Sari-Sari Filipino Restaurant, Market, & Bakery began as a way to fill a void for San Antonio’s Filipino population, who couldn’t find their dishes or products readily available in the city. Thirty years later, the family-owned business continues to serve the Filipino community and many others who visit the hub for comforting eats, imported treats and ube-filled sweets.
Today, Sari-Sari is owned by Camille De Los Reyes, the daughter of the founders, Adam and Imelda Valenzuela, who took over from her parents a decade ago. Together with her husband, Adrian, and a dedicated crew of employees, De Los Reyes has carried on her family’s business, which began as a makeshift shop operating out of her father’s garage.
“My dad would make trips to Houston to gather different Filipino items that we couldn’t find in town, and he started asking people, like our neighbors, other nurses that lived in our community, if they needed anything,” De Los Reyes told MySA during a recent interview ahead of Sari-Sari’s anniversary celebration on Sunday, August 2.
That local need for Filipino food and ingredients planted a seed that eventually grew into the first Sari-Sari Market, located two doors down from the present-day location. The doors officially opened in 1996, and two years later, the Valenzuelas added a kitchen to prepare Filipino recipes for hungry customers. Eventually, they added a bakery after bringing over a baker from the Philippines…