Filipino rise from Janitor to Restauranteur

[ad]

I found this article from Gel, we’re just growing and becoming a success in comparison to other Asisan country.  We know we can hang with the big boys, but the only thing that separate us is our treatment to our employees.   We believe in helping them and treating them with respect as you’ve been in their shoes and you will get more out of them than using them as “slaves”. We are more than just someone to clean your house, school, streets…so read his story.. and thanks again Gel…

How one Filipino won the unforgiving taste buds of the Italians

TURIN, Italy – Make no mistake about it, Italians know their food well.  So how the heck did one Filipino win the hearts (and stomachs) of a nation that perfected pasta and pizza? Well, give them sushi.

Arthur Aala opened his first Japanese restaurant, Ohashi, in 2002. He is now the owner of 6 Japanese restaurants. Two of them are solely his, while he co-owns the other 4 with his Filipino buddies.

A framed certificate recognizing the quality of their food is proudly displayed in one of his restaurants, Osaka. It was awarded to the restaurant by the Il Gotha del Gusto International Press Association, which has a membership of 300 food critics worldwide.

Aala believes the quality of food and service in his restaurants is the reason why customers keep coming back.

“I actually learned it from the Italians. I always make sure we serve high quality food that only gets better. If not, we lose customers. Every single plate has to be very good and must also look good,” said Aala.

It’s hard to imagine that this restaurateur who drives a Porsche was once a janitor in Saudi Arabia. Aala was only 19 years old, the eldest of 4 children, when he decided to leave the Philippines with the dream of giving his family a better future.

This paid off and he was able to build a house for his family in Batangas. But Aala is no stranger to hard work: he recalled that as boy, he helped his father who was a fisherman in Batangas. He then worked for a bakery after high school.

At the age of 28, Arthur moved to Italy and worked as a construction worker in Rome.

“My life in Italy was the hardest. You name it, I’ve done it — construction worker, painter, domestic worker, pandesal maker, chicharon maker. Then one day, I landed a job in a Japanese restaurant in Torino,” he recalled.

From being a part-time waiter, Aala became a sushi man. When he realized he had learned enough about running a Japanese restaurant, he decided to open up his own.

“I saw so many Chinese businessmen putting up successful businesses. I asked myself, why can’t Filipinos?” he said.

He also wanted to uplift the image of Filipinos abroad, to be known as successful businessmen and not just blue-collar workers. But Aala also employs an all-Filipino staff and is glad to be able to give them a job.

“Even in times of crisis, even if the restaurant’s income is small, we keep them with us and give them what is due. I’ve been through what they’ve been through so I treat them right and with respect,” said Aala.

Aala is not the only successful businessman in Turin. He shares his success with his Filipino partners who are also his friends.

“We are like brothers. It’s normal to have differences sometimes but the key is not to get personal and not to let it affect our restaurant business,” said Aala.

One of his partners, Teddy Cruz, believes fate brought them together. Before they worked together, Cruz had asked Aala to be the godfather of his child. It was during the baptism that Aala and Cruz talked about putting up another Japanese restaurant.

“If not for Arthur, I wouldn’t be in this business,” said Cruz.

Cruz used to be a building administrator. He now drives a BMW.

Rodrigo Cruz, another partner who was also a godfather to Cruz’s child, said they wouldn’t have made it if they didn’t have each other.

“Our friendship is deep. It’s not perfect, that’s why understanding each other, and sometimes giving in to the other is important. We won’t succeed if we rely on our human emotions, I believe that God is guiding us that is why we are still standing,” explained Rodrigo Cruz.

The 3 aren’t resting on their laurels. They’ve opened a new restaurant in the busy central district of Turin.

Okinawa Sushi Bar has a concept different from their other restaurants – it doubles as an art gallery, with paintings of up-and-coming Italian artists hanging on its walls.

Of course, the food is still top priority, and the owners promise to give the same quality Japanese cuisine as the old favorites, Osaka and Ohashi. Yes, they still employ an all-Filipino staff just like in their other restaurants.  But for this venture, the trio decided to get Italian partners. The 3, however, still run the show.

According to Aala, Filipinos shouldn’t think the only opportunities for them abroad are in menial work.

“If you have something to show, show it, speak up. You have to be a fighter. Never think you are lower than them because if you do, they will think the same of you,” he said.

Aala’s recipe for success is as simple as the ingredients in Japanese cuisine.

“To be successful, it’s not enough to be hard-working. You have to have a lot of patience and perseverance. If a storm comes, you have to get up and continue what you started,” he said.

Aala may have come a long way, but he says his journey hasn’t ended. He’s still on the lookout for more opportunities for himself and his kababayans. And, while he humbly says that he doesn’t consider himself successful, he hopes that in his own little way, he can prove that the Filipino is indeed world class.