Chef starts takoyaki business to support family amid pandemic

A professional chef started a takoyaki business to support his family after losing his job amid the community quarantine.

According to Bernadette Reyes' report on "24 Oras," Rowell Rivera decided to venture into food business to help buy maintenance medicine for his father.

There are three chefs in the family, including both of them, but all three found themselves unemployed when the pandemic hit.

"Nagbawas po 'yung company nila ng tao kaya pinag-force resign po siya," Rowell said.

To earn some income for their every day needs, his mother started selling embutido and longganisa.

Meanwhile, Rowell and his girlfriend turned to baking pastries, but they eventually stopped due to the intense competition in the market.

He switched to making takoyaki, a popular Japanese street food, and pawned his playstation for P5,000 to raise a starting capital.

In just two weeks, he got his starting capital and his playstation back as his takoyaki became a huge hit.

"Yung suweldo ko po ng half a month, kaya po siyang kitain ng 3-4 days," said Rowell, who now earns P2,000 to P3,000 per day.

Asked for the secret behind his success, he said the key is his passion for his craft.

"Kung gusto mo talaga 'yung ginagawa mo, sasarap at sasarap 'yan," he said. —MGP, GMA News