The actor’s food delivery service and online health shop are dreams come true
Even before dreaming of becoming an actor or a professional basketball player, David Licauco had wanted to open a food business. The self-confessed foodie credits his family for his early interest in food.
“Growing up, I was really close to my lola,” says the 25-year-old. “We all know how grandmothers would feed their grandchildren with so much food. I guess that’s how I fell in love with eating. I was actually chubby as a kid!”
His sister Elan is a chef based in Australia, and his parents are engaged in fast-food chain franchising, so it seemed inevitable that Licauco would also work in the F&B industry.
“When the lockdown happened, it gave me the chance to have more time to focus on the things that I wasn’t able to focus on. But because of the pandemic, I thought it wasn’t a wise decision to open a physical restaurant,” he said.
“I believe that with every crisis also comes opportunities. Many businesses are down. People cannot go to their favorite restaurants. That’s how we came up with Sòbra (@sobra.mnl on IG), an online food delivery service, which has the vision of creating flavorful comfort food delivered to people’s doorstep.”
The maiden menu features breakfast staples such as US beef rib-cap tapa with eggs over easy, pickled onions and hollandaise sauce on a bed of garlic rice; slow-cooked corned beef brisket with sauerkraut and scrambled eggs; and beef bulgogi with fried eggs and cheese over kimchi rice. Soon, Sòbra will introduce lunch, merienda and dinner fare.
The young entrepreneur studied brand management and marketing during the first few weeks of quarantine. He also partnered with friends AC Adriano and Mike Victorioso.
“During a catch-up kwentuhan with my college best friend AC, I mentioned that I have several business ideas and one of those is having a restaurant,” Licauco said. “Then he said that he also had plans with his cousin Mike who is a chef. So I told him, let’s do it tomorrow!”
Healthy lifestyle
In July, Licauco’s dream of finally opening his own original food concept was realized. He didn’t stop there. A week later, his online shop As Nature Intended (ANI, www.asnatureintended.ph) also launched.
“At its core, ANI stems from my passion for working out and helping people achieve a healthier lifestyle,” he said. “My friends would always ask me for advice on how to lose weight. And since these are the things that I am really interested in, I would generously give them tips—from reminding them to eat the right food to telling them to stop being lazy! ANI complements that.”
Together with business partner Alec Chua, he opened ANI, a one-stop shop carrying all things health and wellness-related, from guilt-free food and wine to personal care, sports nutrition and supplements. There’s almond butter, yogurt drops, spicy pili nuts, organic chia seeds and matcha ice cream.
Customers can buy items based on the diet they subscribe to, with categories like gluten-free, dairy-free, keto, organic and vegan. And while many of the brands they carry are imported, there are also locally made ones, like Baba Bake’s macadamia milk chocolate cookies and barbecue sauce from Keto Kusina.
Licauco has always subscribed to the saying, “A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.” It might have taken some time to realize his dream, but he is here now, and neither the pandemic nor the unpredictability of the industry will stop him from making his dreams flourish.
“If you want something, just start and work on it,” he said.
Angelo Comsti writes the Inquirer Lifestyle column Tall Order. He was editor of F&B Report magazine.
