Josephine Restaurant

Josephine Restaurant shares a colorful heritage with the place where it found its home,the historic town of Kawit in Cavite. The rich and flavorful gastronomic history started in 1966, when owner Alfonso “Ponso” Sarayba, Sr. opened the very first Josephine Restaurant. This was a significant move, considering that his original vision was to reclaim the whole eight-hectare fishpond property he acquired and set up a housing project. During the sixties, land reclamation of this size was rare, and many thought the man out of his wits.

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While the housing (subdivision) project was on-going, the idea of opening an eatery came about as the workers were making good use of the fishpond’s resources for their meals. Ponso’s business acumen responded, and he soon had a restaurant of wood and nipa constructed in the middle of a large and yet unreclaimed area of the fishpond. He named the restaurant after his wife, Josephine. 

December 22, 1966 saw the birth of the first Josephine Restaurant. Dining on seafood dishes, breathing-in fresh country air, and gazing at the tranquil fishpond waters was truly a novel experience for Manila’s city folks and their foreign guests. It was only a matter of time when the restaurant became immensely popular.

With the success it enjoyed, Josephine Restaurant became the family’s main business. Josie supervised the preparation of dishes and passed on her culinary genius to the growing number of cooks and kitchen aides; as her eldest daughter, Anita, took the reins of responsibility for operating the restaurant.

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A resort was opened in May 1967 on the opposite side of the fishpond property to complement the Josephine Restaurant. Headed by Ponso’s eldest son, Eduardo, the family members contributed their equal share of skills and talents to make Josephine Resort one of the finest non-beach resorts outside of Manila.

The family had contributed two main attractions to the town’s tourism efforts. The restaurant-resort complex attracted local and foreign tourists, as well as schoolchildren who, after completing their educational trip to the historical Aguinaldo Shrine, would eagerly line-up for their share of experience in boating, horseback riding, swimming, bowling, and skating.Such good food could not be contained in only one place. It was inevitable that Josephine Restaurant had branches opening in different locations in the Metropolis: Cubao in 1972, Baclaran in 1973, Pasay in 1976, Makati in 1979, Greenhills in 1986 and Tagaytay in 1995.

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Josephine Restaurant in Kawit, Cavite, still gracefully adorns the fishpond waters which the family has carefully preserved as part of their family’s heritage. She sits as the grand dame of all the Josephine Restaurants, proudly reminding all of the richness provided by nature’s resources, when preserved and cared for.

The memories created by many a family and political gatherings make Josephine Restaurant a rich heritage of good food and great experiences, a treasure trove for every Caviteño to share.

Official site: www.josephinerestaurants.com

Source: http://www.josephinerestaurants.com/aboutus.php

Teaser photo source: http://www.josephinerestaurant.com/josies_aboutus.html