Judith Distal

Judith Distal
Owner/Manager El Nido Boutique Art Cafe

Three things you make sure you focus on, in your work:

Do a job fast and efficiently and complete it before the deadline. Be reliable, and do honest business.

Top tip for your Hospitality colleagues:

As an owner, it’s important to know my business inside out; knowing what the Manager and Supervisors are doing, and being hands-on personally, whenever required. That way I can see the problems easier and provide better training to the staff. And I gain a greater understanding of what guests truly desire.

Your activities:

First we need to take care of our destination, the environment and the community, so that the business we are in, is in a healthy environment.

Over the years our priority projects have changed. Today we are focusing on zero waste; we helped with getting El Nido Plastic Free. We help organize regular island clean-ups and we are involved in plastic waste projects. We have also been involved with marine life protection projects such as the installation of mooring buoys, so our corals, reefs and sand beds are not damaged by anchors.

We are also involved in animal welfare, rescuing and helping strays and trying to find homes for them.

Our restaurant has its own Organic Farm. There we produce most of the vegetables we serve and also operate a no-waste composting scheme; we either process our restaurant waste, so it can be used for animal feed or we compost it and use it as fertilizer for our crops.

We are actively involved in the local Tourism Board, to help make El Nido better.

We have also contributed to the local Arts and Music scene through workshops, festivals and sports events.

Inspirations:

My husband; he and I share the same passion and love for nature, and we are likewise both involved in many projects.

What’s in your Future?

We wish to be able to retire on our farm; grow more vegetables and fruits, and become self-sustainable and independent. To the point that we can completely live of the land.