The Covid-19 pandemic is not all about loss. We have seen the rise of individuals who have gone out of their comfort zones in order to start small businesses and have actually thrived. In Bacolod City, Mok’s Homemade Recipes is one relatively new food brand started by a dad who wanted to have a side hustle in this pandemic. Read the story about their thriving business as well as their quality products.

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The Birth of Mok’s Homemade Recipes

Perry “Mok” Ong, Jr. had always been fascinated with preparing food for the family, taking after his mom. The recipes he started with were handed down from his grandma and he personalized the products with his own flavor and style. His first foray in the kitchen produced his first-ever pork siomai and he has kept experimenting ever since.

A licensed medical technologist, Mok is no longer practicing in the laboratory but instead works from home with an offshore company based in Australia. That means, he has a lot of time to dabble in his side business.

With P10,000 initial capital, he put up Mok’s Homemade Recipes, specializing in dim sum and dumplings. He sold his food products to friends and just kept the capital rolling, developing other products to add to this menu. Moving forward, he decided to get serious with the business because he wanted to marry his ex-girlfriend Carmela, a pediatric dentist by profession.

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They settled down after a much-anticipated wedding in February 2020, but then the community lockdowns started the following month because of Covid-19. Instead of wallowing in what-could-have-been, they focused on their business and eventually had their firstborn during quarantine.

Daddy Mok in the Kitchen

Mok’s wife Carmela says that between the two of them, her husband is the better cook and that just works for them. But she does help in running their growing business.

What sets Mok’s food items apart from other dim sum food stalls is that he uses pure meat. Yes, you can taste and feel the “meatiness” of his products in every bite. Each serving comes with a mixture of toyo-mansi sauce. Chili-garlic is added when you ask for it.

At present, they have two food stalls: one at Robinsons City Walk and the newly-opened one on the 2nd floor of 888 Chinatown Premier. They serve steamed rice toppings, steamed siomai, and dumplings. In the steamer are pork siomai, pork shiitake siomai, bacon-wrapped siomai, pork dumplings, and vegetable dumplings. You can get them frozen, too.

Moreover, they also sell frozen products in these outlets, like pork sisig, different flavors of chorizo, tocino, and beef tapa.

Mok’s Homemade Recipes has leveled up with special recipes with ready-to-cook meat dishes. So far, they have marinated spareribs, sexy backribs, and Korean bacon (good for samgyeopsal).

And if you are vaccinated against Covid-19, they are giving a 15% discount off their frozen goods as long as you can present your vaccinated card. This offer is until August 31 (at least for now and maybe extended).

Food Delivery

You can visit Mok’s Homemade Recipes at Robinsons City Walk and 888 Chinatown Premier Mall in Bacolod City. But you can also have their products delivered straight to your home. They are listed on foodpanda and GrabFood. For reseller inquiries, you may contact them at 0917-888-MOKS.

Follow Mok’s Homemade Recipes on social media:

• FB: MoksRecipes
• IG: @MoksRecipes