Our Story
Where do I begin? During the COVID-19 pandemic, everyone was forced to stay home! For a family that was used to eating out every day, it became a challenge to have three interesting and exciting meals a day at home. Having traveled and then living in Europe for 6 years and wanting to replicate those flavors, my family and I started using our humble kitchen as our test kitchen!
Mica and her sister together with Chef Tiziano from Modena at Bravo Alabang
Home Chef’s Deli started with a mission: to make home cooking interesting, fun and up to restaurant quality standards. Having grown up steeped in the Italian dining culture (my mom and aunts owned Bravo Ristorante Italiano that churned out thin crust pizzas and authentic Italian pastas that were highly popular in our community), I know that good ingredients are key to cooking gourmet food at home. It made sense then to tie up with my Italian cousin, who has been importing food products straight from Italy for the last 20 years and sells to all leading hotels and restaurants around the country.
Thus was born Home Chef’s Deli, delivering restaurant quality food ingredients to your home at your convenience. We offer hard to find items like pizza 00 and semolina flour at reasonable prices. We also offer popular Italian brands like Barilla, Lavazza and Nutella.
In partnering with my mom, we have included her line of Bravo dips, spreads, sauces and salad dressings, all created by Bravo’s Italian Chef Tiziano Cavallini.
Left: Mica's mom at Bravo Makati in Salcedo Village. Right: Mica and her mom at BenCab Museum
Because we can’t live on Italian food alone, the Merry Cooks product line showcases a wide variety of cuisines and will soon be offering an international selection of frozen ready to eat meals and meal kits as well.
We aim to have solutions for every kind of home chef and believe that we can make a difference in your home cooking experience! We aim to have 100% satisfied customers and offer a personalized and customized experience for each of you.
The Japanese are indeed wise when they describe the word CRISIS with 2 different characters. The first character means danger but the second character means opportunity. I have chosen to take this opportunity as a chance for a change, a chance to create a better future for all home chefs.
But Home Chef’s Deli ultimately is not just about the products. It also represents a journey to develop the attitude of optimism, the willingness to learn and improve, and to live a better life!
I invite all of you to join me on this journey as we discover new recipes together and create joy (in our tummies)!
Founder