From collecting garbage to owning a restaurant: How this Filipino expat found success by taking a chance in the UAE

Dubai: There was a time when hunger dictated Jenifer Segalowitz’s life. One afternoon after returning home from school in the Philippines, she discovered there was nothing left to eat. Hungry and exhausted, she accepted a piece of fried chicken that had already been thrown into the trash after her cousin's daughter refused to eat it. 

“I ate it because I had no other choice,” Segalowitz told Gulf News. 

The memory has never left her. Today, Segalowitz is the founder and CEO of Mukbang Shows Korean BBQ & Seafood Restaurant in the UAE. Yet despite her success, she says she still carries that moment with her.

“Whenever I walk into our restaurant, I don't see success first. I see the little girl collecting garbage. I see the child selling ice for one peso. I see the teenager working as a housemaid. I see the hungry student who once ate discarded food because there was nothing else to eat.”

Those memories have kept her grounded.

 “They remind me that success is never about what we achieve for ourselves, but about what we can do for others.”

Growing up with hunger

Segalowitz has been born and raised in one of the slum communities of Las Piñas City in the Philippines, where poverty shaped every stage of her childhood. 

At just six years old, she has begun collecting recyclable garbage to help her family buy food. Between the ages of seven and 10, she sold homemade ice under the scorching Philippine sun, earning only one peso from each piece she sold.

She has also sold vegetables around her neighbourhood and carried candies and biscuits in her school bag to sell to classmates so she could pay for her daily allowance.

School holidays have offered little respite. While other children enjoyed their breaks, she has worked as a housemaid, cleaning homes, washing clothes, and cooking to earn enough money to continue her education.

“I believed education was my way out of poverty,” shared Segalowitz.

Her determination has been even more tested when her father died, forcing her to stop studying because of financial hardship. 

“It was heartbreaking, but it taught me that sometimes life closes one door so that God can open another.”

A prayer before boarding a plane

In 2003, Segalowitz has left the Philippines for Abu Dhabi in search of better opportunities. Before boarding the plane, she has recited a simple prayer.

“Lord, don't let this opportunity be wasted. Use this opportunity as the ladder to the success you have prepared for me,” exclaimed Segalowitz.

Life in the UAE has not been immediately easy. She has worked more than 11 hours a day and earned Dh1,000 a month. But unlike the uncertainty she had grown up with, she has seen something different in the Emirates.

“The UAE did not simply give me a job. It gave me hope. It gave me dignity. It gave me an opportunity to dream again.”

She has worked long hours, saved every dirham she could, and gradually began learning about investing and business. Looking back, she believes the UAE has given her more than financial stability.

“It has been the place where I was given the opportunity to grow as a person, as an entrepreneur, and as a leader. This country rewards hard work, welcomes people from different cultures, and encourages innovation, resilience, and entrepreneurship.”

When everything changed

Years of hard work have appeared to unravel when the Covid-19 pandemic struck. Businesses closed, incomes disappeared, and not long after marrying her husband Douglas Segalowitz, she lost her job.

The couple has suddenly found themselves at another crossroads.

“I remember looking at Doug and saying, 'let's build a business’,” recalled Segalowitz.

Neither had years of restaurant experience, and they did not have wealthy investors. Instead, her husband has borrowed money from the bank to help fund their dream.

“For us, it wasn't simply a loan. It was a step of faith.”

The early years have been far from smooth.

“There were many nights when Doug and I cried out to God because we didn't know how we would survive another month.”

Financial pressure, uncertainty, and mistakes have become part of the journey, but the restaurant gradually found its footing. It has now expanded into five branches across the UAE, in JBR, Deira, and Dubai World Trade Centre in Dubai, as well as Electra and Muroor in Abu Dhabi.

Creating opportunities for others

According to Segalowitz, success carries responsibility. She has noted that one of the most meaningful ways she can give back is by creating stable employment and supporting education. 

“Behind every employee is a family that depends on them,” explained Segalowitz. 

One principle she has refused to compromise on is paying salaries on time.

“I know what it feels like to wait for money when your family depends on it. I know what it means to worry about buying food, paying rent, or sending money home to your loved ones.”

For her, paying employees promptly and helping send their children to school are more than financial obligations.

“It is a commitment to honour the hard work of our employees and to respect the families who depend on them.”

She has also invested in training staff and encouraging career growth, reminding employees that their starting point does not define where they can end up.

“I always remind our team that where they start does not determine where they can finish.”

Giving back beyond business

For Segalowitz, business success has never been intended to be the final destination. A portion of the restaurant's profits supports Life With Purpose International Foundation, a Christ-centred organisation established by her family to help communities in the Philippines.

The foundation currently supports 50 scholars, runs feeding programmes, helps build churches, and supports livelihood projects.

“I know what hunger feels like. I believe the greatest way to help people is to give them the opportunity to provide for themselves with dignity. My dream is to build more lives,” stated Segalowitz.

‘Don't waste the opportunity’

More than two decades after arriving in the UAE as an overseas worker, Segalowitz has remained grateful to the country that gave her a second chance.

“I arrived as an overseas worker searching for an opportunity. Today, I am grateful to be creating jobs, investing in the country's growth, and serving the community that welcomed me,” said Segalowitz.

Her advice to fellow expatriates has been straightforward.

“Don't just earn, learn to save and invest for your future. Your salary should not only support your life today but also build the life you want tomorrow.”

She has expressed hope that her story reminds others that difficult beginnings do not have to determine their future.

“I came to the UAE with nothing but a prayer. Today, I am living proof that one opportunity can change an entire life.”

For Segalowitz, that opportunity has been the UAE. And the legacy she wanted to leave behind has little to do with restaurants.

“Not restaurants. Not buildings. Not wealth. But transformed lives that will one day transform others.”