Buy-and-sell Facebook groups within villages and neighborhoods filled the void left by closed stores during the pandemic. They supplied the needs of each household while serving as a means for Filipinos to earn during the crisis.
Online food businesses boomed as well during the community quarantine period. Most of these sellers took advantage of the trending foods such as sushi bake and ube cheese pandesal. For the Mangaoang siblings, their mother’s tried and tested no-fry crispy pata enabled them to earn a living.
“We decided to try selling our mom’s signature ulam in the FB group of our village in May. It is our go-to food for celebrations and gatherings for years,” 27-year-old Quentin said, adding that it became one of the fastest-selling food items in their village.
Image: Facebook/Qrispy
“Once you know your target market, the products, strategies, and everything else will be easier,” Quentin explains.
Their mother, Maria Socorro Mangaoang, works in a dental clinic. However, the clinic had to temporarily cease operations to comply with the government’s mandate to curb the spread of the coronavirus disease.
To bring in additional income to the household, Quentin and his siblings launched Qrispy.
“Our mom is a dentist and due to the enhanced community quarantine, that forced us to stay inside our homes, our family suddenly shifted to working and studying from home,” Quasar, one of the siblings, said.
He further said that the idea of an online and home-based food business was a way to share their mom’s recipe to their community and as a way to earn alternative income during the quarantine.
The secret recipe
While achieving a perfect crispy pata requires simmering the part in pieces, chilling it overnight, and deep-frying the leg to a golden crisp, Qrispy’s does not frizzle in oil.
Image: Facebook/Qrispy
“What makes it so unique is that it is cooked differently from the traditional way, which gives us a pata that’s not as fatty, but still very tender and crispy,” the siblings share.
Aside from the signature crispy pata, they also offer other classic Filipino treats such as chicharon laman and suman. Also, in their menu are Asian dishes such as Takoyaki and kimchi.
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