Cooking it up relevant at JaimEliza

I have a “multistakeholder” store called JaimEliza, named after my late parents, Jaime and Eliza. It sits in Baras, Canaman, Camarines Sur, near Mariners—the maritime college—and it’s more than just a place to shop. It’s a hub where purpose meets play, where ideas, flavors, and laughter are exchanged like currency.

Though not yet fully operational, JaimEliza is finding its soul. It’s clean and FDA-ready for water refilling; offers food choices both healthy and indulgent; and doubles as a dining spot, events place, and creative nook. There’s a board and acoustic area, a small garden, and cozy massage cubicles filled with the sweet, relaxing scents of pili, calamansi, peppermint, citronella, and lemongrass oils.

Our flagship product is the well-loved ESense Natural Stress Relief Oil—the one and only! A longtime favorite among the holy and the busy—the archbishop, clergy, and nuns included—it captures the calm spirit of the place. But JaimEliza isn’t just about oils and wellness; it’s also a kitchen for social creativity and community empowerment.

I’m a trying-hard but inspired entrepreneur who loves to experiment with food, plants, and fun. In our modest kitchen, we’ve created vegan delights like Vita Sisig, Kamjus, and Picujus smoothies and shakes. They pair perfectly with our Pandesal Marinero—the kind your Lola would insist on buying from her trusted panadero.

JaimEliza aims to become an SDG-friendly store, aligned with the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals. It’s also evolving into a hub for small social entrepreneurs—many of them disaster survivors turned business owners through the Social Entrepreneurship Development (SED) Project with CHED. Here, they trade products, share stories, and prove that social entrepreneurship can be both sustainable and soul-satisfying—a pathway out of poverty.

Just last week, our kitchen team led a community hit—the GOTO Experiment—with almost a hundred participants: students, teachers, storeowners, and neighbors. The “Goto Marinero” came in creative varieties—Goto School, Goto Heaven, Goto Gulay, Goto Work, Goto Spicy, Goto Baby, and more. When it became a crowd favorite, my husband jokingly suggested adding “Goto Panalo,” topped with organic chicharon and assorted overload!

I’ve always loved playing with words. Years ago, while working with CenPEG, I co-created Corruptionary, the country’s first “corruption dictionary,” which became a small bestseller at National Bookstore. That experience inspired me to blend satire and flavor in the kitchen—thus, The Satirical Menu was born.

The Satirical Menu: Cooking Up Corruption. This playful menu serves corruption with humor and meaning. Imagine dining on Greedy Pork Liempo, Greased Money Crispy Pata, or Pork Chop Insertions. Try Ghost Project Lechon Pork Barrel Adobo or Bribe Chicken with Lemon Glaze. For the bold, there’s Inasal Buwaya and Steamed Bribed Frog Legs—both from organic farms, of course!

Drinks include Greased Hands Smoothies, Cocktail Commissions, and the cheeky DPWH Power Punch, where every sip “carries a percentage of extreme goodness.” Under the Table Dishes feature Kickback Kare-Kare, Hidden Wealth Halo-Halo Dismaya, and Budget Cut Fruity Salad—available only while supplies last!

The Positive Menu: Eco Eats for a Warming Planet. If the Satirical Menu parodies corruption, the Positive Menu celebrates climate action. Our ECO Eats Menu highlights “Hotter Dishes for a Hotter Planet,” such as Creamy Carbonara Footprint, Deforestation Barbecue Ribs, Typhoon Tempura, Coalfired Chicken, and Solar-Powered Sinigang—100% renewable in spirit.

We also serve a Sustainably Grown Menu featuring Carbon-Neutral Banana Bread, Whole-Grain Fried Rice, Organic Eggs, and Fertilizer-Free Veggie Salads. Drinks like Renewable Energy Smoothies, El Niño Espresso, Ozone Layer Latte, and Brewed Climate Tea refresh both body and conscience. For dessert, try the Recycle Cheesecake or Vegan Brownies—the sweet side of sustainability.

JaimEliza proudly partners with Mariners’ Hospitality and Culinary programs, where students create SDG-friendly dishes that are healthy, affordable, and locally sourced. By minimizing food waste and promoting reuse, we make sustainability not just a goal—but a habit.

A Wishful Kitchen with a Purpose. JaimEliza remains a wishful kitchen—a dream in progress, built one dish, one idea, and one community at a time. Before you leave, I’d serve you a Power Grab Paella, where everyone fights for the biggest share of the pie, followed by a Whistleblower’s Ice Cream Delight—served cold and sweet, with a scoop of poetic justice.

At JaimEliza, we believe relevance can be cooked, shared, and savored—one creative and meaningful dish at a time. Our hope is to soon become a truly SDG-friendly store, where every bite and every sip tell a story of resilience, humor, and hope. But you can start visiting and meeting for the ESense, clean tasty water, relaxing massage, board game and some foods.