Like many Canadians worrying about their income, Vancouver local Natasha Acuba-Bailey found her passion while looking to make extra money.

She had been the assistant manager at the local Sephora for 12 years and that salary wasn鈥檛 keeping up with inflation.

Her idea came in 2020, when Acuba-Bailey created Telly鈥檚 Manila Kitchen, a Filipino food business. She said that she initially needed the money to take care of her grandma.

鈥淥ne night I decided that I wanted to do something for my grandma to help her pay for the medical bills because she needed 24-hour care.鈥�

Telly鈥檚 Manila Kitchen began as a side hustle, but now it鈥檚 a full-time business 鈥� and Acuba-Bailey isn鈥檛 the only Canadian to have a secondary source of income.

A recent survey from the Angus Reid Institute found that many Canadians are struggling with living costs.

A study from H&R Block Canada backs this up, finding that 85 per cent of Canadians are concerned that their job isn鈥檛 enough to deal with inflation. It also found that 28 per cent of adult Canadians were taking a second job to support their earnings 鈥� 13 per cent more than in 2022.

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Acuba-Bailey is one of the lucky ones; she was able to quit her full-time job in January 2022 to focus on Telly鈥檚 Manila Kitchen.

Her job with Sephora may be gone with the wind, but Acuba-Bailey uses her skills in cosmetics and salesmanship to advertise her product: adobo flakes.

Adobo is a traditional Filipino meat dish, usually served with garlic fried rice and fresh tomatoes. Adobo flakes are a twist on this dish; Acuba-Bailey says they鈥檙e like 鈥渂acon bites.鈥�

鈥淚t鈥檚 not a spice, it can be used as a topping but not a condiment,鈥� said Acuba-Bailey. 鈥淭he most common misconception about it is that it鈥檚 spicy because when you hear adobo you鈥檙e like, oh, the Mexican adobo, like the chilies.鈥�

Acuba-Bailey sells both pork and chicken adobo flakes. After getting her food safety certificate, along with all other necessary paperwork, she purchased a commissary kitchen and began bringing Telly鈥檚 Malina Kitchen to farmer鈥檚 markets.

鈥淚 looked up all the markets, all the festivals, all the pop up events, to see where I can get myself in,鈥� Acuba-Bailey said, adding that includes anywhere from Langley to North Vancouver.

After three years of hard work, Telly鈥檚 Manila Kitchen has a solid customer base. Acuba-Bailey is determined to find the best deals for herself so that she doesn鈥檛 have to raise her own prices for customers.

鈥淚t just takes a little bit of research and some phone calls 鈥� and I鈥檒l do a tally,鈥� Acuba-Bailey said. 鈥淚f I find that Costco has the best deal then I鈥檒l just stick with Costco.鈥�

Most recently, Acuba-Bailey participated in Philippines Independence Day celebrations in Vancouver.