What advice would you give those who want to start a catering business?
August 1, 2006 | 12:00am
Starting your own business is not easy. Beyond the financial investment and connections, you have to have the passion, determination and drive to reach your dreams and goals in this competitive industry. For those wanting to get into the food and catering business, here are pieces of advice from personalities who have made it.
For comments and suggestions, send e-mail to monswordsworth@yahoo.com.
BUDDY ABESAMIS, VS&F Classic Food International: My wife Josephine and I started with a capital of P15,000 for a modest food service, which was delivering packed meals to offices in the Cubao area. Our regular clients liked our food so much they began to order for their parties at home and in their offices. Soon, we were being asked to cater private functions and we have never looked back since. My advice to those who want to start a catering business: be committed to serve only quality food; don’t cut corners for the sake of profit. You must also establish your own style. For example we are known for our innovative on-the-spot cooking with fresh ingredients prepared by our culinary experts and we always provide consistency and excitement in our catering.
IRMA SAN MIGUEL, Kusina ni Kambal: Kusina ni Kambal was born during the lowest point in my life, when my marriage was on the rocks. I had to decide between leaving my work as administrative and finance assistant in an import-export company and becoming a fulltime mother to my toddler twins and finding a more financially rewarding work of operating a small gotohan in the heart of Marikina, with only P 5,000 as initial capital. That was on July 1,1988. It was a very difficult climb to becoming a significant part of this creative industry. And as my marriage made a 180-degree turn, the business grew more stable into what Kusina ni Kambal is today: serving from 10 to 10,000 people.
ALEX DEL ROSARIO, Juan Carlo the Caterer: It was my unrelenting passion for catering that led me to where I am now. Since boyhood, I was exposed to this experience because of my aunt, who has been in the business for more than 35 years. Having seen the glory that catering can bring, I had no second thoughts about working my way to fulfilling my dream. I worked as a civil engineer in KSA with the intention of getting the necessary capital. I met my med-tech wife there and together we worked on putting up a catering business. In KSA, we already started by operating a mini restaurant and doing small catering projects for Filipinos and foreigners. In 1995 we decided to settle for good in the Philippines and that signified the birth of Juan Carlo the Caterer in Batangas. Hard work and a lot of sacrifices are needed in this business. Be ready to have sleepless nights, less quality time with your family, and working extra hours, especially during weekends and holidays. You have to be there every step of the way – from attending to the minutest details of food preparation to site decoration. You can only afford to relax if you have found the right people to man your projects. But training people and keeping them is the biggest headache of every caterer. The good news is that even during these critical times in our economy, the food and catering business is surviving beautifully.
BABY HIZON, Hizon’s Catering: Eighteen years ago, with five children and P16,000, I started my own small catering service. I guess I was just getting bored being a housewife. I was working for a plastics manufacturing firm when I married Enrique Hizon of Hizon Laboratories. In the beginning, I did the marketing and cooking myself, and once I even had to drive the delivery vehicle as my regular driver was sick. Today, my catering service occupies a 2,000-square-meter space in our family compound in QC. It is no longer a mom and pop operation as I for big parties in several venues. My advice to people who want to be in this business is that they should have the patience and determination, and they must enjoy what they are doing. Catering is not easy... sometimes you have to sleep late and wake up early. That’s why you need to love your work. Also, you must be willing to invest in your catering business because the industry is very competitive now. You have to continuously upgrade your equipment and facilities. Most importantly, you have to learn to accept suggestions and even corrections from your own clients.
DANNY JACINTO and his sister JOY, The Swan Catering: In 1965, our grandmother, the late Nieves "Eveng" de Leon Cruz, and her daughter Josefina "Nena" Cruz Jacinto started The Swan Bake Shop, which evolved into Swan Catering Services, which we now run. In this business, one has to be a creative person, have a genuine passion for food and has to be willing to work long hours.
ANDREW PACUMIO, Towns Delight: My mother Cecilio del Rosario Pacumio, known to everyone as "Mama Celing," was a BS Education graduate majoring in Economics. She began with a small canteen and gradually became known for her excellent Caviteña food and other styles of cooking. She gave up teaching to concentrate on catering, and took up various culinary courses to hone her kitchen skills. That is why I grew up literally in her kitchen and have taken over the operations but she remains a hands-on consultant. It has been 30 years since we started catering for our municipality, but now we cater for the whole province of Cavite and Metro Manila. Those starting a catering business should be creative and develop their own style in both food preparation and presentation. They also must be willing to work long hours, believe in their dreams and put their faith in God.
