Inside Sunday Street Co., a refreshing take on Manila’s catering scene, making every gathering a relaxed, delicious Sunday.
Food has always tantalized the senses, but great food evokes a feeling—much like the experience of a Sunday Street Co. spread. The one-of-a-kind tables curated by the budding catering group are elevated yet warm. Imagine the aroma of bread toasting, sunlight draping through the windows, that moment when morning stretches into afternoon—that’s the feeling founders Jovy Acuzar, Tara Alvarez, and Iyay Ignacio infuse into every table they touch. Their spreads celebrate good food and good company, with a design-driven touch that never sacrifices flavor.
Before it became one of Manila’s most exciting young catering studios, Sunday Street Co. began as a shared dream: to open a brunch spot that would take guests from breakfast through dinner, anchored on a shared love for easeful Sundays. But timing had other plans. After months of R&D, the trio realized the cafe wasn’t meant to open just yet.
“So we pivoted,” Jovy says. “We started a private catering business to test our ideas, get our name out there, and see how well we work together.” That pivot became the seed of Sunday Street Co.—a catering studio quietly reshaping how young Manila gathers, eats, and celebrates.
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What They Bring To The Table
Part of Sunday Street Co.’s charm lies in who is behind it: an all-female trio with global culinary training and distinct perspectives.
Jovy, a professionally trained chef and certified functional nutritionist, honed her craft in New York at the International Culinary Center, Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia, and Ovenly before earning an MBA in Hospitality at École Hôtelière de Lausanne.
Iyay, who studied at The Culinary Institute of America in St. Helena, trained across several Michelin-starred kitchens in the Bay Area, including La Toque under Chef Ken Frank. With a background in catering and conceptual pop-ups, she later deepened her purveyor’s eye through foraging, endemic produce, and gourmet mushroom cultivation, which led to her small but impactful venture, Mouldy Blooms.
Tara trained in London at Le Cordon Bleu, later working as a pastry chef at the Michelin-starred L’Atelier de Joël Robuchon. She went on to become Head Baker at the cult-favorite Meringue Girls before returning to Manila to build her cookie brand, Good Cookie, during the pandemic.
“Our varying experiences make for a very interesting combination,” Tara shares. “We all take what we’ve learned and bring that to the table every time we conceive a dish or develop a new menu.” Together, they form a small but mighty team whose mutual respect and global training shape a refreshing approach to Manila’s catering scene.
Mise En Place
Mise en place—the ritual in which a chef readies their station—is where Sunday Street Co.’s catering approach comes to life. The trio balances being hands-on, personal, and resourceful while keeping everything fun, contemporary, and approachable.“We’re very hands-on,” says Iyay. “You’ll notice our personal touches from the food to the floral arrangements, printed menus, tablecloths, and service.”
As a team of three, they embrace constraints with creativity—intentionally choosing local flowers, textiles, cheeses, and handmade products. “It’s easy to make something look beautiful with a big budget,” Jovy explains. “But when you’re a small business like ours, you have to get resourceful and even more creative.”
Their dynamic keeps them constantly curious. Different culinary backgrounds mean they’re always trading techniques, trends, and discoveries. Tara sees this reflected in their clientele: “We’ve also noticed new, younger clients wanting a more unique catering service. Something with a more trend-forward look, and Instagram-worthy dishes and spreads. And that is exactly what we are here to offer.”
At the heart of it all is an approach rooted in mutual respect—one that creates space for discoveries, much like a slow and easy Sunday morning. Without ever sacrificing taste, the triad behind Sunday Street Co. crafts experiences where small touches come together to create something truly memorable.
The Menu Build
That same openness and curiosity extend naturally into their food. Their menus grow from a mix of cravings, shared experiences, and everyday inspiration. “Cheesy, but we get inspiration from one another,” says Iyay.
“From our experiences, travel stories, and personal tastes. We have a great dynamic—just the right balance to create things that are both special and approachable.”
