LOOK: Martin Jickain enjoys island life in Boracay
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Martin Jickain fulfills dream of becoming a restaurateur in Boracay.
Martin Jickain has found happiness in his life as an entrepreneur in Boracay Island.
The former model-actor, who is best remembered as the former husband of actress Aiko Melendez, has been living in the famous resort island with his family for about eight years now.
In a chat with GMANetwork.com, Martin related how his life as a celebrity shifted to become a chef and entrepreneur.
He said he pursued his passion for food after his previous relationship.
He finished culinary studies at the International School of Culinary Arts and Hotel Management.
“I took up culinary right after.
“'Tapos, nag-work muna ako sa Manila, I did mga consultancy sa restaurants.
“'Tapos, ayun na, pumunta na ako ng Boracay. I'm here for eight years na. Bihira na lang ako bumalik sa Manila,” he recalled.
After getting married to Maggie Tirol, they decided to start their family in Boracay, where his wife's family owns White House Beach Resort in Station 1.
“When we got married, we decided na dito na talaga dahil, unang-una, taga-rito 'yung wife ko.
“Ang hirap naman kung sa Manila ako 'tapos nandito 'yung business, hindi matututukan.
“May friends din ako who want to partner with me para magtayo ng restaurant in Manila.
“Pero wala ako dun, so I concentrated here in Boracay,” Martin told GMANetwork.com.
Asked about his showbiz career, Martin smiled and said, “Actually, not for anything, maybe showbiz is not for me talaga.
“It's just my ex-wife who's into showbiz. I'm really a model.
“Sinasabi nga nila, 'O, pinakasalan mo lang si Aiko dahil gusto mong mag-artista.'
“Hello! I have nothing against artista, but I don't have talent. I don't know how to sing, I don't know how to act.
“Aminado ako. Okay lang sana kung mayroon, e, wala.”
Martin is grateful that he had the chance to pursue his dream of becoming a chef.
“Ito talaga 'yung passion ko,” he said.
“Even before, gusto ko talagang maging chef, magkaroon ng restaurant.
“Kaya ito talaga yung pinursue ko. For me, it's a stable business.
“Sa showbiz, okay kung okay ka ngayon. Siyempre, hindi mo masasabi 'yong panahon, di ba?
“And it's not really pera-pera lang. It's really my passion. I really love to cook, I love talking to people.”
For someone who has lived most of his life in the city, Martin admitted that it was not an easy decision for him to move to Boracay.
Fortunately, he was given an opportunity to keep himself busy by managing the hotel owned by his wife's family.
After years of being in this business, Martin realized that his decision to take on the island life was right.
“Actually, medyo mahirap noong umpisa kasi city boy, e, di ba?
“Pero habang tumatanda ka na… Business-wise, masyado na ring dense sa Manila.
“I have lots of chef friends who are moving out already in Manila.
“Siyempre, ang bilis ng turnover sa Manila, 'yung iba hindi tumatagal ng six months, unless kilala.
“Grabe rin ang rent sa Manila. I think PhP2,500 per square meter na ang BGC.
“So, if you have 100 square meters na business, PhP250,000 na kaagad, so hindi talaga nagwo-work ang business, ang restaurants.”
INTRODUCING A BRAND
After helping in managing the hotel, Martin put up a bakeshop called MarTinapay, which now has two branches in Boracay.
“I have two restaurants here [in Station 1] and yung Mang Tinapay in Fairways [and Bluewater Resort],” he proudly said.
Aside from selling affordable bake goods to locals, Martin said, “I also supply bread sa mga resorts.
“Yung main branch ko is actually a bakeshop turned into a restaurant, 'tapos kapag gabi, nagiging drinking place.”
Martin was also happy to say that despite the six-month closure of the island in 2018, his bakeshop still managed to do well.
“Yung MarTinapay ko, yun ang kumikita. I cater to the local market, e. Yung pandesal ko tatlong piso lang, yung Spanish break ko six pesos to eight pesos. 'Tapos yung beer ko PhP50,” he related.
Then, he quipped, 'Doon ko na-realized na ang Pilipino kahit medyo gipit, iinom at iinom. Siyempre, pampatulog, pampa-ano sa problema sa pamilya o kaibigan.
“Sa buong Station 1, ako lang 'yung bukas. Mura, e.”
