A budding entrepreneur at age nine, Po Diana Ang Uy has proven that, in business, age does not matter.
As a young girl, she would purchase soft drinks and instant noodles to sell to the workers at their garment business. Come pay day, armed with her Little Twin Stars notebook and matching Little Twin Stars money box, she would collect payment. “I wanted to have extra money. I had my allowance but I wanted to earn my own money,” Uy says.
Earn she did. Decades later, she is still earning her own money by selling food, albeit on a much bigger scale.
Uy started her catering business right after finishing Hotel & Restaurant Management. It was a fairly easy decision to make as she comes from a family that loves to cook and entertain. The family kitchen became her base as it was well-equipped with the what she needed, their home garden was a perfect party venue, but more importantly, she had her family and friends to help her out.
Po Diana Catering Service debuted in 1991. The first event was the dinner at her cousins’ Junior-Senior prom. “I served baked chicken, but made a mistake in computing the amount needed for 300 guests. We ended up having to eat baked chicken for a whole week,” she laughingly recalls. Still, it was a success and they ended the night joining in the dancing. The next years saw her business grow and evolve, transitioning into Simply Delicious Catering Food Corp., specializing in corporate catering, institutional foodservice management, concessionaire operations, and handcrafted food products.
Like other businesses, catering can have its pitfalls. Through it all, Ms. D, as her clients call her, says she has learned to take things in stride. Her advice: Learn from your mistakes and don’t repeat them. You must have presence of mind and address issues at once.
Her quiet grace and warm smile belie an undeniable strength of will. “I am no stranger to sleeping in the kitchen,” she says. She has never shied away from hard work—be it going around Farmer’s Market buying meat and vegetables, washing dishes the day after a catering job, scouring the streets for an ice cream cart to rent, driving to the supermarket to purchase supplies, serving guests, or being the calm and gracious host despite turmoil in the kitchen. Uy says, “When you love what you do, it’s not work.”
It’s the same sentiment she has for the bottled tuyo that she started making 20 years ago. Simply Delish Crispy Tuyo Flakes is as unique as its name. It is flaked dried fish that’s fried to a crisp and steeped in premium olive oil. How does the tuyo stay crisp in the oil? Magic, she says.
It is artisanal, meticulously made by hand, a true labor of love. Made in small batches, with a nod to sustainability as the bottles are reusable and the fish locally sourced, it is the taste of home—familiar and comforting.
“This is God’s gift to me. That’s why making it came easy. This is my baby,” she proudly proclaims, “The star of my business.” Last year, she came out with Relish Tuyo Flakes, a version made with minced vegetables, that proved to be another hit. In the works, is the spicy variant of her Crispy Tuyo Flakes.
There is more up her sleeve, as Uy is all set to launch her line of frozen food products that include her specialties like beef belly tapa, salpicao, and gambas. Like her bottled products, these use only the best ingredients, are handmade with care, and proudly Pinoy in flavor.
Despite her busy schedule, Uy has carefully balanced her life with children, Matthew and Nicole and their fur baby, Frosty, a Bichon Frisé who is the apple of their eye. Though not working directly for the family business, they support her in their own way. Matthew, who has a PhD in Clinical Psychology, advises his mother on the financial aspects of the business while Nicole, who is also a photographer and food stylist, aside from being a teacher, helps prepare their marketing materials. “I am blessed to have wonderful children,” Uy says. They are her inspiration.
If a measure of success is one attaining what one envisioned one’s business to be, then Uy has certainly passed the test. She has often said, “Food has always been my way of bringing people together and creating memorable moments … to share a taste of home and Filipino tradition.” She’s accomplished all that and isn’t stopping any time soon. wf Cris C. Abiva
