Bahrain OFW ventures into food business

After arriving in Bahrain as a housemaid, 53-year-old Joefelita Pascual has built a food business over the past 20 years, now owning Monina Restaurant, which serves Filipino dishes and traditional rice cakes known as kakanin.

In an interview on DAILY TRIBUNE’s Usapang OFW, Pascual said hard work, perseverance and savings helped turn her passion for Filipino food into a livelihood.

After two years as a housemaid, she sought a release from her employment and took on freelance work while working at a Bahraini school cafeteria. Her shift ended at 1 p.m., leaving her afternoons free to prepare and sell homemade kakanin to friends and customers outside a church.

As orders grew, she saved enough to buy equipment and expand her business.

Monina Restaurant now serves Filipino favorites such as pork and chicken sisig, vegetable spring rolls, suman and cassava cake. Pascual said her best-selling suman features an Ilocano-inspired blend of coconut, salt and sugar, reflecting the flavors of her home province.

She also supplies kakanin to 10 supermarket branches and accepts catering orders.

However, the ongoing regional conflict has reduced restaurant foot traffic. To sustain her income, Pascual has focused on supermarket deliveries, bringing products to stores before 6 a.m. daily. She said the goods continue to sell out despite the challenges.

Pascual encouraged fellow overseas Filipino workers hoping to establish businesses to remain disciplined, persevere and seek opportunities to earn through legal means.

“It really is hard work,” she said, stressing that building a livelihood abroad requires commitment and determination despite difficulties.