Bacon Alfredo
is a favorite
Amici classic
reimagined by
Chef Paolo.Builders of Hope
PHOTOS COURTESY OF U! HAPPY EVENTS.This Italian restaurant brings people
together by honoring a priest’s legacy
through its dishes, and commitment
to caring for its staff.
SERVING WITH
PURPOSE
by Joy Rojas
A
ll the Italian Salesian
priest Fr. Gianluigi
Colombo wanted was
to give his staff a decent place
to eat.
Noting how the employees of
Don Bosco’s printing press in
Makati stepped out for lunch
every day, the priest decided to
set up a canteen in the school
premises in 1994. While the
canteen provided delicious
and affordable food, it also
brought people together, not
just for meals but during the
preparation and cooking of
dishes. School workers helped
the priest whip up sumptuous
pastas, pizzas, and gelato. Soon,
word got around about the
humble eatery with authentic
Italian cuisine. In a matter of
time, Amici (“friend” in Italian)
was a hit.
These days, the restaurant
continues to bring people
together—for good food and
then some. Acquired in 2007
by Danny and Tessie Moran,
who are part of
the family that
used to own Red
Ribbon bakeshop,
Amici is currently
managed by Philip
and Paolo, two of the
couple’s five children who
honor Fr. Colombo’s legacy
by maintaining tradition and
infusing new ideas and flavors.
Staying true to Fr. Colombo’s
legacy, they have some of his
original cooking staff on their
team, and offer on-the-job
training and employment to
the wards of Tuloy Sa Don
Bosco Foundation. Launched
in 1993 by Fr. Marciano
“Rocky” Evangelista, Tuloy
gives poor and marginalized
children a second chance in life
through education, skills, and
values formation.A RECIPE FOR
GROWTH
Before he worked for Amici,
John Michael “JM” Sallan was
a carefree kid who often stayedout late and
defied both
his parents.
But taking
up a culinary
arts course in
Tuloy made him
straighten up. And in
four years, he has cooked in all
the restaurant’s branches as
well as its commissary. “Enjoy
ako sa trabaho ko,” says JM.
“Pamiliya ang turing nila sa
amin dito.”Culinary arts also helped
Tuloy beneficiary Lea Calatinbecome a better version of
herself. Once painfully shy, she
can now face people as Amici’s
cashier and food attendant.
“Self-confidence at pakikisama
sa tao,” says Lea when asked
what she’s learned from happily
working in the restaurant for
the past five years.That neither has considered
moving to other jobs reflects
how Tuloy’s upbringing and the
convivial atmosphere of Amici
work hand-in-hand. Lea likes
her job so much “parang feeling
ko hindi ako nagtatrabaho.”(Top) Chef Paolo Moran with some of his c
Tuloy Foundation. (Left inset) Brothers Ph
together so that Amici gives off a family-fr