be revoked.