Welcome to Karma Café, sir,” says the smiling Filipina proprietor, positively bubbling with energy. “Would you like to try the best fruit shake in the whole world?” she says, appearing behind me now as if by magic, but with that same jubilant smile.
I rub my eyes, but I’m not seeing double….
Let me introduce you to Loulou and Lori, identical twins (Loulou proudly tells me she’s a few minutes older) who own Karma Café in Dumaguete’s Ever Mall.
Actually, you won’t even find that name on their kiosk because the official business name is Wah’Crepe.
“We serve what you deserve” became their mantra after Loulou read about the concept of karma in a book; and the name Karma Café was adopted by patrons and regulars.
Karma Café serves an array of fresh fruit smoothies (with healthy turmeric and ginger added), strong brewed coffee, crispy crepes (their ham & cheese is the most popular), and waffles.
They keep the prices low because they don’t want to price Filipinos out of eating there, and they love serving local students.
But the twins look to nourish more than just stomachs, as the café has become a gathering place for tourists, foreigners, and expats as well. Together, they form a community of those far away from home, a surrogate family for so many who would otherwise be alone in Dumaguete.
But if you meet the mellifluously talkative, ever-entertaining twins these days, you’d never guess they come from humble beginnings of a small village deep in the jungle of Bohol.
Their father was a barangay captain so their small home received many visitors nightly while the shy twins peeked out from their room. But life took a cruel turn when they were nine years old. First their mother passed away, and then, their father less than four years later.
Sent to live with a cousin in Cebu, they were exposed to a bigger world than their small jungle village.
Their cousin was married to a nice German man, and soon, their shyness around foreigners butterflied into outgoing and fun-loving personalities.
As their English got better, so did their grades in school, and the twins were able to attend university in Cebu. After graduating, they forged their work ethic by working for a Chinese store owner, earning P200 for a 12-hour day, including scrubbing the floor on their hands and knees.
So when a 2013 earthquake leveled their ancestral home in Bohol, they collected their meager savings, and relocated to Dumaguete, in search of a future they could call their own.
Shortly after, Wah’Crepe was born. The twins never lost their work ethic and playful charm, but beneath their hilarious antics lies a sincere desire to establish a true home — for themselves and for their new family of customers.
Still prone to sentimentality (they confess they can’t listen to sad songs without crying for their mother and father), they have dreams of traveling the world.
But first, they want to build something special in Dumaguete, including volunteering to help poor and orphaned children, just like they used to be, in their little spare time.
“We want to be role models for kids on the streets or those who have lost their parents,” says Loulou.
“And show them that there’s hope for a better life if they work hard and don’t give up on their dreams,” adds Lori.
Karma is an apt name for the café, indeed, and thanks to the twins, Dumaguete is the better for it.
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Author’s email: hi@normschriever.com
