Meet Ralph Sy, the Unofficial King of Brunch in Makati

(SPOT.ph) "I never started baking because I thought it would turn into a business," says Ralph Sy. "It was just something I enjoyed doing and found that I wanted to get better at."

One of many whose lives were turned upside-down by a pandemic hobby, the baker-in-chief over at Scratch has come a long way since his old career—more of a stint, if one were to ask him—in finance. If you haven't quite fallen in line with the vision yet, the micro-bakery has flown the Comuna coop. Now a fully fledged brunch destination along Aguirre Street in Makati (with dinner service plans not too far off), Scratch takes up most of Sy's time, as the whole team navigates the lines that are sure to form up to two hours before they even open. "It's a good problem," the baker concedes, "but of course with optics like that, people's expectations go through the roof."

But Sy and co-owner Charlene Ng, it seems, have never really been the type to cower from the daunting.

SPOT: You jumped from finance to front of house to the back of the kitchen; what was that journey like?

Ralph Sy: "Finance just never clicked for me. I couldn't picture myself spending my life behind a desk or working a traditional nine-to-five. Before I ever realized it, the kitchen was always there—as a kid, it was what I did whenever I had free time, usually with my grandmother as we watched cooking shows together. It only dawned on me much later that that's where I was naturally headed all along."

SPOT: So all roads lead back to the kitchen for you?

RS: "I already knew I wanted to do something creative—something hands-on, where I could physically make things. And for things to turn around the way they have... I just went with what felt right to me. So looking back now, yes, it is kind of crazy."

SPOT: How would you compare your work here to that at Pluck?

RS: "It's actually pretty similar; working with Pluck isn't a huge stretch, so to speak. The biggest difference is that [this version of] Scratch is still very new, so I'm there most of the time. Some days I'm a barista, other days I'm building sandwiches... I might be out on the floor waiting tables. Right now, it's a little bit of everything while we iron things out."

SPOT: What are some of the biggest changes you've noticed since opening along Aguirre?

RS: "As the team has grown, so has the responsibility of managing people with different personalities, backgrounds, and ways of working. One of my priorities is to build a culture where people feel respected, and they actually enjoy coming to work."

SPOT: That's been a recurring theme in restaurant news, hasn't it?

RS: "Yeah, kitchens have a reputation for being tough environments, but I don't think they all have to be. I want my team to have a life outside of work, while also giving them opportunities to learn, improve, and even take on more responsibility. At the end of the day, I hope their time working with Scratch is something they look back on as a worthwhile experience."

SPOT: What has that meant in terms of how you approach your core concept?

RS: "Mainly, the food has definitely grown with us, too. Having a bigger kitchen and better equipment has allowed us to be much more ambitious with what we make, but we've never strayed from our belief in making things from scratch."

SPOT: And that goes beyond the bread?

RS: "We make our own yogurt, cheeses, jams, cultured butter, sodas... That level of craftsmanship is rewarding, but it also makes operations more demanding. We are still a work in progress, sure, but my goal is for things to run smoothly without putting too much pressure on the team."

SPOT: Pressure can take on so many forms; how do you feel about the occasional comment about the long lines? Some people read that as mostly hype.

RS: "Honestly, I still don't know how to feel. We never expected those lines, so we didn't design the space with that in mind. More than anything, I'm grateful because there are people who are willing to wait to experience what we're offering them."

SPOT: What cuisines have inspired the menu so far?

RS: "I draw a lot of inspiration from the restaurants and bakeries in Copenhagen, not just in terms of flavors but in the techniques and the way they approach ingredients. I like adjusting those ideas to suit what we have access to here in the Philippines. But the menu itself isn't really tied to any one cuisine—it's really built more around how I personally like to eat bread."

SPOT: And how [your business partner] Charlene likes to eat, too, we've heard.

RS: "The salami in a pretzel, you mean? Well, the general rule is that if it tastes good on our bread and feels true to what we do, it has a place on the menu!"

SPOT: Scratch sits somewhere between a grab-and-go and a sit-down place; how do you feel about that unique space it occupies?

RS: "I actually like that we're somewhere in the middle. There are days when all you want is to grab a pastry and coffee on your way to work, and there are days when you can slow down and savor your meal. Either way, I want a Scratch diner to feel like the food and hospitality were worth their time. If we can do that consistently, I'm happy to occupy that middle ground."

SPOT: What do you wish people knew about running a restaurant?

RS: "I think people sometimes underestimate how difficult it is to run a restaurant. We make mistakes, sometimes... maybe a dish doesn't look exactly like it did the last time you ordered it, or we forget to include utensils in a takeaway order."

SPOT: Do some customers take that personally?

RS: "Yeah, some people kind of react like it's intentional. But mistakes we make never stem from a lack of care. What I hope people know is that everyone in the team is genuinely trying their best every single day. We care deeply about the experience you have."

SPOT: Most people line up for breakfast or brunch; what's your go-to to kickstart your day?

RS: "Most days, it's honestly just coffee for breakfast! But if I actually have the time to sit down and eat, I'd either go for one of the first two items on the Scratch menu, like our sourdough plate—no joke, I'm not sick of it—or a Filipino breakfast. I love garlic rice with eggs and either bangus or tuyo. Filipino breakfast is hard to beat."

Photos by Jar Concengco