How Auntie Arnie’s Spreads The Warmth of Homecooked Meals

Jerika Ejercito-Aguilar shares how her mother’s namesake kitchen spreads warmth for families who struggle with putting home-cooked food on the table

Home-cooked meals are sadly becoming a rarity. Fast living, or a life heavily dictated by career, work, and money, makes it impossible to truly spend time in the kitchen. And for many Filipino families, the kitchen is where a mother’s love is experienced—rhythmic chopping of vegetables and meat, the crackling of the typical sauteéd garlic and onion, the savory aroma of stews simmering on the stove, and finally, the clinking of plates when the dining table is set before the family is called.

Those memories and feelings inspired Jerika Ejercito-Aguilar and built the foundation for Auntie Arnie’s.

The Kitchen as Mom’s Kingdom

Throughout Jerika’s life, the kitchen was a consistently active space. Her mom, Laarni Enriquez, always had something being prepared, tested, or adjusted. While delicious meals represented the end goal, it was the process of being the first to taste and experience the various adjustments she appreciated more.

“It may have been small,” Jerika admits. “But it was meaningful for us.”

Certain recipes became emotional landmarks in family life. Her mother’s callos, one of her father’s favorites, became tied to celebrations and ordinary dinners alike. Meanwhile, her bangus sardines became something even more personal.

“It gave a sense of familiarity and stability that was difficult to replace,” Jerika says, recalling how she would freeze portions of it while studying in London just to bring a piece of home with her.

Even the famous “Tanay Soup” has a story—one that represents resourcefulness and composure. “It was something my mom prepared during a time when my dad was in Rizal, and she had to respond quickly to an unexpected guest using whatever was available in the kitchen,” Jerika recalls. “It was not about perfection, but about responding well in the moment, which is a lesson that extends beyond cooking.”

Food as Presence

Although it dismays her not to be as good a cook as her mother was, Jerika instead focuses on the core: consistency and intention. Her mother often communicated that through cooking, while Jerika shows that by being present with her children and also bringing her kids over to her mom’s house to experience the love and care she grew up with.

“In that sense, the continuity is preserved through her presence,” she shares. “It is important to me that my children recognize the intention behind it and develop an appreciation for that form of care. The tradition is not just in the food itself, but in recognizing the effort and meaning behind it. How my mom expresses her love and care through the dishes she cooks.”

But at home, they keep things simple. “Food as nourishment” is their founding premise. But Jerika takes it another step forward by exposing her kids to various cuisines. For Jerika, food also serves as a doorway to culture, creativity, and memory—something they experience when they travel.

Spreading the Warmth and Cheer

For Jerika, Auntie Arnie’s is less about turning recipes into products and more about preserving a way of loving people.

“Auntie Arnie’s feels like a natural evolution of my mom’s long-standing way of caring for people,” she says.

In many Filipino homes, mothers shape the emotional climate of the family through small, repeated acts of care. Sometimes it arrives through advice. Sometimes through presence. And very often, it arrives through food waiting quietly on the table.

That warmth—the feeling of being remembered, nourished, and welcomed—is exactly what Jerika hopes Auntie Arnie’s to pass on to the next generation.

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