OFW turned entrepreneur showcasing Filipino cuisine before the world culinary stage - Gina Valbuena

Gina Valbuena

OFW turned entrepreneur showcasing Filipino cuisine before the world culinary stage

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An overseas Filipina worker (OFW) turned entrepreneur is proud to showcase the Filipino cuisine in Dubai, an international expatriate city and host to Expo 2020. Gina Valbuena decided to exhibit Filipino food after her job as a Business Support Manager to the CEO for Assent Management of a giant hospitality company in the emirate and opened a restaurant called Kubyertos Cuisine at The Pavillion, Discovery Gardens.

Looking back at our favorite family meals in my hometown Davao, I remember that side by side to our Sinaing na Tulingan and Pipino Ensalada were my mother’s laughter and smiles,” Valbuena told GMA News Online.

“In many ways, I felt this similar joy in Dubai as I became part of the robust Filipino community here. This is the experience our team wanted to bring to Kubyertos Cuisine: the comfort of our homes brought together by our food,” she added.

Vabuena’s restaurant is situated close to the Expo 2020 site south of Dubai. The international event was postponed last year due to the pandemic and will be opened from October 1, 2021, until March 31, 2021. More than 190 countries, including the Philippines, will be participating in the event.

“Dubai is an international environment. The beauty of the emirate is that the diverse cultures do not compete with each other, but work hand in hand. To complement the global community in Dubai, we designed our menu not only to the Filipino palate but to entice the international market as well,” she added.

“I have very high regard for our local culture, immense awe for Filipino talents, hospitality and congeniality and deep appreciation of delectable dishes from different regions of the Philippines – what could be better than showcasing all of these to our greatest inspiration, the overseas Filipinos, and proudly introducing the same to the rest of the world?” she further added.

Opening a restaurant abroad Vabuena, despite having a comfortable corporate job before, said that she, along with her husband and three children, have been living abroad for the last 17 years, she ‘has become witness to the mark of the Filipinos in this country.’

“Whether we like to admit it or not, our fingerprints are all over the first bricks that built this beautiful nation. I wanted us to be proud of this fingerprint – to be proud of our presence and identity in the UAE,” she said.

Her goal as a restauranteur isn’t only to serve good Filipino food, but also to empower the Filipino community.

“Inspired by many local brands that are thriving, I envisioned our team to be part of that community. What made me decide to open Kubyertos Cuisine was quite simple: to be a part of the many great brands that bring pride to our country,” she further added.