The family that caters together
Cooking was a hobby Joy Madriaga took up while her children—two daughters and a son—were busy with extracurricular activities on weekends. It was something to keep her busy. After dropping them off at school, she had a few hours to herself, so she began taking classes conducted by Heny Sison or Reggie Aspiras, two well-known chefs.
“I would learn how to cook a certain dish and then attempt to replicate it at home. When I would bring a dish I learned to potluck parties, the parents of my kids’ friends would compliment me. That’s really how and where it all started,” Madriaga told Lifestyle.
By “it,” she means Madriaga’s Catering, the Rizal-based business she grew with the help of her husband Nelson, and now, with their three adult children holding key positions.
“These parents would ask me to prepare food for their parties and small events so I said to myself, ‘I could turn this into a real business.’”
Madriaga started with packed meals for school events and conferences, always making sure the food arrived at the venue at the right time. Hot food had to be served hot and cold food had to be cold. From there, she began catering for hundreds and then thousands of guests weekly.
Rizal-centric
“Early on I decided to focus on weddings and events held in Rizal province and the nearby areas. We all know how bad the traffic jams can get in the city, so I wanted to do away with that hassle and I wanted to avoid spoilage.
“I always tell people who ask why I chose to focus my attention on Rizal, ‘Anong meron sa baba na wala sa Antipolo?’ (What can the metro offer that Antipolo doesn’t already have?) We have so many events venues and so many beautiful churches to choose from. When we were first starting in 2009, my husband got us a truck for our deliveries. Fifteen years later, we now have 10.”
It’s a real family affair because Nelson, who is president, has vegetable farms that grow much of the produce used in food preparation for catering events. He also has access to organically fed pigs that are turned into cochinillo (roast suckling pig), the star on the table of many Filipino gatherings.
“Our daughter Bianca is the marketing director. She has fresh ideas I would never have been able to come up with on my own. She’s able to catch the attention of younger clients who get most of their info online. It was Bianca who suggested we stage a bridal fashion show alongside our catering event instead of just a regular bridal fair like we have been doing for a couple of years now,” Madriaga said.
15 events a day
On weekends, when many of their catering events take place, they can handle up to 15 events a day—but that’s the maximum capacity. “We already know what we’re capable of handling, so we stop at 15.”
Sophia, their other daughter, took up culinary training in Spain and was there when COVID struck. She managed to get an apprenticeship at a restaurant and was invited to be part of the team, but she opted to come home and work for the family. She is now head chef.
“When they were growing up, I never forced any of my children to work with me,” Madriaga said. “We really just enjoy being together. When we’re eating, we talk about food; we talk about ideas that might work to grow the business. Even when Sophia wanted to take out and replace some of the dishes that were part of the original menu, I didn’t take offense. Clients can still order those dishes if they want.”
The youngest, son Enzo, who recently graduated from Ateneo, has also joined the family business and is in charge of finance and human resources.
“We tell them they can do anything they want to do, work anywhere they want to work, but they saw how the business developed and know how lucrative it can get. My husband and I are just glad that they chose to join us,” Madriaga said.
