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Patch (00:08):
Hi Carmina.
Carmina (00:09):
Hi Patch. Hi listeners. Welcome to JeepneyTrip, a podcast where we explore everything fun, weird, and in between about the Philippines.
Patch (00:21):
A word about our sponsor.
Carmina (00:24):
JeepneyTrip is sponsored by SolePack, a functional shoe accessory bag. Its patented design stores your shoes on the sides of your backpack and provides an ergonomic and hygienic means to carry your shoes.
Patch (00:37):
Now you can travel hands-free, have more space inside your backpack and keep your dirty shoes away from everything. Be sure to also check out their string bags and backpacks for more options.
Carmina (00:50):
Visit thesolepack.com and enter JeepneyTrip10 at checkout for a 10% discount. Now back to our show.
Patch (01:01):
Today's trip is a business trip. And a business trip is when we discuss companies, products or people who exemplify global success in their chosen fields.
Carmina (01:15):
Patch, who is the first person that comes to mind when we talk about business figures who have a achieved global recognition.
Patch (01:25):
Well, for me, it's none other than Dado Banatao.
Carmina (01:29):
Me too. For me, he's really the epitome of a Filipino success story. He came from really humble beginnings. As he tells it, he had a farmer for a father and he actually used to walk barefoot to school because that's how hard up they were when he was growing up.
Patch (01:49):
In most of the articles that I found about him that is always mentioned his very humble beginnings.
Carmina (01:57):
His father was such a devoted caregiver. And you know, Patch, right, in agricultural countries, typically the children help with the farm work because that's really how you're able to maximize the use of the land, is if you help out your parents. But in Dado's words, his father always said that his job was to study and that his father's job was to provide. And it instilled in him the importance of education because of his parents' encouragement.
Patch (02:33):
He studied diligently every night.
Carmina (02:37):
He learned Math using bamboo sticks and this from a person who had really very important contributions that can found in every personal computer we use today. So he invented the first PC chip set and the Windows graphics accelerator chip. Now, of course, I'm saying these things like I understand what they are, but [laughter]
Patch (03:00):
I was very, I was actually very impressed, but I take it back [laughter].
Carmina (03:04):
So I was reading more on it. But in simple terms, he basically found a way to link computers from 150 chips, he whittled that down to five. And because of his innovation, now it's even less. You can now link computers with one chip. And then the other thing is that he is credited for speeding up computer graphics. You know, even if it's just a few seconds' delay, we're always complaining about how slow sometimes our computers are. I can't even imagine what it was like before he made these contributions to society.
Patch (03:49):
I refuse to imagine. [laughter]
Carmina (03:52):
So we talked a little about his early life. When he graduated from college in design engineer, he really couldn't find any real design engineer jobs in the Philippines. So for a while, he was a pilot trainee at the Philippine Airlines. And then somehow Boeing heard about him and pirated him from Philippine Airlines and hired him to be an design engineer for the 747, which is why he ended up in the US. So an article that he was interviewed for said that he really wasn't happy at Boeing. And that's when he pursued his Master's Degree in Electrical Engineering and Computer Science in Stanford of all places. And that's what led him to his path to Silicon valley. The other impressive thing about him is that he can be considered a contemporary of Steve Jobs and Bill Gates.
Patch (04:52):
In the early stages of personal computers, he was one of those along with Steve Jobs, building these com computers themselves at home. Wasn't he also a part of several start-ups?
Carmina (05:05):
Yeah, he was. And one of them called S3 graphics was named as the most profitable in the world in 1993. And -
Patch (05:16):
Wow.
Carmina (05:17):
- the other company that he started called Chips and Technologies sold to Intel in 1996 for hundreds of millions of dollars. Wow. That's why Dado, to me, is the OG Filipino global entrepreneur. [laughter]
Patch (05:35):
[laughter] That's right.
Carmina (05:36):
And one of the reasons why he is so beloved in the Philippines is he is so humble. He doesn't even consider himself brilliant. He thinks that he's below others in the intelligence department and when he was working in Silicon valley, he often said that he envied all of the smart people that worked around him.
Patch (05:59):
Well, if he's below, then I shiver to think what I am as far as - [laughter].
Carmina (06:06):
Me too.
Patch (06:06):
- ranking intelligence, but let's not go there. [laughter]
Carmina (06:11):
I think he says that because he wants to emphasize that he got where he was because of hard work, more than anything else.
Patch (06:21):
You know, I found some interesting trivia about numbers related to Dado. There's the number 25, which represents 25 centavos, which is the cost of a meal for him. He loved to buy small bowls of sunset for lunch break in college.
