At the Chef's Table

Over dinner and drinks, seven chefs compared notes on the state of the industry and their takeaways from the pandemic experience

Chefs must be some of the most patient and resilient people in the world. Their capacity to endure is continually tested. It became more apparent and trying during the recent pandemic when they were held up against the wall and made to decide on the most challenging questions, from letting go of people to shutting down their businesses.

On their day off, chefs Thirdy Dolatre and Kevin Navoa welcomed colleagues and friends Josh Boutwood (Ember, Helm, Savage, The Test Kitchen), Nicco Santos and Quenee Vilar (soon-to-open Celera), Raul Fores (Mamou, Nokal) and Marie Jo Camarista (Niu by Viking) to their restaurant Hapag. On the table was a spirited conversation about the year that was and the best things to come out of it—themselves included.

Angelo Comsti (AC): How are you guys getting by? How was 2022 for you?

Thirdy Dolatre (TD): As with other fine-dining establishments, we’re doing better, numbers-wise, compared to pre-pandemic. At Hapag, we can now focus on what we want to do: fine dining and showcasing Filipino food on a higher level.

Kevin Navoa (KN): Yes, we’re doing very well. The pandemic gave us so much spare time, so we used that to improve. The past two years have been good to us. We were able to focus on ourselves and the menu. And I would say that Hapag exceeded our expectations, making us very happy.