She's not just ‘Lumpia Queen’: Abi Marquez proves she can wear many hats outside of food content

"Sabi ko, 'Ooh, dopamine... Shucks, gawin ko kaya ulit?' she recalled. Recognizing the potential to craft viral-worthy videos consistently, she nerded out on the process. The 26-year-old soon found deep fulfillment in reaching a wide audience, and as monetary opportunities rolled in, she confidently turned her passion into a full-time career upon graduation.

For the first two and a half years, Abi was a one-woman team. She conceptualized, made a storyboard, bought ingredients, filmed (sometimes at 3 a.m. when her house was quiet), edited, and posted two to three videos a week.

That very first viral pasta video also shaped her creative approach, particularly her use of hooks and snappy pacing based on what she herself would want to watch.

As her work grew, she started delegating tasks, particularly administrative work, partnerships, ingredient sourcing, filming, and editing. However, she still writes her own outlines and oversees the creative direction, and serves as the final quality check to ensure every video authentically feels like her own.

The other hats of Abi Marquez 

Abi’s creative spirit refuses to be boxed into just the kitchen. A passionate singer, she was part of a high school band and runs a dedicated YouTube channel, Abi Sings, for song covers. She also had the opportunity to do a Christmas duet with Christian Bautista for Let Love Be The Gift in 2025, a rendition of a Jose Mari Chan Christmas song.

Though she plays instruments less frequently now, karaoke sessions with her team keep her musical side alive.

Abi’s creative pursuits don’t stop at singing—she also spent years dancing. Formerly a competitive hip-hop dancer who have helped her high school dance troupe compete and win at national competitions, Abi would spend nights learning choreography from K-pop groups like EXO and BTS.

While dancing was once a serious pursuit for Abi, she now sees it more as another “party trick”—something she does for fun. 

To unplug from work, she dives into video games, reads, binges cooking shows and YouTube videos, and even learning about stocks and trading.

Abi is also navigating the challenge of balancing her personal life with the demands of content creation.

“[My] focus is finding a balance between adulting, like my personal stuff, adulting, and content. Health also. Because nakakapagod rin siya eh. I mean, I'm really open about it, but I get burnt out. I had a lot of bad burnouts in the past years," she told L!fe.

She also acknowledges that having more control over her career means learning how to manage that balance herself.

“Whatever is happening is in my hands. I'm just finding the right balance to still do content while tending to personal stuff. Parang ganoon," she added.

Life after going viral

Fame has also allowed Abi to experience things that were once out of reach for her and her family. Traveling has become a major part of her life—not only to learn more about food, but also to experience places she could not afford growing up. She reflected that while she traveled internationally at 22, her parents only got to do so around age 50 after spending decades supporting their children. Now, bringing them on trips has become one of the ways she gives back for their sacrifices.

Her career has also allowed her to take on a bigger role in supporting her family. She pays for her sister’s dorm, buys groceries for her parents, and treats them to trips. While she is hesitant to call herself a breadwinner, she admits she takes care of the “extra stuff.” Being able to provide these things, she says, is meaningful because they were once beyond what her family could afford.

Despite maintaining a consistent online presence, Abi admitted she experiences burnout once or twice a year.

"'Yung burnout, parang every year meron eh," she told L!fe. "I was made to believe na yung mga projects na yan, hindi yan forever. So kapag dumating yan, tanggap ka lang ng tanggap. To the point na I accepted projects even though I know that I'm gonna be spread thin or I would have to sacrifice health, sleep, time with family."

Looking back, she realized how easily work could consume the time and energy she needed to recharge. Over time, she has learned the hard lesson to be more careful about who she trusts. Now, she is more mindful of setting boundaries and speaking up for herself.

"[Projects are] not everything. Like you still need to protect yourself or something like that. Kasi, I mean, as long as you're making something valuable at pinapanood ng mga tao, hindi naman mawawala yung projects," she added.

Taking on a new role

Embracing her evolving identity, Abi is putting on a new hat as she joins L!fe's Generations podcast as the resident Gen Z host. “Gen Z ako, but nandun ako sa cusp of Gen Z,” she says, having been born in the 2000s and growing up with a mix of Gen Z and millennial experiences. She believes this allows her to relate to both generations, while bringing a perspective shaped by her age, background in food and content creation, and experience as a creative.

Looking ahead, Abi envisions building a studio that does not necessarily depend on her being in front of the camera.

“Na-imagine kong future ko is to have a studio that doesn't necessarily need my face.” With her background in marketing and video production, she hopes to explore filmmaking and other creative work beyond food content.

"I have so many thoughts," she said. "Minsan gusto ko gawa ng horror movie, gusto ko gawa sa music video... daming nangyayari. So feeling ko to stay creatively fulfilled, hindi man maging proper company or career, I would want to explore more filmmaking. Wala akong pangarap sa singing eh. Kasi parang nahanap ko na yung purpose ko sa food and content creation," she added.

Abi Marquez is hosting the third season of Generations—a conversation about how different age groups see the world and why it matters—along with veteran journalist Luchi Cruz-Valdes and content creator Raco Ruiz. Catch it on YouTube and Spotify on Aug. 19.