OUR STORY

HOW WE STARTED

Born and raised in Manila, Philippines, husband and wife Jay and Claudine Dava decided that they wanted to introduce the Filipino Street food from their childhood to the Bay Area, using their original BBQ marinade and sauce. 

After the launch of their pop-up food tent in 2011, they became overwhelmed with the praise, private catering inquiries, and questions asking for the recipe (which we never gave away, of course) that they decided to turn their weekend side hustle into a full time career. For the next 9 years, the couple dedicated all their efforts into sharing their love for Filipino food with their community, and had the chance to participate in the biggest events in the Bay Area like the San Francisco Street Food Festival, Nor-Cal Night Market, TreasureFest SF, Oakland’s First Fridays, and Off the Grid, and catered to corporate offices like Netflix, Zoom, and Facebook daily. 

After experiencing the hardships of growing a small business from scratch, having to raise funds for expenses, and the effects of COVID-19 all while raising a family, they have now grown their pop-up tent to the retail level. The Antonik’s BBQ Marinade and BBQ Sauce that started their business, as well as other items like their Chili Oil and Pickled Jicama Salad are now available to the public online and in select stores. Everyone can now share the Dava family’s love for Filipino by enjoying their products in your own home, which was the goal all along.  

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                          

BEHIND THE NAME

One of our most frequently asked questions always ties back to our name. What it spells, how to sound it out, whether it’s “Antonio’s BBQ” or “Anthony’s BBQ”, and what the name “Antoniks” actually stands for. 

The name isn’t just a fun and quirky business term, it is actually named after Jay and Claudine’s two kids, Anton and Nikki. Anton and Nikki were both under the age of 10 when the business first came to mind and they have always been involved to support their parents.

At only 11 and 4 years old, Nikki was already handling the cash register on her own and Anton stood with his cousins to hand out free samples, while their parents prepared the food. You can now catch them kids assisting in operations with Anton standing side by side with Jay or Claudine brewing up the next batch of Sauce or Chili Oil, while Nikki fields all marketing and communications for the business. It’s a dream going to work as a family and we wouldn’t have it any other way.

From our family to yours, thank you for being a part of our journey! - The Davas