Jaehwa Bernardo

(Left to right) Cielo Dumlao of @skybluecafe and Max Pesudas, who are food content creators on TikTok. Photos from Dumlao and Pseudas' TikTok accounts

Article (news)

Budget-friendly food creators cook up audience on TikTok

ABS-CBN News Digital Intern

<div><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/17553965030802-Composite 21.jpg" style="width:950px" class="fr-fic fr-dib" alt="(Left to right) Cielo Dumlao of @skybluecafe and Max Pesudas, who are food content creators on TikTok. Photos from Dumlao and Pseudas&#x27; TikTok accounts"/>(Left to right) Cielo Dumlao of @skybluecafe and Max Pesudas, who are food content creators on TikTok. Photos from Dumlao and Pseudas&#x27; TikTok accountsMANILA — In a corner of TikTok not filled with luxury kitchen setups or imported ingredients, a different kind of food content thrives. Here, meals cost less than ₱200, ingredients are pantry staples, and creators speak directly to the everyday Filipino trying to get by.</div>They are SkyBlueCafe and Max Pesudas, two creators whose honest, low-cost recipes have resonated with Gen Z viewers navigating adulting, inflation, and cooking for one.Cielo Azul Dumlao, 28, is the face behind @skybluecafe. She began sharing cooking videos at the height of the pandemic while working from home.“Before that I really like watching cooking shows,” she said. “Pero nung nag-graduate na ako and started working, I couldn&#x27;t find something na doable on my end… it’s usually fancy recipes or for big families.”With limited money, time, and space, Dumlao began documenting meals she would actually make herself: small servings, few ingredients, and always affordable. “I made sure na it&#x27;s something na gagawin ko din and it&#x27;s something na gusto kong panoorin during the time na nanonood pa lang ako ng cooking show.”Now, her account caters to young workers, college students, and solo dwellers — people she imagines are in the same boat. Her meals are often good for two to four servings, typically cost under ₱200, and always have the same key ingredients: a protein, a vegetable, and a short prep time. “For me, okay siya if balance ‘yung nutrients,” she explained. “Tapos may gulay, may karne… and it&#x27;s easy to prepare.”Max Pesudas, 24, started creating food content while waiting for an internship abroad. A self-described budgeter at home, she thought, “Sayang naman ‘yung niluluto ko. Bakit hindi ko siya gawing content?” Her first post to go viral was a one-week ulam idea slideshow, with photos and price tags attached.Her series clicked because it mirrored how many Filipinos plan their meals: by the week, by the budget. “Lagi ko mina-make sure na budget-friendly lang &#x27;yung niluluto ko kasi I do costing and I do budgeting then for myself and for my family sometimes,” Pesudas said. “Parang shinare ko na lang din ‘yung ways ko.”She’s aware that her audience, largely the “masa” in her words, seeks simple, accessible content. “They prefer easy and affordable ingredients rather than ‘yung mga costly and mahirap hanapin sa market.” She often uses slideshow posts, sometimes even foregoing video entirely. “[L]agi na lang kino-comment na madali siyang intindihin hindi mo na kailangan paulit-ulitin &#x27;yung video kasi nandoon na lahat.”Both Dumlao and Pesudas intentionally simplify their content. Dumlao plans her videos with clarity in mind. “Intentional na din ‘yung pagpili ko ng recipes,” she said. “Mostly mga ginigisa lang, tapos few ingredients.” She avoids unnecessary fluff, describing herself as “the type na pupuntahan mo if gusto mo talaga ng ulam ideas.” Pesudas, meanwhile, makes sure her recipes are step-by-step and in Tagalog. “Pinapakita ko siya ng mabilis and hindi sobrang haba para hindi ma-bombard ng information ‘yung mga nanonood.”They don’t believe in perfection, just practicality. Neither uses exact measurements. “I do ‘tantsa-meter’… I only base it sa panlasa ko,” Pesudas said, referencing her personal style of seasoning by instinct. “Lagi kong sinasabi sa kanila na tantyahin na lang.” Dumlao, too, tells followers to tweak based on their taste or available ingredients: “Sila naman ‘yung kakain nung niluto nila.”And while their tone is light, their content offers something more serious: a sense of relief. Cooking can be intimidating. Planning meals can be exhausting. These creators understand that. Dumlao often hears from followers who say they “inaantay nila ‘yung recipe videos ko kasi para hindi na sila mahihirapan mag-isip ng ulam.” Pesudas said students have messaged her to say her dorm meals helped make daily life easier: “Nakakataba talaga ng heart if may mga taong nagko-comment sa’yo lalo na if hindi mo sila kakilala.”But content creation isn’t always met with kindness. Pesudas recalled getting comments from people assuming her food was too salty, without ever trying it. “Sasabihin agad nila is like, ‘maalat,’” she shared. “I&#x27;m the one who tasted the food, eh. So alam ko ‘yung lasa niya.” For her, it’s about taking criticism in stride. “I’ll just learn from it na lang… maybe ingredients is hindi para sa iba.”Dumlao had similar experiences, especially when it came to pricing. “May mga viewers lang din na hindi… ‘yung reading comprehension ba hindi nila masyadong napa-practice,” she said, referencing confusion over regional price differences. “Sometimes you just have to ignore it. Or explain, if you have the energy.”At the core of their work is the same message: cooking should be doable, enjoyable, and something you don’t have to be great at. “It doesn’t have to be complicated,” Dumlao said. Pesudas put it this way: “Cooking is not just about perfection… enjoy the process. If hindi pa ‘to masarap ngayon, baka next time, if paulit-ulitin ko, sumarap na siya.”

In a corner of TikTok not filled with luxury kitchen setups or imported ingredients, a different kind of food content thrives.

In a corner of TikTok not filled with luxury kitchen setups or imported ingredients, a different kind of food content thrives.

Budget-friendly food content creators are cooking up a following on TikTok

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Budget-friendly food content creators are cooking up a following on TikTok

ABS-CBN News Digital Intern,

Kirsten Rianne Siu

Published Aug 19, 2025 04:47 PM PHT

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