FINDING ONE’S footing in the “new normal” of limited movement is a bleak balancing act. In hopes of curbing the spread of COVID-19, stringent quarantine measures have made it challenging for everyone to gather and dine out. Consequently, the food industry confronts continued financial and employment losses—forcing small-medium scale food chains to cease operations and find a new arena online.

Yet, food is more than just the flavor—it is also the company and experience shared. As social distancing has made gathering impossible, Filipinos have found ways to cope by sharing meals through home-cooked food delivery services.

Chefs-at-heart-turned-online entrepreneurs Gabriella Mara, Marie Claire Martin, and Beverly Diamante attest that food plays a vital role in our healing process through this crisis as cooking returns them to brighter days.

Passion project and community comfort

In a small subdivision in Biñan, Laguna, Gabriella Mara (3 AB POS) grapples with quarantine uncertainties by honing her childhood passion for cooking. Mara ran a delivery service which operated for the first two months of enhanced community quarantine. “When [the] quarantine started, one of the coping mechanisms that I had [was] cooking,” she shares.

Mara’s reasons for delivering food within their neighborhood went beyond her own needs. Inspired by a friend who sells food to help neighbors who do not cook, Mara recalls being moved to do the same.

In planning, cooking, and delivering home-cooked meals with her dad, Mara says that the process did not come without challenges. “People here, of course, would be looking for comfort food [such as] Filipino dishes,” she says. “[But] my dad, he wanted to go full Western.”

With neither of them backing down, they ended up offering both cuisines. Mara’s returning customer, Nanette Roldan, attests that her recipes “are simply great” regardless of her order. More than the gustatory satisfaction that Mara’s food brought Roldan, she explains, “At the initial stage of the quarantine where everyone is…panicking and afraid to [leave] their houses, Gabi’s delivery came as an instant solution to address [a] basic need: Food.” 

Just like Mara, Salsa ni Mommy owner Marie Claire Martin commits to extend the same comfort through her own recipe. 

Recovery and continuity

Based in Makati, Salsa ni Mommy officially operated as Metro Manila’s fresh tomato salsa supplier two years ago when Martin’s daughter pitched to brand the business. Its humble origin, however, stretches 10 years ago as a way for Martin to satisfy her cravings that were prohibited due to her health condition brought by lupus.

“Bawal sa akin yun kasi baka maraming preservatives (I’m not allowed to eat preservativeladen food),” Martin shares as she recalls what initiated her food business concept. “I opened the [refrigerator] and saw tomatoes! In my mind then, why not make my own salsa? So I did! I let my family taste it and voila!” 

Martin explains that she pursued the business because she feels empowered when helping customers satisfy their cravings. “I feel so much fulfillment in being able to do that for them– that despite being a person with lupus, I can still be useful, I can still do something for people,” she says.

In fact, returning customer Veron Briones attests that Martin’s salsa brings comfort and nostalgia—both “a much needed break from all the stresses of the current pandemic.”

Likewise, Beverly Diamante, owner of Vernelli’s Sweets and Treats, aims to offer solace through her goods.

Newfound hope

Vernelli’s Sweets and Treats— which has been operating for two months in Cabuyao, Laguna— is a lifelong culmination of Diamante’s childhood passion for food. Growing up to a family restaurant business that honors honest service, Diamante endeavored to do the same.

By upholding the family tradition of selling products that carry the Christmas spirit such as polvoron and puto, she hopes to “inspire others of resilience, hope, and togetherness.” More than tradition, Diamante establishes herself by selling her own specialty: Lasagna.

Allana Marie Legaspi, weets and Treats, shares that — upon trying Diamante’s products— it’s impossible not to go back for more. Legaspi notes that purchasing Vernelli’s products helped her not only cope, but also earn income through reselling. 

However, selling food during quarantine is not easy for online entrepreneurs. Diamante and Martin attest to this, as they share constantly having to bear long lines in the supermarket despite the fear of contracting COVID-19. Nonetheless, positive feedback from customers motivates them to carry on. 

Connected through taste

The quarantine period is a cauldron of losses and new opportunities. With the closure of numerous small-medium enterprises comes the rise of small online businesses. Mara’s, Martin’s, and Diamante’s stories prove that food delivery is not just a means to fulfill one’s basic necessities. 

Home-cooked food delivery is a testament that—in the direst of times—food heals and unites communities when people share a lending hand. Although the end is a blur, a semblance of normalcy can be found through food.