Carmina (06:41):
Nice.
Patch (06:42):
And another number is the number 18, which is the age when he experienced celebrating his birthday for the first time.
Carmina (06:52):
Oh, my. The other reason why I really love Dado is because he started the Philippine Development Foundation, in short, Phil Dev. And I'm just going to read from their website: "The Phil Dev is an independent nonprofit organization that aims to eradicate poverty in the Philippines through its three pillars: education, innovation, and entrepreneurship." I love that he's giving back.
Patch (07:25):
Me too.
Carmina (07:27):
The other iconic Filipino
Load full transcript
entrepreneur for me is Loida Nicolas-Lewis. So Loida took over her husband's business when he died. And that's always how she's introduced in articles, which in some ways, to me, doesn't really shine a light on her many other achievements before doing that.
Patch (07:51):
Mm-hmm.
Carmina (07:51):
She got her law degree from the University of the Philippines. She was seventh in the bar exams in 1967.
Patch (08:01):
Wow.
Carmina (08:01):
And by the way, Patch, when she came to the US, she became the first Asian woman to pass the New York Bar without going to law school in the US.
Patch (08:13):
I didn't know that.
Carmina (08:14):
Isn't that so impressive? And that's why I'm always wondering why articles don't lead with those things because in themselves, that's also already very impressive.
Patch (08:26):
It's already a big achievement regardless of what she supposedly inherited from her husband, right?
Carmina (08:33):
And even then when she inherited that company, she was able to grow that company's revenues to two billion dollars before she eventually sold it.
Patch (08:44):
So Carmina, I didn't realize she was a former immigration lawyer.
Carmina (08:48):
She was. She worked at the INS, the Immigration and Naturalization Service.
Patch (08:54):
So I also learned that her father was a lumber and furniture magnate back home.
Carmina (09:02):
Mm-hmm.
Patch (09:02):
And he wanted her to enter politics. Apparently that was not part of her plan.
Carmina (09:10):
I think maybe what happened was she met her husband in New York.
Patch (09:15):
Mm-hmm.
Carmina (09:15):
It was described that they were on a blind date and they got married a year later.
Patch (09:20):
Wow. Like a movie.
Carmina (09:22):
Yes. And the other admirable thing about her is that like, Dado, she is also a philanthropist. She heads up a lot of groups and she is also the, and co-founder of the US Pinoys for Good Governance, which is another nonprofit organization that represents the advocacy work of Filipino American leaders. And I want to add this person to our list because she is one of the more recent examples of success stories. Sheila Lirio-Marceo, who is the founder of Care.com. Have you heard of Care.com, Patch?
Patch (10:04):
I went into their website a few years ago, looking for someone to help me. I wasn't aware at that time that the founder was Pinay.
Carmina (10:16):
So for people who don't know, Care.com is an online web portal. And what it does is it connects families, caregivers, and employers for all kinds of care. It can be childcare, senior care, housekeeping, pet care, you name it. And it's significant because she revolutionized that kind of service online. Do you know how it all started?
Patch (10:44):
No, I'm quite curious.
Carmina (10:44):
So the inspiration for Care.com is quite personal for Sheila. She got married young and she was already here in the US and you know how it is here in the US, right? There are no helpers. So it's all you and, God willing, your
husband who's taking care of everything.
Patch (11:06):
Right.
Carmina (11:07):
She asked her parents who were then living in the Philippines to come over, to help her with childcare. So her parents came, but not long after, her Dad had a heart attack.
Patch (11:19):
Oh my that's so sad.
Carmina (11:21):
Her caregiving problems exponentially increased. So not only did she have problems with her childcare, she now had to take care of her father, as well. And when she was looking at the marketplace, she didn't really find any kind of service.
Patch (11:40):
I'm just curious because out of the need for care for her father and her son, I mean, what led her to the path of creating a startup that was online-based? What was her background?
Carmina (11:54):
So her parents wanted her to pursue a law career. And in fact, she applied to Harvard Law School and got accepted, but she deferred it. She really wasn't sure that she wanted to be a lawyer. And instead what she did was she pursued a joint JD and MBA program to give her that education in both business and law. So the entrepreneurial part of her studies at Harvard ended up being her passion. And of course, after she graduated, she worked for a consulting firm. And then later joined startup companies. In 2019 Care.com was acquired for an all-cash value of 500 million.
Patch (12:41):
Wow.
Carmina (12:42):
Can you imagine that she created a business because she needed those same things.
Patch (12:48):
And I literally can only imagine. [laughter]
Carmina (12:52):
You and me both. Don't we also have some very famous figures when it comes to the fashion industry?
