Aside from food and family, Happy Ongpauco-Tiu has another love—her plates.
Smiling, she told PEP.ph (Philippine Entertainment Portal) in an exclusive interview at the Greenhills Mall branch of her Pamana and Tsokolateria restaurants, "I just love it. Like, I love the joy of creating a beautiful table.
"Kasi parang for me, dining is all about capturing all the senses.
"So it's not only about good food. But it has to be the whole experience, di ba?”
Part of her collection includes “expensive plates”—some costing up to PHP23,000 each—from designer brands like Hermes, Fornacetti, Versace, and Dolce & Gabbana.
Read: Happy Ongpauco gives tips on easy-does-it tablescapes
Happy admitted, “So it came to a point na parang I felt I was sinning. I feel guilty buying it.
"Na parang wow, why am I spending this much for plates?
"And then, the idea of private dining came about."
HAPPY ONGPAUCO-TIU’S BESPOKE CATERING BUSINESS
What started as a hobby became part of Private Dining by Happy Concept Group, which now keeps her busy all year-round.
"I was like, you know, why not cater? Start small.
"Kasi no one was doing catering na per 10, per 20 people lang.
"And then, they can use my plates.
"And then, from there, I can buy more plates without the feeling of sinning na I'm spending for nothing, di ba?
"So my plate collection grew in time because of that, without the guilt of, you know, spending.”
"So, I have a menu of plates. And then, if you're a client, I show you. We send you the catalog, and then, you let us know."
When asked if the plates are insured, Happy responded, “No naman. Pero in our contract, kung may mabasag na kasalanan nila, we have to charge.
"But thankfully, thank God, wala pa.”
She and her team have also developed a system to ensure each plate is handled, washed, and stored properly.
The restaurateur said, "I have kasi butlers. So I have a butler just for the plates.
"Now, all they have to do, as soon as makita nila na tapos na kumain, take out na.
"And then, never to wash it all at the same time.
"And the boxes are there.
"So parang when a client, once guest is done, excuse the plate.
"I mean, excuse yourself, get the plate, and wash it and put in the box. Ganon.
"So there's like a process that we do, which is effective. It’s also how I do it in my house.
"When I use my plates, that's how ingat I am.”
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HAPPY ONGPAUCO’S REUNION STAPLES AND TIPS
For now, Happy prefers small dining events over big weddings.
“We have like two to three per day, that’s the average.
"So it's very busy.”
If you need a caterer for your small-group reunions, let Happy take charge of it.
"So you don't have a set menu? Pero if you tell me, 'I want an Indian cuisine,’ I have set menus of different cuisines.
"So I have Indian, Moroccan, Spanish, Latin, then they just choose. Or continental.
"But I have clients, parang happy, I want Russian. Kasi it's for their embassy or whatever, we have Russian guests. Then we do that as well.
"So talagang very curated.
"That makes us different from the other caterers."
When hosting luncheons or dinners at home, her bestseller is "lechon belly."
And her staple dishes?
“Aside from the belly or the porchetta, my angus beef roast.
One thing she’s good at is making sure the food prepared is “sakto."
To be able to master this, she said, “A lot of trial and error.”
PEP mentioned “Sharon,” which is now known as take-home owing to the word “balutin” from her song Bituing Walang Ningning.
This is where her favorite GLAD products come in.
In an event, she said, "So, in my kitchen, I use the press and seal, the aluminum foil, the cook and bake, the trays, party trays.
"All GLAD products are actually my partners this coming Christmas season. Why?
"Because not only do they make my cooking stress-free, but they keep all the ingredients and the dishes very fresh as well, all throughout.
"So during this festive season, GLAD and Happy Home decided to partner up because what comes in mind during Christmas is all about love.
"And I think GLAD being the source of happiness in the kitchen and my Happy Home being the source of happiness in the table or in the dining table, it really fits together as partners because the main goal for us is to really bring love and happy memories around the dining table and, of course, in the kitchen as well.”
For catering needs, call or send a message to: 09176780386, (02) 2907532, inquiry@happyconceptgroup.com.