It’s not hard to find Chinese or Japanese restaurants in the CSRA, but that’s not the case with Filipino restaurants, according to Roy Publico.
Publico, whose parents were born and raised in the Philippines, is excited about Yaya’s Philippine Cuisine, which just opened in Martinez. Yaya’s is the newest business to join OPP Kitchen, a shared kitchen space located at 359 Furys Ferry Road.
The business sells a variety of Filipino dishes, including chicken adobo, barbecue sticks, and lumpia, which are spring rolls filled with pork and vegetables.
“Yaya’s opening is important for the Filipino community because food is central to our culture and gatherings; it brings family and friends together,” he said.
It’s also important because, as far as Publico knows, there are no restaurants that serve this type of food in the Augusta area.
Yaya’s is owned by Dhelle Marucut, a new business owner who recently retired from a billing company and wants something to do. She hosted a meet-and-greet on Friday, Sept. 9, and gave out free samples of her food. Marucut also had meals prepared for customers to buy at the event, but those sold out quickly.
“I’ve always wanted to open a business like this, but it’s so expensive,” said Marucut, who has lived in the United States since 1976.
With the shared kitchen concept, several businesses, including Yaya’s, PJ’s Snacky Sack and Uprooted Vegan Cuisine rent space to prepare their meals, which are sold in the store. Individual business owners pay significantly less than they would rent to own their own storefronts.
She got the idea for her business name from her grandson, who couldn’t pronounce Lola, the Filipino word for grandmother when he was younger. Instead, he called her Yaya.
Marucut hasn’t determined which days her meals will be available in OPP Kitchen just yet. Besides launching a food business, she also works as a real estate agent for Jim Courson Realty.
“Anything I do, I do with my heart,” Marucut said.
Publico hopes this business will lead to the development of more Filipino restaurants in the CSRA and beyond.
OPP Kitchen is open Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Saturday from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. For more information about Yaya’s, including its menu, visit the business’s Facebook page.
