EatsChalicious, “Friendors,” + #Ubefied Delights: Inside EatsChaChaCha
Interview by Jaeya Bayani + Camille Washington
Photos courtesy of Kapwa Gardens
Kultivate Labs’ community-centeredness is an element of the organization that shines through at our events. We don’t simply source vendors—we build partnerships with local Fil-Am businesses. Our vendors, like EatsChaChaCha, have been a part of our family for multiple events:
EatsChaChaCha was a vendor this past month at Yum Yams, and will return for the UNDSCVRD Cultural Crawl on 10/19!
EatsChaChaCha is a One Lake, Fairfield, CA-based food catering service + vendor specializing in bread, pasta, + desserts galore! They were featured in the Ube Yum Yams Box that we rolled out in 2022, alongside Tracy’s, Sweet Sips Cafe (formerly Baked by Cara), + Tita Pearl.
“She [Cha] wanted to make something she was proud of and that she owned. ”
Photos courtesy of Kapwa Gardens + EatsChaChaCha
Please introduce yourself, EatsChaChaCha, and your origin story. Feel free to share any upcoming pop-up dates or announcements you and Cha have.
I'm Niegel. My wife, Cha, and I own EatsChaChaCha. Back then, the name of our company was EatsChalicious–a play on words incorporating my wife's name. Our second year, my 4- or 5-year-old son said, “Let's change mommy's business name to EatsChaChaCha.” My wife was watching the Korean Netflix show Hometown Cha-Cha-Cha. We're like, “It's good because [we have] trouble with friends or other vendors who can't figure out how it's said.” [It’s] simpler and more catchy, so we transitioned to EatsChaChaCha.
Photos courtesy of Kapwa Gardens
We started during COVID-19 in 2020. I think that Cha, as a wife and especially after giving birth, wanted to prove that she could make something she was proud of and that she owned—not just because of my work or something else. The idea [and] opportunity came when she was looking and applying for jobs. We said, “Why don’t we start this?” It allows my wife to stay at home, and also do what she loves.
“It [the pandemic] became a setting for a lot of our friend vendors, who we call ‘friendors.’”
It was the right moment and opportunity. [A] Facebook group called the NorCal Kababayan Community [came with it]. This became a platform for aspiring Fil-Am small businesses. [It] enabled them to expand their market outside their family and friends. All retail shops and restaurants were closed during the pandemic, so the only available [food sources were] home-cooked and from that group’s posts. That was a springboard to fuel that dream and passion. We did meet-ups in Daly City and Vallejo, where everything started.
From there, we met folks and were introduced to the event community. We’ve been a part of Yum Yams for the last few years, [which led to] joining festivals beyond San Francisco and around the Bay Area. We’re excited to announce that we’ll be at UNDSCVRD on October 19, 2024.
Ube Banana Nut Bread, courtesy of @eatschachacha
Interestingly, you decided to start this entrepreneurship journey during the pandemic. That's a bold move, considering restaurants and food vendors had a tough time with COVID- regulations. For you to start your business and be booked up—that's inspirational.
I think what happened is that regulations for all counties were placed on hold. It wasn't enforced as much because no restaurants were open. There were skeleton crews within offices [globally], so it became an opportunity for small aspiring entrepreneurs to do their work without worrying about being in trouble for starting one. It became a setting for many of our friend vendors, [or] “friendors” (as quoted by Kommunity Hub).
Puto Mix, courtesy of @eatschachacha
When they got a better grasp of COVID, [restrictions were tighter], and it filtered out who wanted to stay. Many of those folks are those who are still around, joining the events. There's a good number that went back to work or their normal lives, but folks were able to showcase talents—whether it's cooking, crafts, or anything else. There was no regulation. You [could] do it, as long as folks [were] willing to pay and support you.
“People know us for our ‘binkinis’ or ‘bibingka minis’ and our pasta during Christmas, Thanksgiving, and New Year. ”
That's a great point and ties into my next question. EatsChaChaCha has desserts and breads, with its bakery route, but you also offer pasta dishes. What are the origins of your pasta offerings?