Each dish begins with a spark: something they’ve been craving, a technique picked up abroad, or a seasonal ingredient. “We collaborate using techniques we’ve learned from our training and travels, then incorporate our Sunday Street twist,” Iyay shares. For brands and events, the process becomes even more intentional as they consider the identity, mood, themes, colors, and even scents that shape the gathering. Their creativity often begins at home, especially with endemic fruits from Cavite. One favorite (and now defining) discovery is katmon, which the girls admit is somewhat of an obsession. “We’ve used it as decor, a souring agent for moules frites, and as jam for our cheese plates and desserts.”
Tara adds, “We loved the idea of membrillo, but it was so expensive to get locally. So we thought—what if we made our own version using katmon? After some experimenting, we got it just right.”
Still, if there is one dish that captures their brand, for Jovy, it’s the Honey Olive & Goat Cheese Tartlets. “It’s simple, three ingredients, but unforgettable,” she says. “Clients always ask for more.” Other dishes reflect their global lens, like their take on London’s iconic Duck & Waffle, reimagined with a guava mostarda thanks to one of Iyay’s ideas. “It’s even better than the original,” Tara says.
Production At Sunday Street Co.
Production is the moment when ideas become an experience, and it is where their approach to hospitality becomes visible. For the trio, hospitality is always about intention and care. “Hospitality is a team sport,” Jovy shares, echoing iconic restaurateur Danny Meyer. Tara adds, “To me, it’s about crafting an experience. Every detail matters: the timing, the presentation, the service, the way the guest enjoys that delicious bite.”
Clients feel this same attention. Many have become repeat guests—families marking milestones, brands returning for launches, friends calling them back for one more gathering. “It’s extremely fulfilling for us to have clients repeat our services for their special occasions. The trust is really important to us,” Jovy says.
One event that captures their spirit was their monochromatic HQ launch: a table built entirely around shades of red—tomatoes, chilis, peppers—styled alongside 15 dishes. “It was one of my favorites,” says Iyay. “We even made sauces out of the produce displays; nothing went to waste.”
“It felt like our true spirit,” Tara adds. “We were our own clients, so every decision reinforced who we are as a brand.”
Holiday Service
As they look toward the festive season, Sunday Street Co. channels that same warmth into their holiday offerings. Their to-go boxes feature comforting dishes meant for sharing: a slow-cooked five-hour porchetta with seasonal fruit mostarda and chimichurri; a fragrant chicken rice pilaf layered with spiced nuts and yogurt; and their classic lasagna, a client favorite. Sweet additions like Christmas granola in collaboration with 1919 Chocolate, spiced ginger cookies, and banana crunch bread accompany a local cheese box featuring Malagos cheese and their now-signature katmon jelly.
For Tara, the festive season is “the perfect embodiment of everything Sunday Street tries to recreate throughout the year—bringing people together over delicious food, to reconnect with family and friends.”
Beyond the holidays, the trio looks ahead to cooking workshops, collaborations, and community events at their HQ, from a cookbook club to pop-ups, and new projects they’re excited to unveil. “We’re looking forward to sharing our dishes in lots of exciting new settings in the new year,” Tara hints.
The Sunday Street Co. Finish
For the founders, the essence of their work always circles back to the comfort of a Sunday. “A perfect Sunday takes place in a relaxed setting, with good food and good company,” says Jovy. “Spending time with loved ones,” adds Tara, “catching up over comforting meals.” And for Iyay, Sundays are spent “in nature, with my dogs, and being fed home-cooked food.”
That same easy warmth is what they hope guests feel in every spread they create—a feeling crafted by three women whose global training and shared creativity make Sunday Street Co. uniquely attuned to what today’s new generation of hosts, brands, and businesses are looking for: beauty without compromise, fun elevated by intention, and dishes as generous in flavor as they are in spirit.
In the end, that’s their signature: a celebration built on care, collaboration, and delicious food, making every gathering feel a little bit like a Sunday.
This article was originally published in our December 2025 issue.
Photography by Kim Angela Santos of KLIQ, Inc.
