FLAVORS THAT RAISE A NATION'S COLORS

Restaurateur and Asia’s Best Female Chef in 2016 MARGARITA FORÉS has seen the world and experienced global flavors only to find that the most meaningful dishes are those that bring the best of her country to the world

New York City in the 70s and 80s was a melting pot of young, vibrant cultures coming together. It was during this time that Margarita ‘Gaita’ Forés, Asia’s Best Female Chef in 2016 and flag bearer of the Philippine culinary scene, first moved there to fall in love with food.

She begins, “I was there because my family was on self-exile. At that time, it was a city you would visit to see what the rest of the world is doing in food. It was a good time to be there. I was in my late teens—an impressionable age. That’s where my culinary journey began.”

IT WAS FASHION FIRST

Gaita always thought that she would be working in fashion. Growing up with a legendary style icon for a mother, it seemed only that natural her career path would lead towards the same direction. “I was always a lover of clothes because of my mom. I had a lot of influences from her, but cooking, setting the table and creating the ambience was what I really fell in love with I worked for the fur licensee of Valentino then moved to Valentino Red where I fell in love with everything Italian. Back then it was like the Italianization of New York.” remembers Gaita.