How sisterly bond, passion for quality food brought 24 delightful years of Conti’s
MANILA, Philippines — You know you’re eating good food when it brings you beautiful memories with every bite. A bite that not only lets you taste the flavor but also the labor of love. The taste that brings you home – and you know you’re home when you have Conti’s on your table.
Conti’s Bakeshop and Restaurant serves good food because its story is based on sisterly love. Ask the Conti sisters: Cecille Conti Maranon, Carole Conti Sumulong and Angela Conti Martinez and they will delight you with sweet and savory stories spanning 24 years.
The Conti Sisters’ intact friendship is the confectionery to their relationship; their sweetness is kneaded by their desire to be there for each other.
They played different roles in the company. Cecille, the Ate, managed the orders. She also played the role of finance officer since she had banking experience. Carole handled production and accounting since she is an accountant by profession. Angie managed human resources as well as sales and marketing. They have grown to understand each other's differences and have overcome nuances in their relationship.
Ate Cecille grew up in the city while the younger sisters grew up in Batangas. Carole recalls she was always in the kitchen. Angie, on the other hand, relates, “It was Ate Carole, even at a young age, who dreamed of having our own business together. She was also the one on the lookout for new dishes and restaurants.”
They may have initially pursued careers of their own, in finance and accounting, respectively, but their love of food remained prevalent.
Bonded and banded for the love of food
Angie, the youngest, saved money so she can eat good food in restaurants. She enjoyed doing this with the rest of the family. The sisters enjoyed eating out and savoring relatives’ dishes.
Their mom would cook and they would be told to invite friends to have lunch at home. All the exposure to various dishes became the inspiration for the sumptuous goodness we now enjoy at Conti’s.
Thank goodness for potluck
While living in the US in the 90s, Carole’s cooking and baking skills sharpened. She flexed her skills by bringing food to Filipinos in the US who loved get-togethers.
Realizing she wanted to raise her son in her motherland, Carole eventually went back to Manila. This time, she was armed with more cooking experience and a burning passion for serving good food.
It began in the family garage
Like many family businesses, Conti’s started operations from home. Operating from her home kitchen and garage, Carole not only brought back honed skills but also better equipment and hard-to-find ingredients.
The Conti’s sisters catered to the neighborhood with their favorites: Baked Salmon, Garlic Sotanghon and Ensaymada.
A big enough name
Ate Cecille recalls struggling with naming the restaurant. Even before Carole came back to Manila, the Conti’s name was already a consideration. After all, it is what the sisters had in common. The apprehension over their name connoting the Tagalog “konti” (“kaunti”) was easily dismissed thanks to clients who assured them otherwise. Eventually, the name transitioned from Conti’s Food Circle to just Conti’s.
Rewarding 24 years
“After 24 years we grew to more than 50 stores. Very rewarding, too, is the patronage of our customers who come and come and come and repeat their orders,” Cecille said.
Carol recalls getting goosebumps seeing people line up. “The most rewarding is when customers leave the store happy and delighted. I think it was Christmas time, we had goosebumps—the traffic in a private subdivision, the fact that people are really coming back to order again. It felt so good to make other people happy with the food we serve.”
Quality is the name of the game
The sisters are in unison when they say it’s the quality of the food products that have brought Conti’s to 24 years of delighting customers. Good service and quality products and God-centered operations have remained in the heart of Conti’s.
Now the tradition of good food and enduring family love is passed down to the second generation Conti who is equally as passionate in delivering delight to every home with affordable quality dishes.
The heart is with the people
Cecille, Carole and Angie know that the real secret to the success of Conti’s is the people behind their operation.
Cecille recalls “Some of our employees have been with us from way back when we opened at home. We really trained them. Cooking is labor-intensive but you know it’s just so fulfilling to see your employees uplift their life.”
“Indeed they are God sent,” Angie shared.
“Their humility and hard work made Conti’s what it is today so thank you to all of them,” Carole said.
To watch the story of Conti’s founders, visit the Facebook page at https://fb.watch/8oNSNDdLUE/.
