The journey of Marvin Braceros from former undocumented Filipino worker to chef and owner of an award-winning restaurant in Italy shows how life is a series of trials and errors. You don’t always get it right the first time, but you’ll find that perfect combination by trying again and again.
And Marvin did—but it took him more than a decade to get to it.
Marvin shares advice from his life’s failures and successes in the digital talk show Kabayan Connect, which covers issues and stories related to the overseas Filipino worker experience. The show is produced by OFW Ako! with support from Pinoy Luminaries and Wingspan Consulting Pte Ltd.
Almost two decades ago, the Batangas-born Marvin made a decision that would change life as he knew it. He left his job, working as part of the ground crew of an airline company, to go to Milan as a domestic worker with no legal papers. He figured whatever he would make in a year in Milan would take him ten years to toil for in the Philippines.
In Italy, he took on any job he could that didn’t require a working permit. He worked multiple jobs—dishwasher, glass cleaner, household work—but he was always on the lookout for something bigger: He didn’t want to do cleaning work forever.
Striking while the iron is hot
An opportunity came up to enroll in a culinary course at the Italian Culinary Institute. “The opportunity was right in front of me, so I took it,” he said.
Offers came in after culinary school, and he had the chance to do some catering work, which brought up the possibility of opening a Filipino restaurant.
“I’d always wondered why Filipino food wasn’t widely known, and I wanted to have that opportunity to introduce Filipino food to Italians,” he said.
Part of reimagining his Filipino menu involved understanding the Italian palate. “They eat in courses and Milan being the fashion capital, the food needed to be presentable—plated and, as they say today, Instagrammable.” Because wine is always part of the meal for Italians, Marvin also had to consider wine-pairing options. He organized several tasting events, often inviting his Italian friends to get their feedback and suggestions to improve.
When finally he opened YUM Taste of the Philippines, it was right at the same spot where he used to do cleaning work. He had come full circle indeed.
YUM went on to be named one of the best restaurants in Milan and Italy by Gambero Rosso, a well-known food-and-wine magazine in Italy.
Innovating during the pandemic
During the pandemic, Marvin’s business suffered like all the others. Because he didn’t have an al fresco spot, he couldn’t reopen his restaurant. But given that he had already built a steady following over the years, he is confident he’ll be able to recover.
“You need to learn to be innovative. You can’t dwell on what used to be. You have to keep thinking of something new to introduce,” he said.
While he couldn’t open his restaurant in Milan, Marvin came to the Philippines to open other business ventures—one is Respira Plants, a store selling ornamental plants, which has branches in Century City Mall, Makati Cinema Square, Greenheights Village, SM, Robinson’s Galleria, Megaworld, and Ayala Malls. He also converted the family home in Batangas into a restaurant that he calls the Gold Bar.
Truly, this guy never rests and is always thinking of the next venture. “You don’t stop when you’ve reached your goal. You have to keep on going, keep on dreaming, because if you stop dreaming, you’ll get complacent.”
While waiting for the pandemic to be over, he’s keeping busy and making plans. YUM has an opportunity to open in Malta, which is in line with one of his grand plans—to open a YUM branch in key European cities. Truly, this guy is taking Filipino food places.
Watch the Kabayan Connect interview to know more about Marvin Braceros’s inspiring story:
Watch other episodes of Kabayan Connect on the OFW Ako Facebook page.