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Chef RV Manabat became a millionaire with his best-selling queso de bola cake (left) and bibingka. Karen Davila/YouTube

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<div><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/17679574409222-Composite 10.jpg" style="width:960px" class="fr-fic fr-dib" width="960"/>Chef RV Manabat became a millionaire with his best-selling queso de bola cake (left) and bibingka. Karen Davila/YouTube</div>Before becoming an Internet celebrity, RV Manabat was first and foremost a chef who found business success in an unexpected way. He hit the jackpot with his queso de bola cake, which became a crowd favorite and propelled him to millionaire status. Speaking with &quot;TV Patrol&quot; anchor Karen Davila in her vlog, Manabat revealed that the said confection was a result of improvisation due to lack of ingredients.&quot;I have a regular customer, that was January 2013, um-order siya ng yema cake. Kaso naubusan ako ng cheese,&quot; he recalled.&quot;Eh since January, may queso de bola [ako],&quot; he went on, referring to the beloved Filipino Christmas staple. &quot;So I told him (customer), &#x27;Can I use queso de bola instead of cheddar?&quot;&quot;He said yes. And then the rest is history.&quot;The queso de bola cake (P1,300 for the whole cake, P160 per slice as of writing) remains Manabat&#x27;s best-selling item in his shop, located in his hometown of Biñan, Laguna. The retail space is part of a one-hectare property which also includes their family home, a resthouse, and at least five kitchens, including his YouTube studio.&quot;Dito ako ipinanganak,&quot; said the chef, as he gave Davila a tour of his sprawling property. &quot;Itong property na ito, unti-unting nabili ng tatay ko.&quot;Another star in Manabat&#x27;s menu is his bibingka, which comes in different flavors. When asked about the secret behind his creations, he replied: &quot;Ang mga recipe namin nakapaskil lang diyan, hindi siya sikreto. Ang secret lang talaga namin is we use the finest ingredients.&quot;Aside from the two best-sellers, Manabat also sells at least 13 other kinds of cakes, as well as bottled products, among others. <div> </div><div>Finding his purpose</div>Manabat, whose YouTube channel has 2.2 million followers, still could not believe sometimes that he has achieved fame.He makes a conscious effort to not be blinded by the spotlight, and instead focuses on working hard and teaching other people how to prepare good food.Manabat&#x27;s path to becoming a content creator actually started during the pandemic, when he missed conducting cooking and baking classes. His sister suggested posting videos online, and these ended up reaching a wide audience.Beyond the growing fanbase and the additional revenue, Manabat said it was in his YouTube videos where he found a sense of purpose. This was after he received feedback from his viewers, who said they were able to use his recipes to start their own food businesses and earn extra income.Sharing a particularly heartwarming moment, the chef said: &quot;Iyong isang employee ng ABS-CBN, &#x27;di ba nawalan ng franchise? Iyon ang ginawa niyang business, the moist chocolate cake [na recipe ko].&quot;&quot;Sabi ko, kailangan ko &#x27;to ituloy-tuloy kasi [not just] for myself, [but] also &#x27;yun &#x27;yung nagbigay sa akin ng [moment na] may nagagawa ako. Nagkaroon ako ng purpose,&quot; he added. Watch Davila&#x27;s vlog featuring Manabat below:<div><iframe width="640" height="360" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/J91EiyOw788?&amp;wmode=opaque&amp;rel=0" frameBorder="0" allowfullscreen="" class="fr-draggable"></iframe> </div>

Before becoming an Internet celebrity, RV Manabat was first and foremost a chef who found business success in an unexpected way.

Before becoming an Internet celebrity, RV Manabat was first and foremost a chef who found business success in an unexpected way.

How an accidental cake made Pinoy chef RV Manabat a millionaire

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How an accidental cake made Pinoy chef RV Manabat a millionaire

ABS-CBN News

Published Jan 09, 2026 07:27 PM PHT

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