Dahil sa pagmamahal para sa lolo't lola, isang 17-taong gulang bumuo ng ube jam at Filipino pie na negosyo

Hindi lang binuo ni Sophia Adrias Inocencio ang kanyang negosyo para sa pera. Ito rin ay para sa dalawang taong nagpalaki sa kanya - ang kanyang lolo't lola.

Sophia Adrias Inocencio creates egg pie, coconut pie and ube jam. Source: Sophia Inocencio

Highlights

• Inalagaan siya ng kanyang lola ng umalis ang kanyang ina patungong Australya.
• Ang lola niya ang nagturo sa kanyang magluto.
• Isa sa pinakabagong produkto ni Sophia ay ang Lolodad's buko pie na pinangalanan niya para sa kanyang lolo.

"My maternal grandparents sacrificed a lot to take care of us and support us," saad ng 17-taong gulang na si Sophia Adrias Inocencio.

"When my lola [grandmother] passed, it affected me so much. Baking helped divert my attention from feeling sad."

Sophia's grandparents helped raise her while her mother was away. Source: Sophia Inocencio

Si lola

Napilitang iwan ng ina ni Sophia ang kanyang mga anak sa Pilipinas ng magdesisyon siyang magtrabaho sa Australya.

"It was always mum's dream to come to Australia. When she left, my grandmother took care of us. She was the one who taught me how to cook and bake."

Tatlong taon ng nakalipas ng lumipat sina Sophia at ang kanyang kapatid sa Melbourne upang makapiling ang ina.

Sophia's grandmother was the one who taught her how to cook and bake. Source: Sophia Inocencio

"Last December though, we were able to go back to the Philippines for a vacation to visit our grandmother; but our plans changed when we found out she had leukaemia. I decided not to re-enrol in school so I could take care of her."

Sa kasamaang palad, hindi rin nagtagal at pumanaw ang kanyang lola dalawang linggo pagkatapos umuwi ni Sophia sa Melbourne dahil sa pandemya.

"We were planning to bring her to Melbourne after her chemo...it didn't happen that way."

"I was really grateful though for the help and support given to us by my mum's friends; so when I started using baking as a diversion, I decided to make ube [purple yam] jam for them. They loved it and even put in orders for more."

Sophia first made ube jam as a gift to those who helped and supported them throughout her grandmother's illness. Source: Sophia Inocencio

Mula sa ube jam nagtayo ng home-based business si Sophia na pinangalanan niyang Mèmè's [pangalan ng kanyang lola] Merienda. Kasosyo niya ang kanyang dalawang tiyo sa negosyong ito.

Sinabi ng kanyang ina na magandang dagdagan pa niya ang kanyang mga produkto. Isa sa kanyang dinagdag ay ang egg pie.

"I just kept on experimenting until I perfected my recipes. I realised the tricky thing about the pie crust was making sure that the butter was always cold so that the dough wouldn't melt."

Si lolo

Ang isa pang pinaggagamitan niya ng crust ay ang Lolodad's buko pie, na pinangalanan niya para sa kanyang lolo.

"Our grandfather loves coconut so I named the pie after him." Source: Sophia Inocencio

"Our grandfather loves coconut so I named it after him," Sophie says, adding, "He used to work in Saudi Arabia to support us, but whenever he would be home, he would buy a coconut for my grandmother everyday for her to eat and drink."

Nang malaman ng kanyang lolo ang tungkol sa kanyang negosyo, binilhan niya ito ng bagong oven.

Sophia wants to make her grandparents proud through her venture. Source: Sophia Inocencio

"He's so proud. I want to make him even prouder with my dream of eventually opening my own Filipino café once the pandemic ends," she says, adding, "And I want my grandmother to know that I'll take care of everyone like she took care of me."

BASAHIN / PAKINGGAN DIN

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