Diego Lerma says his “favorite thing” growing up was traveling, but more specifically, ending up in a café after all the wandering. “I also enjoy trying all kinds of food,” says the 19-year-old economics and public policy student at Dartmouth College in Hanover, New Hampshire, and co-founder of Café Salcedo, the pop-up coffee spot located at the NEX headquarters (Ayala Ave., Makati) of Salcedo Auctions, the prestigious Filipino auction house established by his parents Richie and Karen Kua-Lerma.
Café Salcedo reopens September 3 in time for the vernissage of The Well-Appointed Life, the milestone event of Salcedo Auctions.
Growing up in this environment, Diego says, “I have always been surrounded by the art scene, but have also always been a foodie, so it’s exciting for me to dive into entrepreneurship, starting a café, and seeing where it goes.”
In fact, one of the most popular items on Café Salcedo’s menu, the Salted Caramel Flat, was actually inspired by National Artist Jose Joya’s 1962 abstract oil painting Flight, which sold at Salcedo Auctions for a record-breaking sum of P37,376,000 in June 2025.
Diego Lerma says he always enjoys hanging out at cafés, and hopes guests at the auction house enjoy doing the same.
The café itself, describes Diego, has expansive glass windows, and combines “a bit of the old world and a modern feel. Café Salcedo is just an extension of Salcedo Auctions, as I thought of also bringing a bit of ‘the well-appointed life’ that the auction house offers,” he says, using Salcedo Auctions’ familiar tagline. “It’s a great place, actually, and the ambience is nice.”
So whether you’d like to sip a Salted Caramel Flat while waiting to browse through an exhibit, or need a stronger dose of caffeine to prepare for an adrenaline-filled auction, it’s good to know there’s a coffee spot for the same refined tastes as the ones that patronize Salcedo Auctions.
Café Salcedo is on the second floor, NEX Tower Bldg., 6786 Ayala Ave., Legazpi Village, Makati City.
