This month, we’re paying tribute to the dads that inspire, push, and motivate. These restaurants and food businesses celebrate all kinds of fatherly love via heirloom recipes, innovative challenges, and even the passing of the torch.
Fathers know best. While it’s not the most well-known maxim, it does hold some truth. These eateries continue to flourish because of them.
Papa Diddi’s Handcrafted Ice Cream
This vintage ice cream shop is a tribute to owner Paul Perez’s late father. The eponymous Papa Diddi was a lawyer with a passion for food. One of his pastimes was to experiment with ice cream using ingredients from their family farm. Improving on his father’s recipes, Perez uses only the freshest carabao’s milk to create his small-batch ice cream concoctions and infuses it with local flair, like chocolate from Batangas and Davao, mangoes from Guimaras, and black rice from the Mt. Province. To further honor his father, Perez also donates a percentage of Papa Diddi’s sales to local libraries as the elder Perez loved reading.
Ka Tunying’s
Named after broadcaster Anthony Taberna’s father, Ka Tunying’s was originally Tunying’s Bread, a panaderia (bakery) based in Nueva Ecija. The radio announcer opened it after his father’s death inspired him to seek alternative modes of income. Ka Tunying’s signature Pinoy-style pastries became so in demand that Taberna and his wife eventually partnered with a supermarket chain to supply them with bread. In 2015, they opened a full-fledged café and restaurant, expanding their repertoire from baked foods to Filipino cuisine. The menu takes its cue from the comfort food of his childhood in Central Luzon.
Carmen’s Best
This globally loved (link to Carmen’s Best feature in May) ice cream was the result of Jun Magsaysay’s challenge to his son Paco to sell their farm’s surplus carabao’s milk. After nearly giving up on the impossible mission, the younger Magsaysay found himself in his kitchen at home with his children, trying to bake everything they could using the excess dairy. Eventually, he came up with ice cream, making it in his garage. This became the archetype of the Carmen’s Best we know today. Carmen is, in fact, the name of Magsaysay’s only daughter.
Acachan Cooks
A home cook from Hong Kong was finally convinced by his adventurous son to share his cooking with the world. That’s the story of Acachan Cooks run by father-and-son team Aca and Ringo Chan. The former takes care of kitchen duties, peddling out the most amazing Spring Onion Chicken and Char Siu (lovingly marinated for 24 hours, by the way), while his son runs marketing. Though Acachan Cooks is currently thriving with its delivery service, the father-and-son duo’s end goal is to open their own restaurant someday.
Alba Restaurante Español
Somewhat of a stronghold in the industry, Alba has been around since 1952 when Spanish Don Anastacio de Alba opened his first restaurant on UN Avenue. In 1975, he created an unprecedented P4-million three-story club-restaurant La Mancha—on top of many other eateries. Its eventual closure, however, threw the restaurateur off. He sold his properties and returned to Spain, only to come back in a few years to open the Alba we know today.
Currently, Alba is being managed by Don Anastacio’s chef son, Miguel, who used to help his father in the business. To commemorate his father’s legacy, Alba branches are decked out in photos of the former restaurant honcho, as well as quotes on his philosophies. To maintain that homey, family-friendly vibe, Miguel’s daughter Maya painted vibrant murals on the restaurant walls. These stunning works of art can be seen at the Prism Plaza (Pasay) and Estancia (Pasig) branches.
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