Beating the Quarantine Blues with Scrumptious Food

Pivoting the business with Chef Manuel

Owner of Hoogpaan in Camarines Norte, Chef Manuel Castro Jr. has had his fair share of challenges during the pandemic. When the ECQ was established, he and his team decided to go for unique dishes that their clients would love to have on their tables. After brainstorming and keeping in mind of the equipment they have as well as the availability of ingredients from local suppliers, they came up with smoked baby back ribs, smoked spareribs, and pulled pork that can be delivered to the doorsteps of their customers. It also came with Hoogpaan’s mac and cheese and mashed potatoes.

“Everyone is essential. Going through this pandemic is a big test for the whole team. But at the end of the day, leaders need to step up and lead. Chef is just a title. Leading your people emotionally, financially, and spiritually past the pandemic is your responsibility as a team member,” Chef Manuel shared, “To all the kusineros! Laban lang, matira matibay!!! Next order, Chef!!!”

Exploring opportunities with Chef LJ

Chef LJ, single mom and small online business owner, has managed to step out of her comfort zone and find ways to expand her culinary skills. In between cooking for her family at home, running grocery errands, and taking care of her son during the quarantine, she decided to explore baking and bread making. She felt that this was her chance to try bread recipes from scratch, because aside from the fact she had more time to do it, she was also missing the bread she loves and eats regularly pre-COVID. Her experiment turned out well and she is currently selling cheese rolls and ube cheese rolls on JDlicious.

Born in 2015, JDlicious is named after Chef LJ’s son, Jarrett Dylan. It is a humble food business that satisfies both sweet and salty cravings as well as provides consistent quality service. Delectable desserts, gourmet dishes, packed meals, small catering, and even trending flavors made from scratch. JDlicious promises an unforgettable food experience, hoping to expand its horizons further in the coming years.

“Our industry took a big hit, because of the pandemic. Not just locally, but worldwide. But even though a lot of us lost our jobs, we are armed with skills that we can make use of,” Chef LJ said, “We can pick ourselves up from these trying times, because I know how tough chefs are. Only the best and toughest become chefs! Food is a necessity and I know that the hotel, food, and beverage industry will rise again soon. We will be back!”

Feeling at home with Chef Donald

Chef Donald is a culinary consultant at D’Heights Resorts and Casino in Pampanga. With his love for home cooking, he made the most of his time cooking classic Filipino classics for his loved ones such as kare-kare, dinuguan, bopis, dinakdakan, boneless bangus ala ponte, pork sisig, pinakbet, chopsuey, laing, and chicken inasal. But what stood out the most out of his menu is the crispy pork ulo and lechong manok stuffed with karimbuaya leaves (an Ilocano dish).

“We never expected to face this kind of challenge, to all of a sudden stop what we are doing and stay at home. This pandemic gives us different realizations about life. The importance of saving money, the importance of having cooking skills that can create extra income during the crisis, the importance of the future,” Chef Donald shared, “Everything happens for a reason. We always have something to learn, and whatever we have learned through those experiences will become our weapons as chefs to combat future challenges. So, let’s use our skills, accept what is happening for what it is, believe, have faith, and move forward.”

Giving a helping hand with Chef Gerald

A sous chef at Microtel Inn & Suites by Wyndham, Chef Gerald has luckily continued working even during the ECQ. When the lockdown started, the hotel opened their doors to BPO employees and allowed them to stay there for a month or two. Chef Gerald’s task was to create simple yet filling Filipino breakfast meals for them. Since the hotel was prohibited from serving in a buffet, the breakfast still had to retain its enticing, filling, and fun quality. Chef Gerald decided to produce new beef tapa and pork tocino recipes to match with the yummy rice and eggs, similar to what any customer can get at a breakfast buffet.

He also established his own small food business. The menu is still small, but he has put his own twist to some well-loved dishes including gyoza, as well as yema and ube cakes.

“At any given time, something can change so drastically. Our hotel was usually packed, but due to the pandemic, we were hit very hard. We had to let people go, manage our expenses, and even lessen our service as well,” Chef Gerald said, “For chefs and people in the hospitality industry, this will be gone soon. We will recover soon. For now we are down, but we are never out. It is at these times actually where we can find the strength within us, what we are good at doing, and build on that. Trust in our strengths and capabilities. And we can make it through this.”

Channeling creativity with Chef Jhello

Another online business owner, Chef Jhello made it his duty to create more food to offer his clients and future clients. Even with the hardships, fears, and constraints of the pandemic, he was given more time to think of and produce new dishes. He developed a peach mango pudding with vanilla custard sauce, everlasting (savory dish popular in Marikina), and ube swabe cake. All are available on Heaveninmymouth.ph and loved by his clients from the period of ECQ up until now.

“Through these challenging times, I have been able to practice three salient values: creativity, adaptability, and passion. Creativity in making good and unique food, adaptability to the change that the pandemic has brought, and passion to keep striving for the sustainment of my business. That last value is what will separate you from the rest,” Chef Jhello shared, “Always see to it that you know the purpose of why you are doing what you are doing. By knowing your intention, you will be able to create something not by need, but by love. When you do things passionately, you’ll be able to create so many things that will amaze you. Be true to what your business stands for and be authentic to what you offer.”

Even with the diversity in activities and backgrounds of these chefs, there is one insight that they all had in common: that food indeed brings people together and comforts them in unexpected ways, especially amid a difficult time like the pandemic. For Filipinos, it has been a longstanding tradition to eat meals together with the family. And this tradition transcends to friends as well. It is a moment to unwind, to catch up with loved ones, to truly make us feel at home even when we’re not.

Food is a big part of our lives, not only because it sustains us, but because it’s meant to be shared with other people. Despite the challenge of spending way more time with the people at home and the need to practice social distancing, we Filipinos look to food to bring us together, whether it’s sharing it with our family at quarantine or sending it over to our friends and loved ones (sometimes, even tagging them on various recipe videos online). It has a way of evoking a wide spectrum of emotions, from nostalgia to sheer joy. So, even when it’s hard and the world seems to be crumbling around you, let food be the necessity that also serves as your escape, along with the people who matter to you the most.