Mother-Daughter cooking team Diding and Joanna Robles on making the perfect Paella and pastries – from one home to another.
Nothing brings people together quite like a meal. And for the Robles Family – hearty feasting is tradition.
“Cooking is my love and passion,” shares Diding Robles, “because my family loves to get together, especially on Sundays.” Joanna, her daughter adds that: “If we had a love language – it would probably be food!”
And with suddenly more time indoors, it wasn’t long before the Robles’ turned their time towards their primary passion.“I didn’t always cook Paella,” Diding says, “but I got inspired by a recent trip to Spain with my daughter.”
Luckily for the Robles matriarch, she had more than enough friends in Europe to teach her. “I’m not much for tech,” says the La Paella de Mama’s long-hand-writing chief chef, “but they were kind enough to show me their secrets and their techniques through video calls.”
It wasn’t so simple, however. Mrs. Robles tried a number of recipes, using feedback from her husband and children to “create Paella with true ‘Panlasang Pinoy.’”
Across the kitchen, Joanna heating things up herself. “Milk & Honey Manila is all about family favorites,” shares the younger Robles, “they’re a hit with my family!” Indeed, she shares that her well-loved Pink Dulce Cinnamon Rolls (made with real dulce de leche and cinnamon) and various Flower Breads filled with Quezo de Bola Pimiento, Nutella, Ube Jam, or Garlic Cheese – often never last long enough for Instagram. “I just wanted them to taste as good as they look!”
For both mother and daughter – their customers did not disappoint.
Good as Home
“I started operations the same time as my daughter,” recalls Diding, ”We have been operating for just one month and I am so happy to say we already served 200 paellas!”
Her very first customer was her own husband, Excy Robles. “He gives me all the advice on what to add and what to improve on and that’s the secret of our paella.” Says Diding, always keen to listen to her family’s comments and suggestions. For Joanna, she considers her fiancee Raphael and son Javi as her own personal cheering team. “My fiancee must be so lucky – he gets to be my personal taste tester!” To date, Milk & honey Manila has sold out on all their baking days – which may not seem a lot, considering they only bake 20 breads a day…but impressive given their premium pricing. “We want to focus on quality, above all.” quips Joanna.
For the two, their only advertisements were word-of-mouth, and social media.
“The online community has been amazing!” Jo says, who recalls her favorite customer is a mom who bought cinnamon rolls for her son, then kept ordering for the next few days. “I loved their story because I knew his mom just wanted to make him happy. That is exactly what I want to do for my own son, Javi.”
For “Mareng Diding” – her goals are more ambitious. “I want everyone to appreciate our beautiful dishes, and to taste all the love of family through our cooking.” Which is why La Paella de Mama serves its Seafood Paella, Paella Negra, Chicken and Chorizo Paella, Ox Tail Paella, and Lobster Paella in cast iron skillets, which must be returned.
“In my opinion, if the paella is not placed in the paellera it won’t taste as good,” says Diding,” it makes it feel more authentic, and preserves its well loved “tutong (burned rice).” Using a cast iron pan also ensures optimum temperature, and makes the dish visually appealing. “I can lose money if it’s not returned, but it is a price I am willing to pay for quality. Nothing is too good for family.
Family First
“I thought I was already close to my mom before but this made us even much closer,” shares Joanna, “I think it’s a great advantage that we get to help each other out, from getting clients, booking deliveries, buying ingredients, and online selling we both get to bring something to the table to support each other.”
Joanna’s mom shares the sentiment.
“I am very lucky that Joanna and I started our businesses together because she is also doing something that she loves. As a mom I am there to support her 100% and I am very proud because she bakes wonderful breads that is not only beautiful, but it is also very soft and tasty as well.”
And while the current Covid epidemic freezes economies and chills ways of life – at least one mother-daughter duo intends to keep the fires burning – by cooking cuisine as sweet as family, and as warm as home.
Follow La Paella de Mama and Milk and Honey Bakery on Instagram.
You can also contact La Paella de Mama at 0918.916.8634.
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