At first glance, he may look frail and weak but in reality, he is very energetic. He is a real doer and looks after everything in the two businesses that he owns.
Chef Lope Pabico makes sure that Pabico Fast Foods, his grocery store cum restaurant is well-stocked with Asian and popular Filipino brands that are in demand. He transports heavy boxes from his home depot to his shop in Mt. Druitt and unloads the goods from his car all the way to the store.
He also cooks and is a chef par excellence in his own right. During his younger years, he worked as executive chef of Manila Garden Hotel until he took his family to Sydney in the 80s where he worked again as chef in Star City Casino. To augment family income, he took a second job in another 5-star hotel in Sydney. Now in his late 50s, nothing beats the energy of this man from San Carlos City in Pangasinan.
In 1992, in recognition of his outstanding achievements as a master chef, Mr. Lope Pabico was honored by the hotel general manager with the Golden Plate Award in special ceremonies hosted by Sydney Morning Herald.
The secret of his success
Maybe it is his smile, the way he looks after his family, his wife and his employees. One will never see him wearing an angry face even when under stress. Described as a very simple person in facebook, Lope Pabico is always smiling when talking with people. Business associates, customers and friends regard him as a very amicable person. It may be an impossible task for most people, but Ka Lope aims to please everybody.
At Pabico Club 55 in old Mt. Druitt, customer service is at its best when he is around. Well, he is always around in the first place, greeting customers at the entrance and making sure they are comfortably seated. He then rushes to the kitchen to supervise the cooking and personally conducts the most critical event — the taste test. Being a culinary expert, Chef Lope would spare no cost in instructing his cook to do everything all over again if his standards are not met.
He would occasionally be inside the DJ booth to personally make a selection of music that he believes is suited and would be enjoyed by his customers.
The ambience at Pabico Club 55 is comparable to a 5-star hotel. The table setting is immaculate while gourmet food is presented in a well-heated fondue set.
In his blog, terry0711 describes Ka Lope — “[He has] none of the sophistication and gobbledygooks we hear from MBA graduates and diploma-holders of business schools. His main qualification is his determination and perseverance. He only knows of one word — success. His was just following the star of his dream.”