Patch (13:00):
Yes, we do. And recently I came across this designer. Have you heard of Furne One? Yes.
Carmina (13:09):
He has some celebrity following doesn't he?
Patch (13:12):
He does. Katy Perry -
Carmina (13:15):
Wow.
Patch (13:16):
- Jennifer Lopez and Lady Gaga.
Carmina (13:18):
Nice.
Patch (13:20):
So he is a designer. He started sketching when he was only 10. He got most of his inspirations from his mother and his grandmother. And that's what inspired to take a course in fashion design. But schools did not really offer fashion design or at least not a lot of schools at that time. And so he opted to take fine arts at University of San Carlos in Cebu.
Carmina (13:51):
Mm-hmm.
Patch (13:51):
But his big break came in 1994 when he won the Grand Prize at the first Megadesigners Competition in the Philippines. In that competition, there were international fashion industry judges, and one of his prizes included a trip to Paris. After he finished training in Paris, none other than Josie Natori invited him to New York. And she took him under her wing.
Carmina (14:24):
That's another OG Filipino entrepreneur right there, Josie Natori.
Patch (14:29):
When his apprenticeship ended with the Natori company, he returned to Cebu. There joined another competition, which was a government-sponsored competition. He won. And one of the prizes was a trip to Japan.
Carmina (14:44):
Mm-hmm.
Patch (14:44):
And there he gained even more experience and was awarded the Desirable Women's Wear Award after which he decided to go to Dubai.
Carmina (14:58):
Mm-hmm.
Patch (14:58):
And that's where he really made a name for himself. He started a company catering to rich women there. And that's when he really hit it big. He opened his own fashion house and he named it Amato Couture. Amato means beloved. Most of his fashion focused on intricate bead work. And that's what he's known for.
Carmina (15:24):
I've actually looked at pictures of some of his designs. They are really quite spectacular. And if you look at his clientele, like you said, Katie Perry, and I think even Pink, they push the boundaries when it comes to fashion.
Patch (15:40):
I guess that's why his work is really popular with them because I believe they even used his designs in their music, videos and concerts. And in pageantries, which I guess takes us to another designer who is favored in the pageantries.
Carmina (16:00):
Right? Michael Cinco, right?
Patch (16:02):
Yes.
Carmina (16:03):
So some celebrities who wear Michael Cinco are Beyonce, Jennifer Lopez, again. Lady Gaga, Mariah Carey...Nick Jonas? Jason Derulo, Steve Aoki, who's a DJ.
Patch (16:24):
Mm-hmm.
Carmina (16:24):
He even lists Carrie Underwood, Sophia Vergara. And the list goes on and on.
Patch (16:31):
I honestly didn't know much about Michael Cinco, probably because I cannot afford anything that he, he has, any of his pieces and neither am I a, uh, beauty pageant contestant [laughter]. So Michael Cinco grew up in the island of Samar. His love for design started with his love for black-and-white Hollywood films. He was really mesmerized by the costumes and the great glamor of these starlets.
Carmina (17:05):
Right. And he graduated from the Central St. Martin's College of Arts and Design, which is in London. Some alumni from that school are Stella McCartney, John Galliano, and even Alexander McQueen.
Patch (17:21):
That's pretty impressive.
Carmina (17:23):
Did you know that he was in America's Next Top Model?
Patch (17:27):
Oh, I didn't know that!
Carmina (17:28):
He was apparently featured in Cycle 16. I can't wait to hunt that show down.
Patch (17:35):
Me too. I'm sure it's in YouTube somewhere.
Carmina (17:38):
The other thing that I found out about him, one of his dresses was featured in the movie Jupiter Ascending that star Mila Kunis and Channing Tatum.
Patch (17:49):
I will put it in my list of, um, must-watch.
Carmina (17:53):
The other fashion designer icon that I thought we could talk about is Monique Monique Lhuillier.
Patch (18:00):
Yes, of course.
Carmina (18:02):
Monique is born to a French father and a Filipino mother Isn't she also Cebuano?
Patch (18:11):
Yes. So apparently we can say based on two people, that Cebu is the fashion capital of the Philippines [laughter]. No but, okay. So she was born in Cebu City.
Carmina (18:25):
Right. And her family name,
Lhuillier, is very famous in the Philippines because they owned pawn shops that were all over the islands.
Patch (18:35):
So at the age of 15, she left for Switzerland to study at a boarding school there, after which she furthered her studies in New York. Not until she moved to Los Angeles did she join the Fashion Institute of Design and Merchandising. And that's where she met her future partner and father of her two kids.
