Cover Photo: @cornertreecafe / Instagram
Photo: @cornertreecafe / Instagram
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Owner Chiqui Mabanta shares what it was like to boldly open a vegetarian restaurant back in 2009 when there were none, paving the way for many others
At a time when many food business partnerships are seeing some dramatic dissolutions, pioneering vegetarian restaurant Corner Tree Café, which has held court along Jupiter Street for over a decade, is shutting down due to more, shall we say, organic reasons (pun intended). “We are closing because our landlords need the space,” explains owner, restaurateur Francesca “Chiqui” Mabanta (Mexicali, El Chupacabra, Crying Tiger Street Kitchen). “The other tenants were asked to leave long before us and we were practically the last ones left. They need the space for their offices and will eventually tear the building down to make a new one.”
They are parting ways in the most amicable way possible, saying a friendly goodbye to their street-side location which has been home to Corner Tree Café since they opened in 2009. “I am not complaining. They have always been nice landlords, especially during the pandemic but also, throughout the years,” Mabanta says. “They always supported us by constantly eating there, holding meetings there, et cetera. They kindly offered me a space in their new building. But it will be built in a few years still so, who knows.”
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When they close their doors for the last time on September 30, 2024, it will be good to know that it is not a permanent goodbye. They will still be complying with their commitments to the International School Manila and Asian Development Bank where they provide their cafeterias with vegetarian fare. “We still have a commissary,” Mabanta points out. “People will still be able to get meals via delivery or pick up, so the Corner Tree brand will still be around as a cloud kitchen.”
After 15 years, it is safe to say that Corner Tree Café has become an enduring fixture in the local dining scene. Now, vegetarian and vegan food is easier to come by and has become easily available to those who prescribe to that lifestyle. It was not always that way, and definitely not before Corner Tree Café came along. “Opening a vegetarian café in Manila in 2009 was a bit daunting,” Mabanta ruminates. “At the time, there were no other mainstream vegetarian restaurants and people were very worried for me. I got turned down by a few malls telling me, ‘It’s a nice concept but we don’t think Manila is ready yet.’ I also had three other prospective business partners but none pushed through for different reasons so I was worried it was not meant to be.”
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Still, Mabanta was hopeful that there were many like her out there, if not then, maybe in the future. “Every time I’d enter a mall and look for the kind of food I wanted to eat, options were very limited and boring for me,” she says, sharing what it was like to be vegetarian in those days. “I waited for years and when nothing showed up, I thought, ‘if I like this food, I’m sure others will, too.’ I think I’ll do it on my own.” That she did, and even when those around her were worried that her concept was too niche, she soldiered on and stuck to her guns.
“When I opened, some customers assumed I would eventually add seafood and chicken. I said ‘no.’ They were worried,” she intimates. “But, I was encouraged when some people came up to me, including a very nice older, white-haired woman who gently squeezed my hand and quietly said, ‘thank you. We have been waiting for this.’ Others also thanked me for ‘paving the way’ and said others would surely follow knowing there is now a market for vegetarian food. I had no competitors for around 5 years. That was great but I also always said I welcome others to join so that way, there will be more people eating less meat.”
A few years after Corner Tree Café opened, the vegan movement grew rapidly and other restauranteurs either opened their own plant-based restaurant or included more plant-based options to their existing menus. As of this writing, Mabanta shares that her menu is 80 per cent vegan (meaning zero animal by-product). “We still kept a few dishes that are vegetarian but not vegan because my main goal was to get meat-eaters to eat meals without meat. Everyone has their own journey— some choose to become vegans, some don’t. I am not telling people how to live.”
Since Corner Tree Café is not closing forever, it would be premature to ask what their legacy is to the local dining scene. Perhaps, the more appropriate question would be: how has the brand contributed to Mabanta’s advocacy? “I’d say it has helped to open meat-loving Filipinos’ minds to not just eat some meat-free meals [on occasion, or for health reasons] but to also enjoy it. We have had many customers who had meat-free meals for the first time. We provided a lot of sick people (told by their doctors to eat more healthily) some joy when they thought they would experience sadness. We kind of helped make vegetarian food more accessible and mainstream, [offering a place] where you could finally enjoy meals without meat, served with wine or beer if you liked.” She adds: “Our aim was always to make vegetarian meals fun, healthy and not boring, as was previously assumed by many. I believe we were able to break that mindset.”
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Jaclyn Clemente Koppe is a food and lifestyle writer, as well as a consultant to some of the country’s beloved food and beverage brands. Her passion for food and drink is only surpassed by her devotion to her family, most especially to her soulmate, Pepa the poodle.