STEVE TAMAYO, Tamayo’s Catering Service and Rest Inc.: My mother had a small carinderia, and at six years old I was already helping her make desserts, helping cook simple dishes and fixing tables. When I was a freshman student, I was hired as a waiter at the Silahis Hotel in Manila and went from that position to captain waiter. On my graduation, I was offered a captain’s waiter job in Kuwait where I established a good reputation in the hotel industry, working my way up to becoming the manager of a hotel. I had to go back home because of the invasion of Kuwait and start all over again as we had to leave behind all the material things we had worked so hard for. But with great faith in God, I worked again in a local hotel before I began a small catering business. I started my own place in Intramuros where I catered for big formal functions, had my own florist and one-stop wedding shop. My motto is "The client is king" and we never say we can’t execute the theme of what he wants in whatever venue he desires. People want to feel pampered all the time and that is what you should give them. You should know how to eat in the food business, what tastes good and how to properly present the food. And more importantly, don’t forget you owe it all to God. It is true that when you give up everything and focus on the Lord, He will give you everything you need. He will make everything perfect for you.
ANCIS AND FRANK UNSON, Albergus: Starting your own catering business can be both financially rewarding and fun. Betty Marcelo and I originally founded Albergus in the ‘70s. Cooking comes naturally for both of us so we thought, why not earn from it? So what was once a hobby became a profession. In 1977 Betty and I decided to part ways to pursue our own personal interests. Betty is known for her sans rival and her company is known as Betty’s Catering. In the same year I put up my own company and Albergus Catering was born. It was not an easy start for me and my family. Owning your own company mandates that you not only deal with, but also become proficient at, all aspects of catering. You’ll have to be an accountant, a secretary, people manager, and marketing /sales/advertising representative and bill collector – just to name a few. To start with money matters, you have to make a large financial investment and perhaps put up much of your property as collateral, but you will also have the opportunity to make money. One very important thing to remember when weighing the pros and cons of starting a home operation: never gamble more than you can afford to lose. Are you a people person? Succeeding in this specialty calls not only for the ability to cook well but also salesmanship – the ability to talk effectively with acquaintances and strangers – and a love for diversity. Above all, you also must have the will to succeed. To start and operate any enterprise, you must have self-discipline, the willingness and ability to make sacrifices. Be customer-oriented. It requires lots of patience and understanding. Lastly, you have to know how to channel all your energy and ideas into something you really enjoy because it would be the reason to get you going in spite all the challenges of running a catering service.
BUDDY ABESAMIS, VS&F Classic Food International: My wife Josephine and I started with a capital of P15,000 for a modest food service, which was delivering packed meals to offices in the Cubao area. Our regular clients liked our food so much they began to order for their parties at home and in their offices. Soon, we were being asked to cater private functions and we have never looked back since. My advice to those who want to start a catering business: be committed to serve only quality food; don’t cut corners for the sake of profit. You must also establish your own style. For example we are known for our innovative on-the-spot cooking with fresh ingredients prepared by our culinary experts and we always provide consistency and excitement in our catering.
IRMA SAN MIGUEL, Kusina ni Kambal: Kusina ni Kambal was born during the lowest point in my life, when my marriage was on the rocks. I had to decide between leaving my work as administrative and finance assistant in an import-export company and becoming a fulltime mother to my toddler twins and finding a more financially rewarding work of operating a small gotohan in the heart of Marikina, with only P 5,000 as initial capital. That was on July 1,1988. It was a very difficult climb to becoming a significant part of this creative industry. And as my marriage made a 180-degree turn, the business grew more stable into what Kusina ni Kambal is today: serving from 10 to 10,000 people.
ALEX DEL ROSARIO, Juan Carlo the Caterer: It was my unrelenting passion for catering that led me to where I am now. Since boyhood, I was exposed to this experience because of my aunt, who has been in the business for more than 35 years. Having seen the glory that catering can bring, I had no second thoughts about working my way to fulfilling my dream. I worked as a civil engineer in KSA with the intention of getting the necessary capital. I met my med-tech wife there and together we worked on putting up a catering business. In KSA, we already started by operating a mini restaurant and doing small catering projects for Filipinos and foreigners. In 1995 we decided to settle for good in the Philippines and that signified the birth of Juan Carlo the Caterer in Batangas. Hard work and a lot of sacrifices are needed in this business. Be ready to have sleepless nights, less quality time with your family, and working extra hours, especially during weekends and holidays. You have to be there every step of the way – from attending to the minutest details of food preparation to site decoration. You can only afford to relax if you have found the right people to man your projects. But training people and keeping them is the biggest headache of every caterer. The good news is that even during these critical times in our economy, the food and catering business is surviving beautifully.