Cheesy Baked Mac, courtesy of @eatschachacha
It started with pasta and bread because my wife's mom is great at cooking Filipino-style pasta—whether it's lasagna, baked mac, or spaghetti. There were already [customers] so it was an offering we [had in] the beginning. As we’ve grown, joined bigger events, and have done pop-ups, we realize that we can’t offer certain items without the next level of permits.
Cheesy Baked Mac, courtesy of @eatschachacha
We only offer bread, pastries, and desserts for events. Pasta is more for pre-orders during the holidays or special orders. It’s been a staple of ours. People know us for our “binkinis” or “bibingka minis” and our pasta during Christmas, Thanksgiving, and New Year. That's when my wife's kitchen is full of party trays with that staple.
“Binkinis” / Bibingka Minis courtesy of @eatschachacha
I’m curious about how you’ve tried to experiment with Ube flavor in your pasta, bread, and pasty offerings. Please share a bit about EatsChaChaCha’s ube origins.
Filipino-style Lasagna, courtesy of @eatschachacha
We keep it original for the pasta. It’s a little bit weird, but I do know folks who have done an “ube pasta.” We have the classic offerings because we can cater to that for big events. It's just Filipino-style pasta. There's always curiosity, especially when we’re at the farmer's market. People ask about what makes a Filipino-style lasagna Filipino. I'm like, “I'll give you the secret. We don't put hot dogs in our lasagna like some do. For us, it's the sweet savory sauce.” Folks will then ask, “What makes it sweet? Sugar?” “No, banana ketchup.” It makes them want to try it. Interestingly, many non-Filipinos continue ordering from us because they enjoy the Filipino-style, sweet-savory flavor of our lasagna and baking.
“At last year’s Yum Yams, we had our booth named EatChaChaCha #Ubefied because we embrace ube, and don’t want to turn back on the classics. ”
We didn’t originally start with Ube. EatsChalicious and EatsChaChaCha were pure with bread and desserts. Our original menu did start with our signature ube halaya or “hala-yeah,” which folks loved. We started branching out into including Ube in our other offerings. We started with one of our desserts, the classic cassava flan. We created the Ube Cassava Flan, and then made the Ube Macadamia cheesecake for non-Filipinos at a farmers’ market who may want to try Ube, but are afraid to try it in its pure form.
Plus, who doesn't love cheesecake? We launched that two years ago, and it's been our bestseller for dessert cups.
Ube “Halayeah,” Ube Cassava Flan, Ube Macadamia Cheesecake, courtesy of @eatschachacha
We also started including ube in our bread. For example, our Ube Surprise Binkinis are the classic Bibingka with Ube inside. People love them, so we offer both versions of the Binkinis as a package at our pop-ups, to give them the best of both worlds. We constantly challenge ourselves. At last year's Yum Yams, we had our booth named EatsChaChaCha #Ubefied because we embrace ube, and don't want to turn back on the classics. It's a mixture of classics and Ubefied treats.
“Binkinis” / Bibingka Minis (Classic, Cheesy Ham, Ube Surprise, All Cheese, Nutella)
Ube “HalaYEAH” Cheesecake, courtesy of @eatschachacha
When the viral Dubai chocolate came out this year, we started thinking of creating our own—intending to release an Ubefied version after perfecting the chocolate version. We finally have the taste we want, and we are officially bringing the Ubefied Dubai chocolate to our Yum Yams booth—where attendees will have the first taste!
Classic + Ubefied Dubai Chocolate, courtesy of @eatschachacha
Can you speak to the collaborative process of ideating the Ube Yum Yams Box a few years back with Tracy’s, Tita Pearl, and Baked By Cara?