Carmina (18:58):
And Patch, do you know how her design house started?
Patch (19:02):
No.
Carmina (19:02):
She was married in 1995. And when she was trying to find a bridal gown, she had a really hard time. So story goes that she did find an okay dress, but she ended up designing her bridal party's outfits. And a year later is when she launched her bridal line.
Patch (19:25):
A small trivia I came across is, apparently, Monique parents used to forbid her from wearing black outfits. I guess that's why she ventured into bridal because they're always white [laughter].
Carmina (19:39):
That could be [laughter]. So Patch, her designs not only include bridal wear, she also ventured into ready-to-wear. She's another one who has a long list of celebrity clients. Some of her clients are Emma Stone, Blake Lively, Gwyneth Paltrow, Taylor Swift, Reese Witherspoon, Jessica Alba, and Michelle Obama. She is listed as one of the 20 richest fashion designers in the world.
Patch (20:10):
Wow.
Carmina (20:13):
And of course we can't leave this topic without talking about the culinary world.
Patch (20:20):
Of course, my favorite industry.
Carmina (20:22):
My favorite industry and activity.
Patch (20:26):
Yes.
Carmina (20:27):
The first ones I want to talk about are Amy Besa and Romy Dorotan. They might be more known here in New York, but do you remember Cendrillon, Patch?
Patch (20:39):
Yes. I have found memories of eating in Cendrillon. Yeah.
Carmina (20:43):
So Cendrillon, as far as I know, was really the first Filipino fine dining restaurant in New York. Cendrillon was opened in the Mercer-Soho neighborhood, which if you remember, Patch, was very up-and-coming in 1995.
Patch (21:01):
The fact that I can remember is seriously dating us [laughter].
Carmina (21:06):
That right. And I guess what I really admire about them is they're credited for introducing Filipino fusion cuisine back when Filipino cuisine wasn't really yet in the mainstream. It must have been really difficult for them to do that.
Patch (21:24):
I remember seeing Chef Romy Dorotan in one of Martha Stewart's episodes. He helped her cook chicken adobo.
Carmina (21:34):
Right.
Patch (21:35):
Did you ever see that episode?
Carmina (21:37):
I did. And he also has had several recipes published in the New York Times. Just a little bit of a backstory about Amy and Romy. They met in the US as adults in the seventies. When they started Cendrillon, both of them admit to not really knowing much about traditional Filipino food beyond their own knowledge of family recipes. And in fact, that's what they base their initial menu on. I guess you could say that Cendrillon also helped them learn about their Filipino heritage when it comes to traditional Filipino food. So Cendrillon closed in 2009, but they've since opened Purple Yam, which is located in Brooklyn and their menu there really is a little bit closer to traditional Filipino food.
Patch (22:30):
You and I have to go to Purple Yam when I visit you.
Carmina (22:35):
Oo, sarap dun [speaking in Tagalog. English translation: Yes, it's delicious there]. Ay [Tagalog expression of realization or surprise. Equivalent to 'Oh" in English]! Sorry. Is that part of the podcast? [laughter]
Patch (22:40):
It, it could be.
Carmina (22:42):
That's gonna be number one on our agenda.
Patch (22:44):
Well, number two, because you promised me you're going to take me to Jollibee [laughter].
Carmina (22:50):
Oh that's true [laughter]! Jollibee first -
Patch (22:51):
You promised me!
Carmina (22:56):
Jollibee first and Purple Yam second.
Patch (23:01):
I mean Chicken Joy before anything else, Carmina. I also wanted to talk about a Filipino based company is making waves in the international scene. So one of which is the Auro Chocolate Company. They won 10 international awards.
Carmina (23:21):
Wow.
Patch (23:22):
They won three gold, six silvers and one bronze in total among 10 separate international awards from the prestigious Academy of Chocolates.
Carmina (23:34):
Yum!
Patch (23:35):
So Auro Chocolate is a Filipino company that sources their cacao from farming communities in Davao in the Philippines. They are supporting the farmers, not only by buying their products, but they're also teaching them about organic farming and business management fundamentals. It's clear that they're not just taking advantage of these farmers, but they also want to make them successful.
Carmina (24:09):
I agree with you. That's something really admirable.
Patch (24:11):
They have a goal of placing the Philippines in the world map, and I think they are already well on their way. And in fact, they opened their international boutique in Tokyo, Japan.
Carmina (24:29):
Wow.