BABY HIZON, Hizon’s Catering: Eighteen years ago, with five children and P16,000, I started my own small catering service. I guess I was just getting bored being a housewife. I was working for a plastics manufacturing firm when I married Enrique Hizon of Hizon Laboratories. In the beginning, I did the marketing and cooking myself, and once I even had to drive the delivery vehicle as my regular driver was sick. Today, my catering service occupies a 2,000-square-meter space in our family compound in QC. It is no longer a mom and pop operation as I for big parties in several venues. My advice to people who want to be in this business is that they should have the patience and determination, and they must enjoy what they are doing. Catering is not easy... sometimes you have to sleep late and wake up early. That’s why you need to love your work. Also, you must be willing to invest in your catering business because the industry is very competitive now. You have to continuously upgrade your equipment and facilities. Most importantly, you have to learn to accept suggestions and even corrections from your own clients.
DANNY JACINTO and his sister JOY, The Swan Catering: In 1965, our grandmother, the late Nieves "Eveng" de Leon Cruz, and her daughter Josefina "Nena" Cruz Jacinto started The Swan Bake Shop, which evolved into Swan Catering Services, which we now run. In this business, one has to be a creative person, have a genuine passion for food and has to be willing to work long hours.
ANDREW PACUMIO, Towns Delight: My mother Cecilio del Rosario Pacumio, known to everyone as "Mama Celing," was a BS Education graduate majoring in Economics. She began with a small canteen and gradually became known for her excellent Caviteña food and other styles of cooking. She gave up teaching to concentrate on catering, and took up various culinary courses to hone her kitchen skills. That is why I grew up literally in her kitchen and have taken over the operations but she remains a hands-on consultant. It has been 30 years since we started catering for our municipality, but now we cater for the whole province of Cavite and Metro Manila. Those starting a catering business should be creative and develop their own style in both food preparation and presentation. They also must be willing to work long hours, believe in their dreams and put their faith in God.
STEVE TAMAYO, Tamayo’s Catering Service and Rest Inc.: My mother had a small carinderia, and at six years old I was already helping her make desserts, helping cook simple dishes and fixing tables. When I was a freshman student, I was hired as a waiter at the Silahis Hotel in Manila and went from that position to captain waiter. On my graduation, I was offered a captain’s waiter job in Kuwait where I established a good reputation in the hotel industry, working my way up to becoming the manager of a hotel. I had to go back home because of the invasion of Kuwait and start all over again as we had to leave behind all the material things we had worked so hard for. But with great faith in God, I worked again in a local hotel before I began a small catering business. I started my own place in Intramuros where I catered for big formal functions, had my own florist and one-stop wedding shop. My motto is "The client is king" and we never say we can’t execute the theme of what he wants in whatever venue he desires. People want to feel pampered all the time and that is what you should give them. You should know how to eat in the food business, what tastes good and how to properly present the food. And more importantly, don’t forget you owe it all to God. It is true that when you give up everything and focus on the Lord, He will give you everything you need. He will make everything perfect for you.
ANCIS AND FRANK UNSON, Albergus: Starting your own catering business can be both financially rewarding and fun. Betty Marcelo and I originally founded Albergus in the ‘70s. Cooking comes naturally for both of us so we thought, why not earn from it? So what was once a hobby became a profession. In 1977 Betty and I decided to part ways to pursue our own personal interests. Betty is known for her sans rival and her company is known as Betty’s Catering. In the same year I put up my own company and Albergus Catering was born. It was not an easy start for me and my family. Owning your own company mandates that you not only deal with, but also become proficient at, all aspects of catering. You’ll have to be an accountant, a secretary, people manager, and marketing /sales/advertising representative and bill collector – just to name a few. To start with money matters, you have to make a large financial investment and perhaps put up much of your property as collateral, but you will also have the opportunity to make money. One very important thing to remember when weighing the pros and cons of starting a home operation: never gamble more than you can afford to lose. Are you a people person? Succeeding in this specialty calls not only for the ability to cook well but also salesmanship – the ability to talk effectively with acquaintances and strangers – and a love for diversity. Above all, you also must have the will to succeed. To start and operate any enterprise, you must have self-discipline, the willingness and ability to make sacrifices. Be customer-oriented. It requires lots of patience and understanding. Lastly, you have to know how to channel all your energy and ideas into something you really enjoy because it would be the reason to get you going in spite all the challenges of running a catering service.
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