By Taylor Caldwell
Photos by Lauren Bain
Loida owns and runs Reno's only sit-down Filipino restaurant in Reno, Cafe de Manila, with her partner, Ed. Photo: Lauren Bain. Audio: Taylor Caldwell.
Before Loida Parker moved from the Philippines to the United States in 2001, she was an optometrist by profession. Now, she owns her own Filipino restaurant in Reno, Nevada.
When Parker moved to the United States, she sold cookware and later owned a flower shop. However, when a vacant lot opened up on Vassar Street five years ago, Parker saw an opportunity to fill a gap in her community. She decided to open up Reno’s first sit-down Filipino restaurant, Cafe de Manila.
A Place for Filipinos to Connect
“Well, there are so many Filipinos in town, so...I basically was thinking of them because there's no Filipino restaurant like this,” said Parker.
In 2010, an estimated 12,361 Filipinos lived in Washoe County, making it the second largest Filipino population in Nevada. Nevada’s Filipino population jumped 141.56% from 2000-2010, according to the 2010 U.S. Census.
Parker said there were fast-service restaurants which served turo turo style, but no restaurant where customers could sit and enjoy Filipino food. Furthermore, there was a lack of spaces for the rapidly growing population to cultivate a community outside of the church. Cafe de Manila was an opportunity to address these needs. Today, the restaurant not only offers traditional sit-down meals, but it also hosts weddings, parties, conferences, and cooking classes.
An Introduction for the Community
When Parker started Cafe de Manila, she not only envisioned a place for Filipinos to gather and enjoy traditional dishes, but also a place for the rest of the community to come and explore Filipino food and culture.
“A lot of people knew Filipinos. They knew Filipino as they are just Filipinos. They don't know how the culture was, what their food was and those things. So Cafe de Manila is an introduction of what Filipino culture is and what kind of food [the] Philippines could present to other nationalities...If people could appreciate other dishes, Italian dishes, a Chinese dishes, Mexican dishes, they could also appreciate Filipino food,” said Parker.
Over the years, Parker said she has seen an increase in other nationalities coming in, trying Filipino food, and telling their friends.
“A lot of nationalities come to our restaurant and explore and when they come out they will say, ‘Oh, it was really good,’ said Parker.
Challenges of the Restaurant Business
The business continues to grow in popularity, but starting Cafe de Manila was not easy for Parker. She owned a business before, but knew nothing about restaurants.
“[We] had to start from scratch,” said Parker, “everything from how to begin, what are the things that you need in your operation, staff wise, who are the people who could help you in the process, and of course advertising and all those things. Those were big challenges.”
“It’s harder than other businesses because there are so many things [involved in] the operation. Not only just thinking of, ‘Oh, I could cook and I could serve.’ It's not that only there are so many rules and regulations in the food business. There are so many things that you have to consider and they said it's the toughest business,” said Parker.
However, she did not have to do it alone. Cafe de Manila is run by Parker, her business partner, and the help of their family. Her niece serves at the restaurant after her shift at the post office, and her partner’s son is a chef. When she retires, she plans to transfer the business over to them.
“They are a part of the business now, so hopefully they will love the business as we love it,” said Parker, “It's my life. I love, as I said, this is a challenging business, but I came to love it. It's my life...There are so many people that I have met through the restaurant to become my friends and longtime friends are still there.”
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