STI Alumnus Brings Thailand Closer to Every Filipino
By: Miguel La Torre , June 1, 2023
When STI alumnus Christian Delgado first opened the doors of his Thai milk tea shop three years ago, he had no idea it would balloon into the renowned Chawasdee Thai Kitchen restaurant today.
A graduate of Bachelor of Science in Hospitality Management (BSHM), Delgado embarked on an extraordinary journey from the classroom to the kitchen. After becoming a member of STI College Ortigas-Cainta’s International Student Association, Delgado became a student ambassador to Thailand; and that’s when his love for Thai cuisine began.
“That experience gave me a glimpse of Thailand’s majestic culture and it gave me a taste of authentic Thai food,” he said.
Delgado during his student days with STI.
Returning home from the trip then became the turning point for Delgado. His admiration for the Land of Smiles, after all, only grew and grew; which inspired him to bring Thai food to the Philippines. “It all actually started when I served my cousins homemade Thai milk tea,” Delgado said, recalling the humble beginnings of his restaurant. “They liked the flavor and suggested that I open a business for it,” he added.
“My plan was to originally start a water-refilling business, but water pressure in the commercial space I was planning to rent was very low. I decided to capitalize on my love for Thailand and start a small Thai milk tea shop instead,” he said.
Little did he know that such a fancy and humble milk tea shop then would turn into an authentic Thai restaurant people would come back for to satisfy their Thai food cravings. After realizing that his business could become a successful career, Delgado then expanded his menu from beverages to adding Thailand’s famous Mango Sticky Rice and the iconic Pad Thai. Chawasdee then transformed from a 10 square meter milk tea shop in Taytay to a fully-grown restaurant that now serves hot Thai meals in Antipolo.
His success story, however, will not be complete without setbacks. Having established his restaurant in the middle of the pandemic, Chawasdee wasn’t spared from the extreme lockdowns that were imposed.
“It was already hard for big brands to capitalize during the pandemic, let alone unknown start-up businesses like mine,” Delgado said. “People had no idea what Chawasdee was about during that time,” he added.
But what kept him going through the long and winding road was extreme love for his craft and the country that took him in and started it all.
“There’s really something about Thailand that I really love,” Delgado said. “Aside from the fact that I enjoy catering to my customers, Chawasdee becomes my comfort on days that I really miss Thailand. I get this sense that I am home,” he exclaimed.
Regular customers pay Chawasdee a visit to satisfy their Thai cravings.
Now that Chawasdee is already in its third year of bringing Thailand closer to the Filipinos, Delgado credits all his success to his alma mater who armed him with the necessary skills in the real world.
“When I first entered STI, I thought I would only learn how to cook, how to garnish; but I learned so much more than that,” the BSHM Batch 2018 graduate said.
“STI taught me that education is not just about passing my subjects for me to graduate, they taught me real-life lessons too like how to handle and manage people, other kitchen techniques, and many more that I am currently using through my own restaurant,” he added.
When asked about his message to aspiring culinary and business professionals, Delgado looked no further away from the lessons he picked up from the institution he dearly loves.
“For students who also dream of having their own food business in the future, my advice is everything we learn in the classroom can be applied after we graduate. It’s just a matter of developing ourselves. Our character, proper attitude, and determination, after all, will enable us to pursue bigger things and achieve all our goals in life,” he said.
