MANILA, Philippines — Miguel Cabel Moreno worked as a nurse for two years before he finally found the courage to run a restaurant like he wanted to do when he was younger. His older brother, King, meanwhile, was thriving as an employee and trainer of a prestigious airline in the Middle East for 12 years before he also decided to join his younger brother in running their family's restaurants.
It has been five or more years since Miguel opened Palm Grill in Tomas Morato, Quezon City. The restaurant offers Southern Mindanao dishes, from Tiyula Itum to Pianggang Manok. King, meanwhile, is learning the ropes running Cabel, located in front of Malacañang in Manila. Cabel is a Filipino Heritage Restaurant that offers Filipino favorites from Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao. It used to be Casa Roces until the family converted it into Cabel and opened it to the public late last year.
The brothers grew up in quiant Jolo and the relatively nearby Zamboanga City, where fresh fish and crustaceans are readily available.
The women in their family are also able cooks. Miguel recalled that the kitchen was a happy place for him where he remembers his mother, Melissa, and his grandmother, Oswalda, would busy themselves preparing traditional Tausug food during special occasions.
His grandmother's specialty was Arroz a la Valenciana and Potato Salad, while his mother has her special sauces for their family's barbecue sessions. Even their Babu, their family cook who has been with them since he was young, inspired him to appreciate the process of making food as she laboriously prepares Tausug native cakes for their merienda.
Miguel's own experience in college selling his mother's Pianggang Manok, a chicken dish that has burnt coconut, stoke his desire to someday open his own restaurant.
"As a student, Ateneo (de Zamboanga) had a yearly celebration called 'Ateneo Fiesta.' It's a one-week event with activities in sports, food-selling and many more. Every year since high school, I would rent out a booth and sell my mother's Pianggang Manok. I recall how much fun it was knowing that we are always sold out midday. Lines would start as early as 10 a.m. and people always loved how we prepared it. These experiences made me dream of owning a restaurant one day," Miguel said.
Brothers in blood and palate
King, admittedly, is not a good cook. In fact, his pancit canton turns out soggy and he cannot even fry an egg.
"My friends are surprised because to be honest, I don't know how to fry egg. I don't know how to cook hotdog, even instant pancit canton. It's malala," King confessed.
His case is more of neurosis. He thinks there might be worms if the food he is cooking is undercooked.
"You can ask my brother. He makes fun of me always. Nasusunog ko, but I know if it's delicious or not. I have the tongue for that," King shared.
Miguel was amused with his kuya's revelation. "Well, he did burn hotdogs once while we were abroad. Haha! I think that to be a good cook you have to have a good palate. I guess my brother is the exception to that rule."
Mom's the inspiration
With the brothers possessing a discriminating palate and common love for good food, it was only a matter of time that they find themselves managing their family's two restaurants in the metro.
Their unlikely career paths also have an influential precedent — their mother.
Melissa was a single parent who tried her best to provide for her three children, Miguel, King and her only daughter Isabel.
She was a full-time employee but she thinks that her salary alone would not be enough to provide for her family.
Melissa had to take risks and she tried opening businesses. When the children were younger, she opened a tutorial and review center so that she can keep watch of her younger children. Back in Jolo, she opened a pizza and burger house. When Miguel and King were in high school, she opened a steakhouse in Zamboanga.
"Yeah, because maybe they saw me all my life," Melissa replied when asked if her sons were inspired by her. "They saw me in the kitchen. They saw me in the restaurant, and for sure, they saw that I was happy doing all of this. So in some way, maybe it got into their hearts, their minds. So now, they finally ended up managing restaurants."
The mother of three is surprised because her sons should be working in industries where they earned their college degrees. Melissa, however, acknowledged her sons' decisions.
"Yes, because I said you should be in... Miguel should be working as a nurse, King should be working with his profession. But they said, they will give it a try. So, I had trust and confidence in my sons. They can do it," she shared.
She is still employed to this day, but her sons writes her a report once a month. Melissa just flies back and forth between Manila and Zamboanga.
King had once described their mother as their sunshine, it is the reason why Cabel is splashed in shades of orange. She even has a room named after her in the two-storey ancestral house-turned-restaurant/art gallery.
Melissa is happy being a source of inspiration for her two sons. Palm Grill is now open for franchising. Miguel said that they are also launching its second branch and the first purely Filipino food hall concept at the Gateway Mall 2 later this year.
"They said there is really no other mother like me in the entire world. Maybe because they really love me. That's why I really say, I'm really blessed, not materially, not financially. I am blessed because my children truly love me," Melissa said.
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