Alumni Network - Learning Their Stories: Quincherville Villanueva
World Wide Cultural Exchange has begun a new effort to showcase our alumni, share how exchange programs impact long-term, and inform participants about the opportunities they can seize after their exchange program titled “Alumni Network - Learning Their Stories”. This new series will be presented here on our blog and through Instagram Live, with different alumni featured on each platform.
Today we are sharing the stunning culinary creations of bakery-owner Quincherville Villanueva, who was a culinary intern at Loews’ Portofino Hotel in Orlando, Florida. Quincherville has become a skilled pastry chef, baking and decorating Instagram-worthy desserts, and owns her own business, Love, Quinch. Many of our participants dream of building a successful business like Quincherville, and we hope her interview provides insights and inspiration to our past, present, and future participants! The Exchange Visitor Program is a stepping stone to the greatest future you imagine for yourself.
Please introduce yourself to us! Hi ! I’m Quincherville Villanueva a 24-year-old currently based in Quezon City Philippines. I was raised partly in Gaborone, Botswana and in the Philippines. I took up AB Multimedia Arts in De La Salle College of Saint Benilde as my bachelor’s degree and took up a Certificate in Professional Baking and Pastry Arts in Magsaysay Center for Hospitality and Culinary Arts in Manila. I’m mostly engaged with doing business right now, but I enjoy spending my free time reading recipe books, doing test recipes, and watching Netflix.
Reflecting on your exchange visitor program, what were the the most important or memorable experiences you had? I spent a year of internship through the exchange visitor program with Loews Portofino Bay Hotel at Universal Orlando and the most memorable and important memories I got there would be the whole experience really. It’s actually hard to pin-point just one moment that’s unforgettable. The program enabled me to become financially independent and self-reliant, things I never thought I was capable of. Another is the experience opened me up in a way where I was able to learn new things about foreign cultures, not only American but also British, Latin, Black etc. I met so many people whilst on my program and it was such a great memory looking back to be able to grasp all that. I was also very fortunate to have met two amazing people that have become my best friends despite living miles apart. From this exchange program, I am especially thankful to have met Izzy and Abdul, my two best friends.
How did your culinary training program help you develop your skills as a chef? My culinary training helped me hone the skills of working in a team and working in the Pastry kitchen. I was fortunate enough to just train with the pastry team all year, and I’m thankful that I was able to reach my whole potential as a pastry cook-in-training. What you learn in school is not even half of what a day in a kitchen is like. I learned how to work fast and multi-task and really be able to handle huge numbers of production, which, to me looking back at this, I could never imagine myself getting to do it all, if you had asked me initially before the program. I also learned how to work as a team member and how important communication is in the kitchen. To me, that really helped in who I am today as a Pastry Chef.
How has your intern program impacted you long term – either professionally or personally? So, with all the things I was able to learn during my internship program, I was able to get a Pastry Chef position in a commissary here in the Philippines when I got back. Small things, like being organized and scheduling and inventory matters, I was able to adapt the system that my chef used in Portofino, and to this day, I apply it in every place I’ve worked in. Our Executive Pastry Chef, Chef Jen Augello, she’s very organized and is very keen with details and that stuck with me. I was wired to working systematically and always preparing ahead. The good thing about it, is I know when I need to replenish a certain item and I know which sells fast through observation, so it’s become easy to me to know when production is needed and when it isn’t. I think with working with companies here, it wasn’t the ideal system that they wanted to adapt because they think about cost efficiency and wastage more than their employees working more efficiently. I’ve adapted that with my current business so despite working alone, I am able to handle orders without physically, mentally, and emotionally straining myself.
You have opened your own bakery - Love, Quinch. What inspired you to open your own business? With Love, Quinch, I actually enjoy my workdays. I opened it up because of the pandemic. When COVID struck in the Philippines, businesses were left to close for an indefinite period. I was affiliated with a restaurant at that time, and I was asked to work a couple of shifts during the pandemic if I was able but with the scare of the pandemic I wasn’t ready to work in the restaurant again, so I resigned and chose to setup an small pastry shop to cater to my friends and a couple of neighbors. My parents helped me out financially to start up the business. Love, Quinch was actually a business plan that I had in storage since December of 2019. I initially quit my job as Head Pastry Chef of the commissary I was working at so I could focus on my business planning but I wasn’t fully ready to actually commit to that so I was applying for jobs while I was brainstorming. I eventually got into the restaurant I had been eyeing so that put my business plan on hold, but funny enough, the pandemic made it happen, and that is one thing I’m actually thankful for.
What has been your favorite dessert that you’ve made? Which desserts do you enjoy making the most? I initially focused on making cupcakes, then eventually cakes, then macarons, and then the menu kept growing. I actually enjoy making cakes especially when they’re challenging or a new technique that I have to learn. I’m mostly doing Tea partyish and very feminine designs, and I’m trying to really build my brand on that aesthetic. My least favorite to make is macarons, it’s just so frustrating to make.
What is your favorite part of owning your own business? My favorite part of owning my own business is having control of my time and the menu. I can work more hours on a certain day and less hours on certain days, so it has been convenient for me and my family. My brother handles the inquiries, so production, inventory, stocks and ordering, marketing, and everything else is me. So, to have control of my time on when I need things to be accomplished is a pretty great aspect of owning a business. It’s also very challenging in a way where everything is done by you or needs your review and there’s just so much time in a day. Another challenging aspect is budgeting and finances. I am not great with money to be honest, so owning a business has been challenging but also a learning experience. The good thing about being an employee is just getting paid on payday, but business is very different. There are more important things to settle before actually thinking about where you’ll splurge your earnings on so that has been quite a challenge, but I’ve been better at handling it, and it’s been doing great despite me struggling on doing my accounting books.
How have you and your business adapted to life with COVID-19? Putting up a business during COVID-19 has been such a blessing, and I am thankful for everyone who’ve been very supportive. It makes me wonder how business would have been if I had started prior to COVID-19. Our business setup was built to adapt to the COVID-19 situation in the Philippines, and we’ve been able to provide birthdays, anniversaries, weddings and all those intimate moments a sweet and memorable experience without them having to leave their homes.
What advice do you have for someone who wants to start their own business? A few tips for someone thinking of putting up a business of their own. First, know your purpose. A thorough business plan really helps you know your market and your position in it. It may seem redundant or cheesy to do vision-mission goals and all that, but at the end of the day those are core things that help you identify your brand better. Second, USP, your unique selling point, know your product and why it’s something people would buy. Research and be prepared. SWOT Analysis really helps. Third, Brand Aesthetic - have a consistent theme going on with your brand. Like have a unique, consistent, and cohesive branding. Fourth, and the most important, know how much you’ll need to start up your business and how much it will cost you for permits and all that. You may not need it initially, but if you’re looking to do it full-time, in the long run you’ll need to know this most importantly. Last tip, test runs, start with a small community or your friends and family and see how it goes before diving into a huge business investment. My bachelor’s degree was the backbone of the success of the past couple of months of my business, and my pastry degree and training in America just helped me further it. So, bank on the skills that you have, and you’ll likely pick up more along the way. If you’re not too good at it, enlisting help from a friend or a professional would help too. I wish all the best for those who are seeking to put up their own businesses. It has also been really great sharing my experience about my exchange visitor program and I hope those who are looking into it might consider this as a form of training into transitioning into having a career in the industry or in putting up their own businesses.
