ITSMD: #1 Erik Cua

I made a report back in college about Erik Cua. That time I didn’t even know who he is so I did my research. As I recall, his parents are the owner of Emerald Garden Restaurant located at Roxas Boulevard. And then of course I found out that his businesses are related to night life. From that day on, I admired this guy because as I said, I dreamt of having my own SuperClub and DJ-ing in it.

Erik Cua is a young business magnate best known for revolutionizing the party and club scene in the Philippines. With the help of his parents he started a Cainta Coffee Co. in 1999 just when he was just 20 years old. In 2000, he opened Jack’s Loft. In 2001, he opened club Basement, and in 2003 Temple Bar in GreenBelt with Tim Yap. Then in 2005, together with Yap, Chef Fernando Aracama and Jon Herrera, Embassy SuperClubwas born. It was probably the most talked about club in the history of Philippine clubbing as it redefined nightlife as we know it today.

Followed by a highly successful club, together with Tim Yap, Juan Elizalde, Robbie Carmona, Iza, Calzado, GP Reyes and Stephen Ku the sand of Boracay was rocked as they opened a boutique hotel called “The Tides” in 2007.

In 2008, with night life king Louie Ysmael, international polo player Iñigo Zobel, and GP Reyes, answered a demand for an elite exclusive club with the opening of Members Only. The name says it all, only members can get it, emphasize on ELITE.

Early 2009 Manor SuperClub, formerly Basement, was born. Again this is with Stephen Ku, Tim Yap, and Bingo Manahan. Two rooms, one superclub. It re-energized the night life of Eastwood City.

The same year, after Embassy SuperClub was shut down because of the stabbing incident at Embassy Cuisine, the club rebranded and reopened its doors to the public as Encore SuperClub. Today it remains the hottest club in the Metro. The legend of Embassy lives on.

In February 2010, replacing Temple Bar, together with nightlife staples, Marco De Guzman, Distillery’s Raj Sadhwani, Ivan Zalameda, Premier DJ Manolet Dario, GP Reyes,Izakaya Sake Bar was launched. The Japanese inspired sushi, sake, speakeasy chic talkbar drew Manila’s beautiful young crowd.

And the latest installment of Erik Cua’s Legacy, is Republiq SuperClub. Boasting a floor area of more than 13,000 square feet, the biggest club in the country today opened its doors to the party populate of Manila July 2010, once again continues to revolutionize Philippine clubbing.

His family is rich, but what’s amazing with him is he still made his own fortune and became so successful before the age of 30. Being business minded, hard working, supportive parents and starting out very young really paid off. There are numerous clubs in the Philippines, however they never last long. With Encore on its 5^th year in the business and still going strong, it shows that Erik’s business are made to last. The way he revolutionized clubbing would definitely make people remember him for a long time.- DE

P.S.

ITSMD - Icons That Shaped My Dreams.

This is a continuation of my preview blog ICONS THAT SHAPED MY DREAMS.