Kuya J holds grand opening

The Ilonggos love food. This is manifested in the increasing number of restaurants that open in Iloilo City as an answer to the growing demand. Joining the throng is Kuya J, a Filipino-inspired restaurant located at the new wing of SM City Iloilo.

It recently held its grand opening, with no less that its celebrity endorser, Jericho Rosales, gracing the event. Jericho wowed the guests with his charisma, gamely answering questions and exchanging banter with the media and bloggers. He also put the audience under his spell when he crooned several popular love songs.

Photo courtesy of Good Day Western Visayas

“I feel great and proud to be the endorser of Kuya J. Actually, this is my best endorsement. Not just because of the endorsement itself, but the people behind it. The people behind Kuya J want to bring something to the Filipino table. Bring the family together in one table sa pamamagitan ng mga pagkain na masasarap. The goal is what fuelled ng pagkagusto at pagka-excite ko sa endorsement,” said Jericho.

“I’m celebrating my 20th year in the industry and the journey has always been about family, about love. I came from humble beginnings. So parang bagay na bagay sa akin ang Kuya J. Pati character ng Kuya J pareho kami. Tinatawag nga ako ng mga tao na Kuya J,” he adds.

Jericho said that his favorite dish in Kuya J is crispy pata, adobo and sinigang na baboy. “Aside from crispy pata, I love adobo, but, today, I ordered sinigang na baboy. Sinigang for me is a very Manileño dish. Comfort food ko ‘yan. Ang sinigang sentimental ‘yan sa akin dahil laging luto ng Mom ko.”

A Love Affair with Food

“We love food and we put love in Kuya J. We cook with a passion and the amount of love we put on the cooking process reflects on the quality of our food. We offer the most delicious food and heart warming service,” said Winglip Chang, president of Kuya J, explaining why their dishes are rated among the best Filipino food in Iloilo.

Winglip Chang and Jericho Rosales

According to Chang, they came up with the name Kuya J after much debate. They noted that most Filipino men have names starting with the letter J and so they decided that the name Kuya J best personifies the Filipino character.

He also added that among the many dishes they offer, crispy pata is the food that perfectly represents the restaurant. “We believe that our crispy pata is near perfect. And we would like our food to be near perfect all the time, every time,” he explained.

Kuya J Iloilo is the 26^th branch of the restaurant and they are currently constructing 29 more stores all over the country. Their goal is to have a total of 60 branches, all company owned, by the end of March or April of this year.

Jericho with Iloilo bloggers (Photo courtesy of Good Day Western Visayas)