ON MOTHERHOOD, BUSINESS, AND FOOD FROM COLD TO WARM PLATES

It was a meal made to linger in both the memory and heart—a heartfelt tribute from Cold Storage to the women who have nourished lives in more ways than one.

- By MELODY SAMANIEGO

Hosted at Lobby 385, the Mother's Day Encore event was Cold Storage's way of saying thank you—through food. Not just any food, but a gastronomic journey built on the brand's choicest ingredients and a deep, personal legacy.

At the heart of it were Marco and Morris Qua, who now lead the Cold Storage brand, honoring not only their customers but the woman who raised them, strong-willed, reserved, and ruled by principle—their mother, Elizabeth Qua.

In this interview, Elizabeth said she didn't shower her children with gifts or compliments. She raised them with standards instead. "I do not praise them where they can hear it, I want them to strive for excellence," she declared. She didn't say, "I'm proud of you" out loud—but the pride was always there, tucked quietly into the life she built for them, the one she expected them to carry forward with dignity.

And carry it they did. Today, her two sons and daughter are exactly the kind of grown-ups who make you believe in that quieter, more deliberate kind of parenting. Hardworking, gracious, and unafraid to get their hands wet, Marco and Morris Qua now lead the family business with a synergy that doesn't need explaining. They complement each other with the kind of seamless understanding usually reserved for synchronized swimmers or long-married couples.