Afrique's expands and cooks up to perfection
Starting a restaurant business and make it the career of your dreams may seem a ludicrous conviction of achieving prosperous profits from the food enterprise. Not only that the rivalry of sprouting food service industries are obstinately tough, to sustain a wide patronage can also be demanding in today's highly competitive environment. Keeping a high degree of satisfaction for customers tends to be an exhausting task, notwithstanding the financial capital investment required which uncertainly can assure a positive cash flow in the future. In addition to the daunting restaurant venture is the unwavering mission of maintaining tight control of costs for the whole operation, consistency of management and customer service, also, providing an exceptional service that leaves a persuasive impression at all times without exception.
Having been in the business for almost four years, Miguel Cordova, an epicure devoted to culinary expertise of premium gourmet cuisine and owner of the popular pasta house Afriques, understands the challenges entailed from the restaurant business. Growing up from a family of scions in the food industry, his mother being in the meat trade and his father in the food service at Fort San Pedro before, assisting them in the whole operation gradually helped him develop marketing with necessary production skills and ultimately, love and enthusiasm for food. His desire for delectable cuisines was channeled when in 2002, he decided to start his own home-based pizza and pasta restaurant which at first he thought to be a small project that will only generate a small income and keep himself busy. "I woke up one morning and it suddenly dawned on me to put up my own restaurant. 
When I told my mom about the plan she immediately agreed. Their bedroom was soon transformed into a small space for my eatery," he says. Success in the restaurant business can be elusive. What's more is that, success means different things to different people. For him, it did not took much financially for investment. "I only started with a P2,000 capital," he interestingly reveals, "and my friends supported me and offered to help as servers to Afrique's first customers which mostly are acquaintances, relatives, and family who knew first hand of my newly opened restaurant." Soon, through word of mouth, his clientèles grew and after seven months he instinctively knew that he is on the right track.
His passion for cooking led him to the expansion of his business which allowed Afrique's to meet the burgeoning demand of the Ilonggos for quality food at an affordable value. Now with three branches, his latest is near Hotel del Rio, the "natural born cook" savors the taste of success from his continuing sincerity to create a unique niche in the industry which emphasizes healthy and delightfully gastronomic dishes, hence, making a name above the rest as the unsurpassed gourmet restaurant in the local marketplace.
He recognizes the value of participative management, being involved and leading in the whole operation. "Perhaps one key to Afrique's growth is that, it does not only offer good food but my team makes sure that our customers will feel like they are a part of a family. Most of my customers became good friends of mine."
Every dish is seasoned to perfection as he cooks it himself. With the expansion now, his family also aids him and makes sure that each of his branch is taken care of. "I always update myself when it comes to food. I travel, read, surf the net often. I do not imitate something that already exists but it's important for me to improvise every now and then. Now what I do is, in order to save, I plant my own herbs instead of buying which costs a lot."
A restaurateur and celebrity chef (he has a show called Food Fest in Sky Cable's channel 13) with a soft heart, he reveals that what drives him to strive even more is the fact that he is able to help other people. "My employees are mostly orphans. As a reward for their hard work, I treat them to other restaurants once every month and I also give them cellphones." He is also involved in medical and feeding missions for charity. "It's a must for me to give back to the community because I am blessed with so much."
People need to keep life interesting and what better way to savor the zest of living than to eat. With Afrique's you'll never leave the table hungry where guests will have a total experience with excellent, interesting food that is delightfully sumptuous with an intriguing atmosphere and ambiance that is entirely unique -- from homey in Jaro, to archaic in General Hughes, to chic in Del Rio. No one does this better than the mind and heart of Afrique's, the man everybody fondly calls "Migs".