OFW quits job to start thriving puto bumbong business in Dubai

By JOJO DASS DUBAI, United Arab Emirates – It’s the yuletide season all year-round in Dubai, thanks to an enterprising overseas Filipino worker (OFW) from Pampanga who quit a good-paying, steady job five years ago to start a puto bubong and bibingka business. The business, called Glazed Hub, has now gone so popular that others have followed suit. “In 2017, I introduced puto bumbong and bibingka here in Dubai,” said Frel Jimenez Villaflor. She arrived on a visit visa in 2006 and, for about 11 years, worked in the media and advertising field, first in sales, then went on to become production manager. Villaflor’s puto bumbong and bibingka are prepared and cooked in the traditional method. The puto bumbong, for instance, is extracted from a small bamboo tube by shaking the cylindrical container, which is wrapped in cloth, and applying force on it with bare hands. Tourists are in awe at witnessing how puto bumbong is made as they obviously have not seen food done that way. “Medyo pihikan ako sa food, kaya I have always wanted to bring 'yung mga pagkain na nami-miss ng mga kababayan natin na as much as possible eh Pinas na Pinas ang dating, pati way of cooking,” said Villaflor. (I am a bit meticulous with food, that’s why I have always wanted to bring those foods that our fellow Filipinos here miss, and prepare them just like how we do it back home.) First love Asked why she left a good-paying job and took the risky venture, Villaflor said: “Being a Kapampangan, cooking is really my first love. And, growing up, businesswoman po ang Mommy, kaya I looked up to her na someday, I‘ll make it on my own.” (I grew up seeing my mother as a businesswoman. So I looked up to her and told myself I’m going to make it on my own someday.) Her journey has not been without challenges. She first embarked on a coffee and donut kiosk that did not make much. “Medyo mahirap po nu'ng I had to leave my regular job and focus on the business. Kasi medyo one year bago nakabawi. Tapos, walang regular na income. After ma-introduce 'yung bibingka, du'n na siya nakilala. Then after a few months, puto bumbong naman,” Villaflor said. (It was a bit difficult when I had to leave my regular job and focus on the business. It took about a year before I managed to get returns on my investment. All the while, I had no regular income. Then I introduced the bibingka, and that’s when things started turning around for the better. After a few months, I also introduced the puto bumbong.) Branched out These days, puto bumbong kiosks have sprouted across Dubai, with at least one in a popular mall. Villaflor said she still has her regular customers. She has also branched out, having opened another kiosk named Ningnangan, this time offering grilled seafood meals. “We have customers who have remained with us since day one,” she said. Villaflor has her kiosks set up at the ongoing Rigga Night Market, which opened in late September and will run till May 31 next year. Business is doing good, she said. “It’s super busy. Most of the time, customers had to queue up, place their order for the puto bumbong and bibingka, then come back after an hour or two to get them,” Villaflor said in a mix of the vernacular and English. Villaflor added that there are plans to open a standalone restaurant for the puto bumbong, bibingka, and grilled seafood meals as well as the kwek-kwek items when the Rigga Night Market closes. “We are looking for a bigger place, in God’s will and perfect time, para kahit hindi Pasko, makakabili pa rin ng puto bumbong and bibingka ang mga kababayan natin, mga ibang nationalities at mga turista,” she said. (We are looking for a bigger place, in God’s will and perfect time, so that our fellow Filipinos, other nationalities and tourists can enjoy the puto bumbong ang bibingka even if it’s not Christmas.) Delicacies Considered a seasonal delicacy back home, the puto bumbong is glutinous purple rice cake steamed in bamboo tubes and served on a fresh banana leaf for that added mouth-watering aroma, with toppings like grated coconut and butter. Bibingka, on the other hand, is a rice cake baked using charcoals, using banana leaves atop covered clay ovens, and served with cheese, slices of salted egg as well as grated coconut. —KG, GMA Integrated News