Patch (24:30):
A little background on who the founders are, Mark Ocampo and Kelly Go. So Carmina, pure cacao made its way into the Philippine agriculture in the mid to late 17th century. And since then the country has become one of the primary producers of cacao in Southeast Asia. I personally never realized this. You know, if you think about the Philippines, do we automatically think about fine chocolates?
Carmina (25:02):
No, it's coconut.
Patch (25:07):
Exactly, so I guess this is one of their goals, right?
Carmina (25:10):
Mm-hmm.
Patch (25:11):
The founders wanted to make sure that since we are the producers of cacao, why not be known for fine chocolate? Kelly and Mark, they are friends who worked together to create this brand originally, started in 2015. And they launched their first product in 2017. So it took two whole years before they did their
first launch, which for me shows their commitment to making a quality product. They didn't just rush into things.
Carmina (25:45):
Mm-hmm.
Patch (25:45):
Mark actually started out in robotics.
Carmina (25:51):
Wow. [laughter]
Patch (25:53):
Yeah. [laughter]
Carmina (25:54):
From robots to chocolate.
Patch (25:56):
Yeah. He then moved towards Design and Advertising at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. And then Kelly, her background is in Political Science and International Studies also at University of Chicago.
Carmina (26:11):
Mm-hmm.
Patch (26:11):
After university, she attended a culinary arts program. That is where she gained a deeper knowledge and appreciation for fine food. They created Auro, which is a play on words coming from the word "oro" meaning gold in Tagalog and the letters "Au", which is the symbol for gold.
Carmina (26:38):
That's something that I can really get behind - chocolates and gold. [laughter]
Patch (26:45):
That's right. [laughter]
Carmina (26:48):
Okay. I wanna talk about other chefs.
Patch (26:51):
Okay.
Carmina (26:51):
One is Dale Talde. And his claim to fame is being part of the Top Chef Chicago in 2008, he was one of the finalists.
Patch (27:00):
I remember watching him and rooting for him.
Carmina (27:02):
Me too. I was really rooting for him hard. I mean, he didn't win as we know, but he did gain a lot of popularity from that show. And since then he's founded a hospitality event planning company called Food Crush. And he also had a string of restaurants. Some of them are still open, some of them not. He had a lot of locations bearing his name. The other chef that I really am so proud of is Alvin Cailan. And have you heard of Eggslut?
Patch (27:36):
No [laughter]. I'm, I'm almost afraid to ask, but well, who am I kidding? I want to know more.
Carmina (27:46):
Eggslut is his food truck. And as the name implies, it was inspired by eggs, specifically egg sandwiches. So Eggslut, since it opened in LA, has gained celebrity following. Some of the celebrities who love his egg sandwiches are Seth Rogan, Drew Barrymore, Elijah Wood, to name a few. He also is on YouTube. If you have time, Patch, you have to watch some of his episodes of The Burger Show. They're very entertaining.
Patch (28:20):
I will always have time for shows that feature burgers.
Carmina (28:24):
And he also published a book called "Amboy."
Patch (28:29):
And I've seen that book in the bookstore. I'm not gonna mention which one, 'cause they're not paying us. [laughter]
Carmina (28:36):
Well, I have the book.
Patch (28:38):
Okay.
Patch (28:38):
And it's really good because he gives recipes but he also intersperses his life story in it. And about how his visits to the Philippines went, the influences that he got from there. And he talks a lot about his family.
Patch (28:54):
So I'm assuming you got the book for those stories instead of trying the recipes [laughter].
Carmina (29:02):
You got it right. [laughter] So Eggslut is now international. So he has a lot of branches in California where he's from. He also has a lot of branches in Korea. He opened a branch in Tokyo. He's now also in the Middle East in Kuwait. And most recently he opened three branches in London. I mean, now do you get why I wanted him included? I am a slut for Eggslut [laughter].
Patch (29:39):
That's hilarious. [laughter]
Carmina (29:40):
So Patch, I'm really glad that we decided to talk about entrepreneurs. Just the sheer number of the people that we talked about today is a testament to how much our Filipino heritage permeates who have succeeded.
Patch (29:58):
One of the reasons why we chose this group, they're excellent models.
Carmina (30:04):
I agree.
Carmina (30:07):
So that's our episode. We hope you join us on our next trip. O siya, siya!
Patch (30:14):
Ingat!
Thanks for listening to JeepneyTrip with Carmina and Patch. Logo design by Fred Agcaoili. If you want to listen to more episodes, please subscribe to our show at Apple Podcasts or wherever all find podcasts are downloaded. We'd love to hear from you, so please rate and leave a review. Follow JeepneyTrip on Twitter and Instagram. If you have a question, email us at jeepneytrip@gmail.com.
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