Events › Markham Reads: In Conversation with Rachel Phan

Mark your calendars for an extraordinary literary experience! The one and only Rachel Phan, is joining us for an exciting author talk. Rachel is the best-selling author of Restaurant Kid: A Memoir of Family and Belonging, winner of this year's Markham Reads. This is your chance to connect with one of the most celebrated authors in Canada right now, and her book was featured on CBC's Canada Reads Longlist. Come with your questions, your curiosity, and your passion for stories, this is a not-to-be-missed celebration of books, family history, immigration and memoir! After the program, be sure to stick around as Rachel will be signing books

Markham Reads

Markham Reads is a our community one read program, where Markham comes together to read and celebrate one book through dynamic programming and other activities. It's like a city-wide book club! It's a great way to connect as a city and meet new friends. 

About the Book

Rachel Phan grows up feeling like her parents’ restaurant has taken her place in the family. While the restaurant is her parents’ dream, shaped by their escape from war and hardship, Rachel spends her childhood trying not to get in the way, watching her parents work themselves to exhaustion and struggle to show love. The restaurant becomes both the centre of their lives and the source of stress, fights, and distance.

As Rachel gets older, she realizes how much she has been shaped by expectations: being the good daughter, acting like a “real Canadian,” and fitting into whatever role others put on her at school. Now, with her parents thinking about retirement, she finally has a chance to understand them and herself more deeply.

About the Author

Rachel Phan is a Toronto-based Chinese Canadian author. A graduate of Toronto Metropolitan University’s Master of Journalism program, she and her work have been featured on CBC, The Wall Street Journal, Washington Post, Toronto Star, Chatelaine, and Maclean’s. Her instant national bestselling book, Restaurant Kid: A Memoir of Family and Belonging, was longlisted for Canada Reads in 2026 and named one of CBC Books’ Best Books of 2025.