Kusina ni SIR offers a variety of popular Cebuano pungko-pungko food placed in a box.
(FROM KUSINA NI SIR’S FACEBOOK PAGE)
While most people consider starting a business with friends a risky endeavor, a group of buddies from elementary school defied this belief, as they strive to put a unique twist on Cebu City’s famous street foods.
Steve Cantago, Ivan Melicor, and Rainer Jess Cawayan, the 41-year-old owners of Kusina ni SIR, have taken pungko-pungko to another level with the “street food in a box” concept, which they introduced in January this year.
“We love pungko-pungko. We grew up with that. We’ve loved it since we were young,” said Steve, who oversees production, given his extensive experience in the food industry.
The three of them were classmates from elementary school at the University of San Carlos-South Campus up until high school at the USC North Campus and for some time in college at the USC Technological Campus (TC).
Growing up, there are actually five members of the group, but only three are involved in a business since one is working abroad while another is busy practicing as a doctor in Cebu.
Today, the owners are working in different fields, but continue to be unified in their entrepreneurial pursuit.
Steve is a freelancer for data entry and web development; Ivan is an engineer by profession but works for a home-based BPO, while Rainer is self-employed.
With a friendship that spans close to 30 years, the three businessmen’s relationship with one another has helped them weather both personal and business-related challenges.
“It’s a good thing that we are friends because we get to support each other during trying times,” said Ivan, who handles sales.
For Rainer, who oversees marketing, the business taught them the value of friendship.
Exception
He said that most businesses established by close friends and even families get dissolved due to differences in opinions, but the three of them were an exception.
“We may have different views on things, but because of our closeness and trust in one another, we did not let our business get in the way of our friendship,” he said.
Taken from the Cebuano word pungko, which means to squat, pungko-pungko is a term used to describe the manner of eating in which customers sit on small, low benches along the road with trays containing a wide array of dishes displayed on tables in front of them.
Among Cebuano pungko-pungko favorites are ginabot (deep-friend pork innards), ngohiong, bola-bola (meat balls), fried chicken, as well as chorizo, among others, and paired with puso and a sauce that comprises vinegar and sliced onions.
Steve Cantago, Rainer Jess Cawayan, and Ivan Melicor (above, from left), Kusina ni SIR owners, introduce a new concept in selling kinds of popular street food.
(CDN PHOTO/VICTOR SILVA)
Kusina ni SIR
Kusina ni SIR, whose moniker is derived from the initials of the owners’ first names, takes the local street food scene up a notch by bringing the whole pungko experience to the comforts of their customers’ home or workplace.
“Because we’ve loved pungko-pungko ever since, we were concerned about how it hasn’t evolved. Nobody really cared about the people who would like to eat at stalls, but are hesitant because of concerns over hygiene,” Steve said.
Steve said they first considered workers in the Business Process Outsourcing (BPO) industry, since he also worked in a BPO company before.
He said BPO team leaders have a budget for recreation or get-togethers, so the group thought of giving the street food experience to them in a box in the comforts of their office.
“This was making sure that the people you are shoulder to shoulder with are people that you trust, which is more comfortable,” Steve explained.
Kusina’s origin
Before Kusina ni SIR came into being, the three friends had been renting a space at an eatery along B. Rodriguez Street in midtown Cebu City for three months, along with the owners of other pungko-pungko businesses.
The group spent P12,000 a month for the rental and maintenance fee.
But when the eatery owners decided they could no longer accommodate their tenants, all of them were left with no choice but to find someplace else to go.
It was in November last year when the group found a place along Tres de Abril street in Barangay Labangon, spending P7,000 to build a makeshift kitchen with a counter where nine people can dine at a time.
The business also employs five people for production, sales, and marketing.
Kusina ni SIR offers three types of pungko-pungko party box packages — small (10-15 persons) at P1,300; medium (15-20 persons) at P1,800; and large (20-30 persons) at P2,300.
Each box contains ginabot, fried chicken, bola-bola, taugi (munggo bean sprouts), and ngohiong.
Their first customers were BPO workers and bank employees, but they now also cater to hospitals and even families.
At the onset, Kusina ni SIR sourced their food from southern Cebu but eventually decided to prepare their own products to maintain the safety and quality.
In January, when the delivery service was launched, they only delivered two to three boxes a week. It grew to two to three boxes daily and now, seven to 10 boxes every day.
Steve said that in the next three years, they plan to expand the reach of their delivery service. Today, they can only serve Cebu City.
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