It's Christmas in March as Kapuso star Ken Chan led the opening of the second branch of his holiday-themed restaurant called "Claus Cafe" at the Promenade Greenhills in San Juan City.
"Everyday Christmas has finally arrived at Promenade Greenhills! Our second branch is now finally open to spread the yuletide cheers all-year round!" said Ken, at the opening of the new branch.
Joining Ken at the opening were his business partner CEO Ryan Kolton and the chefs of Claus Cafe. On Dec. 26, Ken's first Café Claus opened in Tandang Sora, Quezon City, the place where he grew up.
“Here at Cafe Claus, it’s Christmas every single day. But it’s deeper than that. It comes to the idea that every day, no matter what happens outside, no matter how down you feel, whenever you come to our doors, this is your home away from home. If there is one thing that you can take away, this is your family-first type home to come back to and reconnect to all the things that made your life and home beautiful,” said Ryan.
While French dishes are served in the Tandang Sora branch, food lovers can enjoy German holiday food at the Promenade Greenhills. Set to be opened are outlets in Eastwood (American dishes), Antipolo, Tagaytay, and more.
"What you’re seeing now is a product of three years of planning, creating, and conceptualizing. I had the pleasure of working with Ken for many years now. We’ve put up companies together. But we both have a passion for opening up a restaurant café, though, the challenge was, we really didn’t exactly know what the idea would be. When we first thought about it, we want the best features, the coffee machines, the fridge, the desserts," Ryan added.
“Ken and I love Christmas because Christmas is everywhere. The reason why we love Christmas is that, on the personal side, for both my family and also for Ken’s family, Christmas is not just the holidays. It’s a day that marks both sad and good memories,” said Ryan, who was referring to the loss of Ken’s relative, who’s like an uncle to him. “It’s because of him that this café restaurant was conceptualized.”
“Tayong mga Pinoy, love na love talaga natin ang Pasko. Halos kalahating taon tayo nagse-celebrate ng Pasko. Ngayon pa lamang, ramdam na namin ang suporta ng tao. Three years in the making ito pero para sa akin, ang bilis. Mahabang proseso ito mula sa look at pagkain,” the actor said.
"Huge thanks for everyone making this possible! We are forever grateful for all the love!" Ken added.