Despite this, Martin was quick to clarify, “I'm not really a baker, poor ako sa hot kitchen. Pero may kaunting alam din sa baking.”
NEW CHALLENGE
Martin took on another challenge as an entrepreneur when he acquired ownership of the popular local pub, Los Indios Bravos, almost the same time when Boracay was closed for rehabilitation.
“Our friend here in Boracay sold the place, the one in Bulabog, because they were affected by the road easement.
“One of the partners decide to sell the brand.
“But it's still doing really well. Ang problema, alam mo naman, nagkaroon ng Boracay closure.
“Yung iba nawalan na ng gana, akala hindi na magre-reopen ang Boracay, masisira na ang market.”
But Martin was definitely not one of them. He was determined to keep the pub despite the sudden closure of the island.
During the rehabilitation, Martin moved Los Indios Bravos from its original location in Bulabog Beach to White Beach.
It is now strategically located at the ground floor of their hotel, just across the original branch of his bakeshop, in Station 1.
“We took the risk na, 'No, ang Boracay gaganda lalo after ng closure,'” Martin stressed.
Although he's not the original owner of the restaurant, Martin assures regular clients of Los Indios Bravos that it's still the same pub, only the location was changed.
“Kung ano yung Los Indios Bravos before, gusto ko ganun na ganun. Parang literally cut-paste lang siya.
“Ayaw kong isipin ng mga tao na porket lumipat lang ng White House, nag-iba na yung venue, kumonti na ang portion.
“May following na kasi siya, so ang hirap magbago.
“So as much as I want to add more dishes, medyo ayaw ko muna sa ngayon kasi it's really doing good.
“Since this opened, it's always on the top 10 sa Trip Advisor and if you read the reviews, they're legit reviews.
“It's really all organic. I don't oblige my customers [to post].”
Martin also takes pride in what his pub has to offer to their guests--from food, craft beers, and even the ambiance.
Their best-sellers include their must-try Dino Ribs, Grilled Indian Chicken Tikka Masala, The Indios Bravos Pork Schnitzel, and Pub-Style Beer Battered Fish and Chips.
“Actually, lahat ng nasa menu, masasarap. Hindi dahil ako yung may-ari.
“Pero 'yung gumawa ng menu, 'yung may-ari ng Los Indios Bravos dati, si Chef Norbert Gandler, may-ari ng Aubergine,” he said.
He also noted about how very hands-on he is in managing Los Indios Bravos.
Martin said, “Kasi, dito sa Boracay, if you notice ang mga nagsa-succeed na mga restaurants dito ay yung mga owners na island-based, tutok talaga.
“Yung mga owners makikita mo talaga, visible.
“Ang tip ko sa mga magbabakasyon sa Boracay, pumunta sila sa mga restaurants na tutok ang mga may-ari.”
As for his staff, Martin said he maintained the staff from the old branch, who are mostly locals.
With the age of social media, he takes pride in his crew, “I told my staff to be very cautious how they serve, how they cook, how they deal with customers.
“Ngayon, ang dali na lang, e, di ba? Ang sama ng pagkain mo, piktyuran ko, post ko sa social media.
“Well, for me, kahit sabihin mong five-star hotel 'yan, hindi naman lahat mapi-please mo, e.
“Hindi tayo pare-parehas ng taste. Pwedeng okay sa 'yo, sa akin hindi.”
Meanwhile, Martin admits that his hands are full right now because of his businesses. So GMANetwork.com asked, “Do you miss the city life?”
He answered, “Wala, e. Unang-una, magastos sa city.
“Sa isang labas mo, mahina ang isang libo--gasolina mo, parking mo, siyempre, kakain ka pa sa labas.
“Dito, may mga araw na wala kang gagastusin.”
Aside from concentrating on business, Martin also noted that living in Boracay is actually conducive to his family life.
“Actually, sa province, it's really easy,” said Martin, who sounded very contented with his life in the island.
“The quality of life, iba, e. We get to eat lunch together, we get to eat dinner together, lagarian ko yung golf course, simbahan, and negosyo.
“Kung gusto ko mag-workout, takbo lang ako sa beach. Sa Manila, hindi mo magagawa 'yon.
“Isang biyahe mo ro'n mahina ang isang oras, di ba? Parang wala na yung quality of life sa Manila.
“Hindi lang sa Boracay [sinasabi ko], ha, basta outside Manila.”
