Lydia’s Lechon: A Filipino Passion for Food
Lechon is the star of the Philippine fiesta. Lechon is Spanish for suckling pig. In the Philippines, however, it means a pig, beef, or chicken roasted slowly over charcoal. Cooking the lechon would sometimes take a whole day. But since the roasted pig’s moist meat and crispy skin is a mouth water maker, it’s worth the time and effort.
One of the famous restaurants in the Philippines is known as Lydia’s Lechon. The main dish, as the name of the place suggests, is lechon. Let’s take a look at how Lydia’s Lechon started and it’s eventual success today.
In 1968, a family’s lechon store in the Philippines, known as Mang Turing and Aling Ingga’s Native Lechon, was doing good business. They started with a modest store which was located at the Our Lady of Sorrows Church in Baclaran. The daughter, Lydia, helped out in the said store. This would be her introduction into the lechon business in the Philippines.
About a year later, after some courtship, Benigno de Roca (a son of another lechon business owner) and Lydia got married in the year 1969. The happy couple had a joyous occasion after their wedding and ended up Php 500 as starting capital. Guess what business they put up? They started Lydia’s Lechon.
Lydia’s Lechon started to gain a name and a good share of the market in 1971. It seems that the combined recipes from the two families worked out pretty well.
Customer’s would flock to Lydia’s Lechon to sample the good food sold there. A big break for the couple’s business came along when one day when executives from the Hyatt Regency Hotel came along to buy some Lydia’s Lechon specialties. From that simple visit came the orders from satisfied clients from the hotel.
The fame and praise for Lydia’s Lechon spread by word of mouth to many prospective clients, including other hotels and restaurants, and food caterers. From that time on, the Lydia’s Lechon’s business continued to prosper.
The Chef’s on Parade was an annual event featuring a competition of local chefs. In the 1970′s, the Lydia’s Lechon boneless with paella recipe got the first prize and it soon became one of the specialties of restaurant. It was a boost for the de Roca couple’s business.
The 80′s opened new doors for Lydia’s Lechon in the form of new branches in Metro Manila. Business looks good, and today, Lydia’s Lechon has grown to more than 21 restaurants.
You’ll easily find Lydia’s Lechon stores and branches in malls and town centers in the northern Philippines, especially in Metro Manila. Lydia’s Lechon specialties are sold either by kilo or as a whole. Prices would range from a little over a hundred pesos for a kilo of lechon to more than eleven thousand pesos for a whole roasted pig.
Lydia’s Lechon is a mark of passion for cooking and business acumen in the Philippines. Try one of the specialties of Lydia’s Lechon and have a taste of Filipino passion for food.
[Tags]Lechon, Filipino Cuisine, Food, BBQ, Philippines[/Tags]
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One Response to “Lydia’s Lechon: A Filipino Passion for Food”
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Yes lydia’s lechon is one of the famous restaurant because of lechon and came up to there specialty which is paella. The taste of there lechon was good.
And guys try also this. I discover an online store for lechon. They are base in cebu. But they deliver lechon to Manila. Airport to airport. They also known the best lechon. I said this because i tasted it. There lechon taste good. The tasty meat and crunchy skin was great. Its very delicious. And the meat was tender and juicy. Its yummmy. And it is very much affordable compare here in manila.