Q&A: Cez Tan, Island Joe's Hawaiian BBQ

Photo c/o Island Joe's BBQ Facebook account

Cez Tan has been engaged in a couple of businesses until she finally found her mark in the hospitality industry with Island Joe's Hawaiian BBQ, a special restaurant in Onehunga, Auckland.

I've been to Island Joe's a couple of times and every time I step inside IJ's, the smell of good, home cooking just brings me back to my homeland.  Cez' journey is another instance of a migrant going into a viable business venture.  And doing good at it too.  It adds not only diversity to the Kiwi palate, but also culture.  Just like the upcoming promotional event they're doing which is a great tie-in with the Dingayang Festival back home.  Please mark this on your calendar: the place to be on May 27 at 6 p.m. is IJ's or Islands Joe's, for a special meal in support of the performers for the 2017 Santa Parade in Auckland.

You'll notice that barbeque is spelt with a "q" just like how it's written in the American language.  Whether it's a c or q it is still a tasty meal.  I'll definitely make this a frequent must-stop next every time I'm in Auckland.  Here's my Q&A with her.

Q: What's the inspiration behind your business?
A: My favourite hobby is cooking and I've always wanted to try my hand at setting up a restaurant.  When the opportunity rose, I had to grab it.  Filipino food has always been the underdog in the international food scene when compared to Chinese, Thai, Japanese and other Asian cuisines but I know that our barbeque is far superior if only people can taste it.  The popularity of Hawaiian Barbeque in America gave me the idea to set-up a similar concept given that the original Hawaiian BBQ chain was co-founded by a Filipino thereby accounting for the Filipino influence.  Hawaiian cuisine is a mix of Asian, Polynesian and American food and our menu reflects this.

Q: What has been a challenge while building your business and how did you manage it?
A: The challenge has been to introduce our food, which is quite new to the Kiwi palate, to the general populace and not only to Filipinos.  We are slowly building up our non-Filipino customer base by word-of-mouth and participating in events like Pasifika.  Unfortunately, we don't have the resources to do a marketing blitz.  So we rely largely on people trying our food and loving it and inviting others to try.

Q: Name three people, dead or alive, you'll like to have dinner with, and why?
A: Simon Gault - I'd like to get his input as to how to get people to try our food.  Kim Dotcom - he would be an interesting person to talk to and also I might be able to convince him to invest in the restaurant business, ha ha ha.  Richie McCaw - I would love for him to try our food and endorse it.

Q: Are you a cat or dog person, and why?
A: Probably a cat, I'm not as sociable as a dog.  Although I like meeting people, I prefer one-on-one interactions rather than crowds.

Q: Where in NZ is the place you can call as your sanctuary, and why?
A: My house, where else would you feel relaxed and free?  When you get home from work, you can just sit in your deck and listen to bird songs.

Q: Something not many people know about you?
A: I'm very loyal to true friends.

Q: If you could travel back in time, where and when would it be, and why?
A: Nowhere.  If I change a thing in the past, I might not end up in NZ, and I don't want to be anywhere else at this point in time.

Q: What are your plans for the future?
A: Have a chain of Island Joe's here and abroad.