News
Stay up-to-date with the latest happenings at Cabalen Group. Discover stories that highlight our rich heritage, culinary traditions, and ongoing efforts to bring the authentic flavors of Pampanga to a wider audience. Whether it's a behind-the-scenes look or upcoming announcements, this is your go-to source for everything new and noteworthy.
The first-ever buffet restaurant in the Philippines opened in 1986
In a recent “Pina Sarap” episode, journalist Kara David uncovered the first-ever buffet restaurant of the Philippines: Cabalen, which opened in 1986. It was the brainchild of Maritel Nievera. She opened a store that sold Kapampangan pasalubong in 1974. Soon, she turned it into an eatery that served delicious Kapampangan dishes. She called it “Ituro…
Cabalen celebrates 36 years of good food and delicious memories
Maria Estela "Maritel" Nievera grew up amid the enticing aroma of good food wafting from her grandmother Juliana and mother Ester's Capampangan kitchen in a neighborhood where everybody shared a passion for cooking. She learned the secrets of glorious Capampangan food at her Apong Juliana's knee. Surrounded by cooks and gifted with the Capampangan taste…
BIZ BUZZ: Next hot IPO trend?
Upscale bakery-cafes and restaurants could be the next hot initial public offering (IPO) market as soon as stocks reverse course from this grueling downtrend. A topflight investment banker told Biz Buzz that three companies—Wildflour Cafe + Bakery, Mary Grace Cafe and Cabalen—had sought expert advice and were very interested to explore an IPO once market…
Inventing, Sustaining, and Evolving a Filipino Food Icon, According to
From the introduction of Kapampangan specialty cuisine to the buffet concept to the launching of international brands, Maritel Nievera, President & CEO of Cabalen Group, retraces her entrepreneurial journey. Cabalen holds a special place in the lives of Filipinos. It is a place where families gather and celebrate over abundant food, served buffet-style, with specialty dishes…
Let’s Eat! Maritel Nievera of Cabalen Group Shares a Buffet
In this exclusive interview, Maritel Nievera, President & CEO of Cabalen Group, retraces the origins of her entrepreneurial journey with the Filipino food icon Cabalen. At its heart, the story of Cabalen is one that is inextricably linked to Maritel Nievera’s home, Pampanga, and its famed culinary delights. It is also the story of a…
Maritel Nievera’s Cabalen: Cooking up 30 years of delicious memories
Thirty years ago, a 20-something entrepremom dared to dream and put up a restaurant that would compete with the already established big Filipino restos at the time. “I studied their menus and ate at their restaurants,” Maritel Nievera recalls. “I was scared as I thought, ‘How do I compete with all these big names?’ But…