Food trays that evoke memories of school cafeterias

For over a decade, Anna’s Catering trucks have held my interest. I would often catch a glimpse of the vehicles along the vicinity of San Juan, which I used to frequent when my son Diego was at Xavier School.

Recently, in the company of Xavier alumni, I became privy to their musings about every topic conceivable and took note of their memories associated with food prepared by Anna Lok, who was then in charge of lunch service at the school canteen.

I sought Anna out for it was plain to me that if one cooks like she does—that is, churning out dishes delicious enough to evoke nostalgia—then her cuisine must be worth a try.

Luckily, her son Chester Lok was among the group of gentlemen who morphed from rowdy young boys and were now gleefully reminiscing about their past.

A few weeks after, I was invited to the Loks’ Sunday dinner at the residence of Angie Laborte. I was fortunate to meet the gentlelady who started it all, Anna.

There was no need for her to say much, as her brood took over. They simply couldn’t contain themselves. Her sons, daughters, daughters-in-law and grandchildren were all beaming with pride while recounting how the brand began.

Anna Lok was once in charge of lunch service at schools like Xavier and ICA. Now her granddaughter is continuing her legacy with food-to-go concept

Passion turned business

It was intimated that Anna always loved to cook. She later turned her passion into a business, initially cooking her specialties for households and offices within her neighborhood. Her success emboldened her to provide meals for school cafeterias.

Before Anna knew it, she was in charge of providing nourishLok ment to thousands of students from 10 schools around the metro. Aside from Xavier, some of the schools she cooked for included Immaculate Conception Academy, Hope, St. Jude and La Consolacion.

She eventually ventured into catering, equipped with over 200 recipes to keep the school canteen menus fresh and interesting.

Her granddaughter, Mika

Laborte, took on the task of preserving her amah’s legacy.

At the height of the pandemic, Mika led their catering staff, who were housed in their compound, to cook meals for front-liners. It was also at that time that she established the Food Tray 2 Go concept. It was the perfect time; as restaurants remained closed, food orders were lifesavers.

Mika took a leap of faith and resigned from a very stable job at a large conglomerate, and single-handedly built their company’s social media presence. They now have 100,000 followers. Through her efforts, food can now be ordered and delivered within an hour.

It was interesting to hear that many of their clients would call and give them feedback, mostly to say that their food reminded them of Anna’s Catering—well, because it is Anna’s Catering, actually!

All-day comfort food

Anna’s food has earned a loyal band of followers who to this day think of her spaghetfresh ti, palitaw and pork loin as the best they’ve ever had.

This is, after all, the beauty of food. Taste can bring us back in time.

That Sunday evening, I was literally served a meal in takeaway trays. It was their intention for me to experience Food Tray 2 Go as their clients do.

Our menu was Crisp Fried Kangkong with Garlic Mayo Dip, Garlic Cheesy Prawns, Salpicao, Baked Salmon with Capers, Chinese Lumpia, and Mango Sago.

The taste and flavors of the dishes served brought me back to the late ’70s and ’80s. The tastes and flavors were familiar. It was comfort food we grew up with, the kind we would never tire of.

During dinner, other specialties were spoken of, like their mango crepe which I’m told is to die for, and their caviar cake.

Though Mika doesn’t cook, she remains cognizant of what the market craves.

Their caviar cake, for instance, is partly her creation. Mika downloaded a recipe from the internet, and,

FROM C1and, with the help of her mother Tess who is also involved in the daily operations of the business, created their own rendition.

Clients liked it and made it a bestseller. That it is packaged beautifully by Mika’s father, Lawrence Lok (who owns a printing press and is a box maker), adds to its appeal.

At 88, Anna Lok sat at the head of the table, every inch the accomplished woman that she is. Confident, content, charming and entertaining, she is living life to the fullest. She continues to be the company’s head purchaser, adviser and consultant who calls the office daily.

As I watched her that evening, eating every single confection nonstop from chocolates and Turkish jellies to dates—with no diabetes or any major health concerns—I decided that Anna Lok is proof that one can have it all! INQ

Tel. 0917-7026395 (Viber); @Foodtray2go on Instagram and Facebook; foodtray2go.com