“When we started our OFW life, we were just newlyweds working as cleaners in a palace. We didn’t know exactly where the journey would take us. We only knew that we wanted a better future.”
In 2011, five months after getting married, Chito and Rachelle Zafra left the Philippines and began their life as OFWs in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
They worked as cleaners in a palace.
It wasn't the glamorous beginning one might imagine when hearing the words Dubai restaurant owner today.
But for the couple, it was a beginning nonetheless.
“We knew that working abroad was the only way to secure our future,” Chito recalled.
For nearly five years, they worked in Saudi Arabia before eventually moving to Dubai in 2016.
They thought things might get easier.
Instead, they found themselves living in a farmhouse in Al Qudra—literally in the middle of the desert.
“There were no neighbors, no convenience, and plenty of boredom,” Chito said.
But there was something they did have.
Each other.
And a dream.
“We left the timing to God.”
Away from the city, the couple spent their days working and their free time together. Cooking became one of the things that gave them joy.
It was more than simply preparing meals.
It was something they were both good at. Something they could do together. And eventually, they began imagining what it would be like to turn their passion into a livelihood.
Through the uncertainty, they held on to a Bible verse that became part of their journey:
“Whatever you do, do it for the glory of God.” — Colossians 3:23
“There were struggles every day,” Chito said. “But that gave us the strength to overcome them.”
They didn't know when their dream would happen.
They simply trusted that it would happen at the right time.
“Settling down? We left that to God's perfect timing.”
Four walls, a kitchen, and a dream
In 2023, more than a decade after they first left the Philippines, that dream finally took shape.
The couple opened Papa Chits Restaurant DMCC in Dubai, serving Filipino and Chinese dishes, along with pastries.
For Chito, it wasn't simply a business.
It was the culmination of something they had been building together for years.
“This is the highlight of my career—or should I say our career—because my wife and I are in this together,” he said.
They became the restaurant's cooks, working side by side to bring the flavors they grew up with to fellow Filipinos and other customers in Dubai.
One of their early crowd favorites was their buko pie.
And for Chito, there is a particular kind of happiness in watching a customer return.
“There’s nothing more satisfying than seeing people come back for more and hearing them say how much they love our food.”
Those moments remind him why they started.
But the dream came with a price
Owning a restaurant didn't mean life suddenly became easier.
In fact, Chito says it brought a different kind of pressure.
“When we were employees, we worked during the day and slept peacefully at night,” he said.
“Now, even when we're sleeping, our minds are still working.”
There are days when only two customers walk through the door.
And when that happens, doubt can creep in.
You start asking yourself whether you made the right decision.
But Chito and Rachelle remind each other why they started—and who continues to believe in them.
Their customers.
Their friends.
And most importantly, each other.
A dream that started in the desert
Looking back, it is difficult to imagine how far the couple has come.
From cleaning a palace in Riyadh...
To caring for a farmhouse in the middle of the Dubai desert...
To eventually running their own restaurant.
But Chito doesn't see the journey simply as a story of financial success.
For him, it is a story about faith, contentment, perseverance, and partnership.
Before becoming a restaurant owner, Chito also spent 10 years volunteering with Operation Blessing Philippines under CBN Asia, participating in medical missions, feeding programs, and water sanitation initiatives.
Helping others, he says, has always been important to him.
And someday, if circumstances allow, he hopes to bring Papa Chits home to the Philippines.
“God willing, we'd love to bring our restaurant home and continue what we've started.”
“Remember why you started.”
After 14 years as an OFW, Chito has learned that success doesn't always arrive when you expect it to.
Sometimes, it begins with cleaning someone else's home.
Sometimes, it means living in the middle of the desert.
Sometimes, it means serving only two customers on a difficult day.
And sometimes, success is simply having someone beside you who refuses to give up with you.
His advice to fellow Filipinos working abroad is simple:
“Always put God first in everything you do. Don't be reckless. Think, pray, and then think and pray again.”
“Remember why you started. Live within your means.”
Then he adds what he believes may be the most important lesson of all:
“The secret to happiness and success is contentment.”
For Chito, the journey from palace cleaner to restaurant owner was never just about getting somewhere better.
It was about learning to be grateful for every place that brought him closer to where he was meant to be.