Are you so hungry that only a bowl of kare kare or a plate of bistek can satisfy your growling stomach? Look no further than Boy Kanin, a food stall that serves paella rice meals but with your favorite Filipino ulam. From the tangy taste of caldereta, the classic savory sauce of adobo, to the filling bits of dinuguan, you can order a “bowl” of these favorite meals and have them on-the-go.
“Boy Ka
nin” serves your favorite Filipino fare at affordable prices and delivers such with the quality of a midrange restaurant. Unlike other regular food stalls, each bowl of rice is stir fried and then infused with a cooked sauce of your choice. An order from Mister Kanin doesn’t just curb hunger—it also leaves you comforted by the familiarity of home. Atienza and Ronald Callao. The two met at a meeting completely unrelated to food and were drawn together by their similar passions for Filipino cuisine. Both come from unrelated industries: Antonio Z. Atienza is a renowned jeweler and the owner of Golden Hills Jewelry, Inc. Ronald Callao was a former Head for Circulation at Business World and BusinessMirror. Ronald decided to return to his history with food, having owned a carinderia in Paranaque and having worked in Jollibee before going to the newspaper industry. He decided to make his passion for cooking and eating delicious food a business, hence his venture into a second food stall. Antonio proposed the concept of “Boy Kanin” to Ronald. His idea of infusing the meat or seafood ulam sauce into the rice was inspired by his foreign friends’ search for local cuisine. These friends actually enjoyed mixing the rice into the sauce of kaldereta. Such a practice continues in the home of Filipinos and local restaurants serving the same fare. What distinguishes “Boy Kanin” from these establishments is the rice and ulam sauce being mixed for you. With Filipino food becoming a popular eat out treat for locals and foreigners alike, “Boy Kanin” hopes to not just feed hungry stomachs but also to remind us why we always return to our homegrown cuisine. Mission and Vision
The challenge in today’s shifting markets and unstable world market has not changed in the Philippines. With the unemployment rate rising to 7.1 percent from 6.8 in 2012, it is important not only for the government but also for the private sector to do its duty in assisting the less fortunate. This is the priority of Ronald Callao in every business he starts. With many Filipinos sacrificing a grade school, high school, or college diploma for temporary job opportunities, it’s important for private businesses and establishments to generate jobs for these individuals. But Ronald’s priority goes beyond providing income for the less fortunate. Each employee is trained and given skills that will equip them for a stable and certain future. “I become satisfied when I see people grow, when they are pulled up,” he shares. This practice has carried on from his work at newspapers, where he established a separate department for individuals with disabilities. This department took in four couriers who had been in accidents were forced into early retirement. Thanks to this opportunity, these individuals developed skills in sales, accounting, and in using computers.
“Boy Kanin” continues this advocacy among its employees, only hiring individuals who are willing to learn the ropes. A training period is required for all employees, where they learn the required skills of their job plus any additional knowledge that will help them run operations more smoothly. With a passion for both Pinoy food and helping fellow Pinoys, Ronald not only hopes to uplift the reputation of Filipino cuisine but also the lives of his countrymen.
