DAVAO CITY?A Dabawenya in New York City wanted to give her mother, a nurse, a surprise during Mothers? Day, but the time difference and their respective work schedules, made it impossible for the daughter to even make a call.

Not wanting to miss the opportunity to express how she missed her mom in the Philippines, whom she did not see for quite a while now, the daughter instead ended up treating her to lunch ? for three consecutive days ? without the mom leaving her post at the hospital where she works.

In General Santos City, a girl friend could not stand the thought of her boy friend starving himself as his way of protesting her habit of skipping breakfast.

The girl friend could not let the petty lovers? quarrel drag on for days.

So the boy friend got a surprise peace offering ? a package of fresh and steaming food delivered right to his office, for him and for his officemates.

Now, should you want to fix a misunderstanding with your sister or your best friend, or if you just want to surprise them with something special, try Pinoy Takeout ? just like what the two girls have done.

Although still an infant in the online ordering service, Pinoy Takeout (www.pinoytakeout.com), guarantees customer satisfaction with their ?busog ka sa pagmamahal [satiated with love]? brand.

Hannah Chloe Cano, also a Dabawenya living in San Jose, California, and the brains behind Pinoy Takeout, explains that, ideally, their goal is to deliver orders within one to two hours after they were placed, ?no matter what time it is, no matter what time zone.?

Pinoy Takeout, Cano said, was different from the other online ordering service companies because, aside from the real time service, the partnership with food firms and gift shops was legitimate.

?Unlike our competitors who require at least 24 hours before they deliver, and some don?t even ask permission from food companies to resell their food,? Cano said.

Cano, 24 ? who recently quit a high-paying job as facilities coordinator for a semiconductor company in California to work as international relations officer for a career consultancy firm in Chandigarh, India ? said the idea came to her while she was having a long online conversation with a friend who was in the Philippines in August of last year.

In the middle of their chat, her friend, who was in the middle of nightshift work at an off-sourcing firm, told her that he was hungry. She thought of surprising him with food but she learned that the food chains in the Philippines won?t accept her credit card.

?It was midnight and he was hungry. I wanted to surprise him and I tried to see if this food chain would take my card and deliver the food to him but I was told they don?t do it. Then the idea just came and it all began. I started to do my research if this kind of service was available in the Philippines. I found out that there was one but the service was only for Metro Manila. And some do it for the provinces, but it?s not real time service,? Cano told the Philippine Daily Inquirer in a telephone interview.

Cano said that the business was designed for Filipinos overseas to pamper their families in the Philippines with little surprises like food and gifts items ?right away.? The idea, she said, was a result of her own love for surprises.

?I always surprise friends and I, myself, love surprises,? she said, as she explained how small gestures of thoughtfulness would naturally fuel feelings of love and being loved.

Cano, the youngest in a family of six, was born in Davao and left for the United States when she was 15. Her parents also live in Los Angeles. Her siblings, she said, were now in Dubai, but many of her relatives and friends are still living in Davao City. She took Communication Studies at Glendale College and International Business with concentration in Area Studies for Asia at San Jose State.

?The idea was ?busugin mo sila sa pagmamahal? [feed them with love] and it?s a very sweet feeling. The heart of the business is the element of surprise and the feeling that comes along with it. And the beauty of it is that it is available right away,? Cano said.

Working with at least six partners now, Pinoy Takeout is currently negotiating with a popular food chain and eyeing 10 other potential partners to widen their coverage. Right now, the existing partners are located in the cities of Davao, General Santos, Cagayan de Oro, and Cebu. The negotiations with leading food products are aimed at opening the market in Metro Manila and other provinces.

Originally, she said, she wanted to have ?Davao? as part of the business name but because she wanted the operation to cover the whole country, she settled with ?Pinoy? because of local connotations.

?Takeout is a Pinoy term. Over here we say ?to go.? Our main product focus is food delivery, although we offer flowers and other gift items,? she said.

Upon opening the website, one will be welcomed by a slideshow of food and goodies that can be ordered and delivered immediately. The music, performed by Davao-based band Keyk, wraps up the objective of Pinoy Takeout: ?Pagkakataong sila?y mapantayan, di na mangungulila, punung-puno ng ligaya, padala mong sorpresa.?

Once a Pinoy wants to order something for their families in the Philippines, Pinoy Takeout will contact their local partners. The orders, worth a minimum of $19.99, are paid through credit cards.

?Whatever they want to order, wherever they may be around the world, they can order for their families in the Philippines,? she said.

The business has been fully operational since April. Cano said that, although they still rely on word of mouth, business was ?doing really good.? She said they were looking at promoting the concept more widely, with a television ad already finished last year for a nationwide broadcast.

Cano said, however, that their service would also cater to the needs of clients ordering for local delivery, as what happened in the case of the General Santos-based girl friend earlier. Cano said she did not initially think about the possibility of local delivering orders, but the experience of this General Santos client ? who happened to be her friend ?changed that.

?You know, many of us have this domestic long-distance relationships that we need to keep. Many of us are living in Manila and our families live in Davao or Cagayan de Oro. We have this desire to surprise them just like what my friend did. And because the order was placed locally, I gave her a 25-percent discount. After that, we decided to offer a 25-percent discount for domestic orders,? she said.

But the business turned out to become a fulfillment of Cano?s dream to provide people with opportunities. Some of the people behind Pinoy Takeout, who are either her elementary or high school friends, did not get ?the needed opportunities as I did and they are good, smart and talented people,? she said.

?I feel like all my life I?ve been so blessed with opportunities and whenever I go back to the Philippines, I see good, talented and smart people who do not have the opportunity,? she added.

Just like how she shifted her career for her ?own personal experience and growth [and as an] investment for the future,? Cano said setting up Pinoy Takeout is her small way of ?transferring knowledge to the country and helping out the economy.?