MANILA, Philippines - The Philippine catering industry has evolved significantly for the past 27 years but Hizon’s Restaurant and Catering Inc., an off-premise caterer specializing in weddings, private parties and corporate events has stood steadfast and has become one of most sought-after top caterers around the country today.
At the forefront of Hizon’s Catering is family matriarch Baby Hizon, a Kapampangan from Concepcion, Tarlac, who started the business in 1987. Armed with a passion for cooking, she established the company with the goal of having a business without having to leave her maternal duties with her growing children.
What started as a backyard business when she was 32 years old, initially catering only to church friends and family, eventually expanded to become one of the sought after caterers for wedding, birthdays, debuts, parties and other special occasions.
Hizon’s Catering has served over 14,543 weddings, 5,673 corporate clients, 3,653 private events with its nearly three decades of experience. The company has also served numerous types of clients ranging from schools, government offices and corporate offices.
Despite the company’s success, Baby, a graduate of Adamson University with a degree in Psychology Masters in Guidance & Counseling, did not stop from learning her craft. While her eldest son, Chef David, was studying at the California Culinary Academy in San Francisco, she took the opportunity in joining him by taking a series of short courses to enhance her knowledge and passion for cooking.
From time to time she goes abroad and enrolls herself in short cooking classes, to research the new trends, and buy new equipment for her catering business. Today, Baby is an active member of the International Catering Association of America. She is married to Enrique Hizon of Hizon Pharmaceuticals, the man who supports her unconditionally and the man behind her success in the business.
Baby, who turns 60 next year but still looks significantly younger than her years, says she realized that she had to eventually turnover the business to her children so when her second eldest son Joseph took a keen interest in the business, she let him learn the ropes, starting from the bottom of the organization.
“When Joseph joined, I asked him to work, sell the company to clients. And they were very happy with him,†she said, adding that when Joseph took his masters degree in 2007, he had to learn about marketing, kitchen operations , before becoming the general manager.
Joseph is a graduate of Economics at the De La Salle University (DLSU) in Manila. He finished his Master’s Degree in Economics at the Asian Institute of Management and has been helping his mother in managing the company.
“I saw that when he finished his Master’s at AIM, that he was always trying to think of a plan, how to improve system procedures of the company. I saw that he was really thinking thoroughly and carefully and planning how to improve and update the company’s operations,†she said.
As the current general manager, Joseph, at 30 years only, has been the proponent of many innovative projects within the company such as implementing a computerized system and putting in place the Research & Development Department.
“We cater to around 20 to 25 events a day, which has to be supported by a strong, logistics and information system, to be able to execute these properly,†Joseph said. The R & D system, on the other hand, ensures that the company will be able to meet the demand of its customers through a diverse international and local menu.
Hizon’s Catering’s operations is housed in a fully equipped 2,500-square meter commissary in Quezon City where a trained culinary team creates mouth watering treats, and, ensures that freshness and food safety is always maintained.
Baby and Joseph agreed that they had to standardize the operations of the company in order to institute a high level of consistency not only in the food they serve but the total service that they give to their clients.
“From the way we talk to clients, the timelines that we follow, when we say we can do it, our clients will get the service they deserve and more. That’s the promise we give them,†says Joseph.
Joseph adds his goal is to continue to grow the business, hopefully at a steady growth of 15 to 20 percent every year as the company targets to tap more events such as corporate and children’s, while maintaining their niche in the wedding catering industry.
“As a caterer, we strongly believe that catering is not just about the food. It’s about an event. When we handle clients, whatever we promise, we deliver. We price fair, our sales people are empowered to give the best to our clients. We make a package for you, give what you want and what you need. The package that we give them is a perfect fit to what our clients wants,†he said.
The relationship between mother and son, however, also had its share of challenges but instead of driving them apart, it has worked to bring them a lot closer.
Joseph said his mom is very frugal when it comes to expenses while he admits that he spends much, something that his mom sometimes question. Joseph believes these are necessary expenses to enable the business to sustain its growth.
Joseph also explains that he and his mom have different management styles especially in how they view their employees. For example, Baby questions why some employees seem to idle around but Joseph views it differently, saying these employees are fast workers so they are able to complete their work early.
At the end of the day, however, Joseph and Baby agree that they work harmoniously together with the end goal of continuing the legacy of Hizon’s Catering.