Thursday, April 12, 2007 Siomai sa Tisa draws crowds By BAI Haide quiñanola STC Mass Comm Intern
CUSTOMERS from all walks of life crowd over a stall for a few hanging rice, a bottle of soft drink, a saucer of chili sauce and a dish that most Cebuanos find satisfying, the “Original Siomai sa Tisa.”
“Ubay-ubay sad gani ang mopalit diri nga de-sakyanan” said business owner Jeffrey Quillosa (Several well-to-do customers come here).
The Chinese dish, which is also drawing customers in Talamban, P. del Rosario, Fuente Osmeña and even in the cities of Mandaue and Talisay, started with Quillosa of Barangay Tisa, Cebu City.
When the business picked up in 2001, he left his job as a machine operator in a local company.
But he said he only has one other branch near the Tabunok overpass which he just started last February.
To distinguish his business from the others, he is using a logo of an image of a Chinese cook on the upper left side of his stall’s signboard.
Logo
The plates used by his customers also bear the logo.
“Ang uban gisunod man sad nila ang pangan nga Original Siomai sa Tisa. Aron mahibaw-an, gibuta-ngan nako’g logo,” he said (The others even copied my brand name so I decided to use a logo).
But he said he is not the right person to claim all the credit for the success of the business.
Quillosa said he only planned of starting up a halo-halo business. He decided to sell siopao as well, so his customers have something to eat.
Supplier
He asked his friend, who is a siopao-maker in Manila, to be his supplier.
His friend also decided to supply him with siomai.
However, he refused to name his friend since it is part of their agreement.
“We just call him to place the orders,” he said, adding that his friend can only cater to their orders.
Soon after, Quillosa started selling puso and soft drinks.
After making a profit of about P3,000, he decided to quit his job and earn a living for his family through the business.
A father of two children, Quillosa said he is still able to send his children to school and after six years, he was able to save up for his house’s improvement.
But he said what makes the siomai sell is the chili sauce, which has a spicy flavor that complements the dish.
For every pack of siomai, which contains 64 pieces, a kilo of chili sauce is given by his supplier.
He used to sell one pack a day, but with the help of the “special” chili sauce and hard work, Quillosa now sells 25 packs daily.
