Mama Merce’s Kitchen finds entrepreneurial success with Filipino food, family

HONOLULU (HawaiiNewsNow) - The Ewa Beach family behind local food truck and catering business Mama Merce’s Kitchen shared their entrepreneurial success story on HNN’s Sunrise Weekends.

Edmund S. Laforga, Jr. and his wife Lorena run the food truck with the help of Laforga’s sister Princess Mae Sacayanan, a well-known social media influencer, and cousin Jorlie Pesca.

Laforga and Sacayanan are siblings of social media star Bretman Rock.

They’re serving up Filipino food at the Black Friday event at Waikele Center from 4-8 p.m.

They showcased the Bretman special (bicol express and chicken adobo), Princess special (pork belly roll and fried chicken), Mama Merce’s special (pinakbet and lechon kawali) and the Chef’s Choice (beef steak and dinuguan).

Mama Merce’s Kitchen is a regular vendor at the “What the Truck” street festivals on the 1st and 3rd Friday of the month at Waikele Center. The center recently marked its 30th anniversary.

Laforga started Mama Merce’s Kitchen in 2019, transitioning from working in construction to cooking. He would cook his own lunch and bring it to work where his co-workers would try it.

Laforga said that it was struggle to get to this point, but with the help of family, he’s been able to keep his dream alive and continue cooking his Filipino food inspired by his mother’s recipes.

Edmund is the older brother of Bretman Rock Sacayanan and sister of Princess Mae Sacayanan, who are huge influencers among social media and the Filipino community.

Each special is named for a family member’s favorite Filipino dishes.

They are originally from Cagayan, Philippines, and live in Ewa Beach. They are huge supporters of entrepreneurship.

The food truck currently does catering and events.

To contact them or follow their journey, visit Mama Merce’s Kitchen on Instagram.

For orders, call (808) 382-4369 or mamamerceskitchen@gmail.com.

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