In Iba, Zambales: ‘Café-tolyo’ beside the Capitol

OLD photos, pottery and wood carvings

The two-storey building in the plaza in Iba, Zambales, painted green and brown and with awnings, caught the attention of visiting national and social media members because of its quaint look. It turned out to be a coffee shop and pension house, called “Café-tolyo” because it stood next to the Provincial Capitol.

The house, started in 1924, has a colorful history. It is the ancestral home of Antonio Gozon, Jr., was passed on to the next generation of Gozons, and is now owned by Antonio’s grandson, Paul Gozon and his wife Josephine. It was at one time a bodega (warehouse), beauty parlor and cinema house.

The house was abandoned for 20 years, and was finally remodeled and restored in 2005 and became the present coffee shop-resto. The Gozon couple has an entrepreneurial bent, with Paul attending to a talyer (repair shop) which also deals with office supplies, and Josephine managing “Café-tolyo.”

She declines to have her picture taken because “I look haggard,” being busy cooking when we requested an interview.

The interior of the resto is an antiquarian’s delight, tastefully arranged and filled with period objects.

There are floral art-nouveau designs, santó (religious icons), wood carvings, family photos, silverware, an old-style telephone and furniture, clippings of Zambales churches, a history of the house and of Iba, pottery, a 1939 photo of the Pinatubo Rifle and Pistol Association, and a ten-peso bill with the signature of Zambales’ pride, President Ramon Magsaysay.

“Our concept was that of a turo-turo (cafeteria approach),” says Josephine, although she started with sandwiches. Soon she came up with a menu for lunch: “I cook ordinary food but with a different touch, like adobo and tinola.” When we were there, we had sweet and spicy tofu. There are usually two meals for the day, and callos as a catering dish is favored by schoolteachers, priests and nuns.

ELEGANT interior of coffee shop-pension house.

The prices are quite affordable, a student budget, at less than P50. “We have to compete with Jollibee and the others, you know,” Josephine points out. “It’s hard to compete with the franchisers and their multimillions.”

The fast food giants came to Iba a few years ago and a number of local restaurants folded up. But “Café-tolyo” remained steadfast, although not raking in the money.

To help make ends meet, the Gozons then opened a pension house in one portion of the building. There are six rooms, with aircon and TV, ranging from P300 to P1,500, and catering usually to European backpackers. “The British like the place,” Josephine notes.

She admits business is not that good: “Hindi (not) Ok but I’m not giving up. I cook, ako lahat (I do everything). I’m hands-on.”

photos by Amadís Ma. Guerrero, Contributor