“It’s nice to see that you’re not succeeding on your own and to have others succeed with you. ”
That's what I love about the, um, the NorCal Kababayan Community Group. That's when we met other vendors [and] were able to convert them from just being co-vendors to friends. We met Tita Pearl, a mentor to many vendors that you see now, especially in the UNDSCVRD and Yum Yams. We got that from her, built a group of vendors called KitakEATS in 2021, and created a few Ube festival events in San Francisco. They suggested that we vend at Yum Yams with them. We were scared because we didn’t know what to expect or what to do, but with Tita Pearl’s guidance and support, we [got] our feet wet doing events with Kapwa Gardens, Yum Yams, and UNDSCVRD.
Fliers courtesy of EatsChaChaCha
Tita Pearl was the one who mentioned creating a collaborative box to feature a good number of sellers and promotes each other and the ube, not just yourself. That’s when we combined (in a few different variations) Tracy's Butter Bar, Ube Jelly Drink by Baked by Cara (now Sweet Sips), Tita Pearl's Ube Pandesal, and our Ube Hala-yeah!
It's nice to see that you're not succeeding on your own and to have others succeed with you. That's what I appreciate about Tita Pearl; she's a mentor in [helping] everybody succeed. She has this collaborative mindset of: “if we do it all together, we'll succeed better.” We're continuously collaborating with many vendors at many events, but it all started with a Yum Yams box.
What has been the most meaningful about being a part of the Yum Yams family year after year? How has the event strengthened your outreach efficiency and helped your business to flourish?
Yum Yams is one of our signature events—if we can coin it as one. It was our first exposure to markets like this. Before Yum Yams, we were doing meetups. We’d park in empty parking lots and wait for orders to come in. I appreciate how organized Yum Yams is. We saw the entire picture and understood step-by-step how to succeed. I appreciate the vendor call because every detail is explained, and best practices for upcoming vendors are provided. Yum Yams co-promotes its vendors and not just the event, which sets a standard for any events we plan to join.
“I appreciate how organized Yum Yams is. We saw the entire picture and understood step-by-step how to succeed. ”
I'm always grateful for being chosen year after year to be part of Yum Yams because what I’ve noticed about Yum Yams and any Kultivate Labs event, is that they're ultimately community-based. This benefits and uplifts the vendors and the Filipino community.
Why is it valuable for Filipinx folks of all generations to pay more attention to and support small, Fil-Am businesses and entrepreneurs in their local communities?
You are supporting [and] helping a person’s dream become reality—like Tita Pearl’s to make ube known here in the United States, [with] her outspokenness on the topic. You're supporting my wife’s dream to make something out of nothing and be proud of [her] product. It could be [someone] who's creating arts and crafts and wants to showcase that skill set. Dreams need to be fueled and supported.
We know the quality of products from brick-and-mortar stores, [but] it's important to [also] show that support to small, aspiring businesses. They may be the next Isla, Ube Area, or Señor Sisig; these folks have great followings and established brands. People helped them out in the beginning. If we collectively support small Filipino businesses, they may be able to showcase their unique offering to the world, or at least to San Francisco.
“The box symbolizes how Filipinos grow, help, be there for, and try not to overpower each other as a community.”
When the health department [became more] strict, Tita Pearl helped us continue to do what we love. We may not be able to provide support at that level to someone, but we can invest in their items, provide constructive criticism, or support with extra marketing—kind of like the Yum Yams Box. The box symbolizes how Filipinos grow, help, [are] there for, and try not to overpower each other as a community.
Catch the Yum Yams Box trio — EatsChaChaCha, Sweet Sips, and Tracy’s
As a now-established vendor in your community, what advice would you give to potential Yum Yams vendors who are nervous to take the leap and apply?
If you’re a new vendor, Yum Yams + Kultivate Labs’ events are waiting for you!
This is a community that supports each other. Join us at UNDSCVRD, upcoming Kultivate events, and Bay Area pop-ups. Find vendors from the Kultivate Labs family, talk to us, and learn from who’s been part of it.
Flier courtesy of Erwin Jastillana
