It is given that we Kagay-anons love Pinoy food, but what about Italian food? It’s one of those foreign foods that we often find hard to comprehend. Either it’s too sour or too salty, is what makes it difficult to appreciate Italian food because our taste buds seem to be wired on the sweet side.
But believe me when I say, me and my team just found a café restaurant that will make you change your mind entirely about Italian food! In a quiet corner in Velez Street lies a charming and petite café called J2J/Eduardo Diego. It resembles a scene straight out from Naples, Italy wherein street cafes are everywhere and it’s a trend in that place to have such cafes sprouting everywhere in the city. It’s quite romantic and mysterious actually.
How it All Began
Curious why it’s called J2J? The name was born out of the partnership of two very different individuals; Jeigs and Eduard Jr. What makes them contradict each other? One loves Filipino food while the other is an Italian food aficionado.
Jeigs loves to cook pancit and eat Filipino food. On the other hand, Eduard is really into Italian cuisine. Despite of these differences, the two good buddies merged their ideas together to start up their own business.
It all began as a home business in Carmen on July 2015. The two friends started a food business on a trial and error basis. They started to cook boxed pancit and boxed spaghetti then sold them to nearby offices. The business gained a positive response from clients so they continued this set-up for about 3 months until they decided to find a space for their business.
The duo wanted to find a place that they can call a commissary or what would be a sort of “take out counter” where they could cook their orders and deliver them to their regular clients. But in an unexpected turn of events, the place became what is now known as J2J/Eduardo Diego Fastfood and Café. They officially opened on November 2, 2015.
Signature Products/Dishes
Their first products were; Special Pancit noodles, Spaghetti Pomodoro (sold at P50 per box, 100 grams pasta and with 2 slices of bread for lunch or snacks).
Later on, they added Spaghetti Marinara, Pasta classic, Bolognese Pizza and Classic Italian Pizza Margarita. Soon, the café started to offer Combo Meals as well and the Pancit Chicken Rice became a best-seller to customers.
J2J has an ongoing promo which is get one bottle of wine (red, white or sparkling), 1 pizza (margarita or Bolognese) and 1 appetizer for only P750.
Here’s a copy of their Menus if you want to know what other products they offer and their prices.
Design and Concept
The design and layout of the café was done by Jeigs’ brother, Janpax but he also infused his own ideas to achieve the final result.
The store’s graphics was done by Jeigs but the decors were added slowly to beautify the café over the years.
As for the concept, it’s like an Italian Street Café in Naples, Italy and is a minimalist one. The café has two concepts joined together since it is both a Filipino and an Italian Café. J2J is their Filipino brand while Eduardo Diego is the Italian one.
Getting to Know the Owners
John Eduardo Quintano Jr. was born in Oroquieta City. He took up HRM, Caregiver course, Computer Secretariat and Tourism when he was in college. Eduard worked as a hotel manager at Rovic’s Hotel for 9 years. He also worked as a manager at La Tegola restaurant for several years and handled Cdo and Cebu branches.
He met Jeigs at La Tegola as he did layouts for promotional posters for the restaurant in the past. When the restaurant closed, the two buddies decided to enter a networking business which failed in the end. Because of this, they planned on getting into the food industry.
Jeigfred Pakino – He was born and raised in Cagayan de Oro. Jeigs is a foodie and gained his passion for food from his family. Being the eldest in the family, he learned how to cook because he needed to do this chore for his siblings. This is where he developed his love for food even further.
Jeigs took up Architecture at USTP and he loves sketching, painting and visual arts. He landed a job in marketing, graphic design and other advertising jobs in Manila for 5 years. He used to work as a graphic artist for Sisters Napkins wherein the Jaboom Twins were the endorsers. Moreover, Jeigs also worked at Ubix Corporation and landed other sales and customer service jobs later on. His last job where he lasted for 6 months was at Primer Group of Companies.
In 2009, he went back to Cagayan de Oro to start a new venture. At this time, he met Eduardo and the rest is history.
What Makes J2J/Eduardo Diego Stand Out from the Rest?
The number one factor that makes J2J/Eduardo Diego stand out from the rest is their undeniably delicious taste. They make people believe that Italian food can be delicious and addicting too.
Aside from that, they also offer big trays for events and occasions which other Italian restaurants don’t offer.
Operating Hours, Future Plans and Contact Information
J2J/Eduardo Diego is open from 10am – 2pm and 4pm-10pm from Monday-Saturday, they’re closed on Sundays.
They are hoping to open a second branch in the future if everything continues to turn out well in terms of business.
For inquiries, bookings and advance orders, you may reach them here:
Contact Numbers: 0936-437-9131/0935-151-4868
Facebook Page: J2J Fastfood & Cafe’
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