THE TASTE MAKERS

These are the chefs whose dishes raise the bar in flavors and presentation. Their restaurants are the meeting points of society's chic, fashionable, and tasteful set. We sat down with the 2024 MEGA Ball Awardees - chefs who essentially lead in Metro Manila's thriving food scene and they shared the philosophy in the way how they approach their craft

- STEF JUAN

JOSH BOUTWOOD, CHEF/OWNER OF SAVAGE, TEST KITCHEN, HELM, EMBER

“I’ve got triangles all over my arms and everywhere, it’s my favorite shape. The dishes are created in a triangular fashion. We have three main ingredients, we also have three main flavor profiles, and we create dishes based on that triangular shape as a basis of all my dishes in every single one of my restaurants, no matter the concept. We put a lot of focus on sourcing amazing ingredients. We don’t like to work an ingredient so much that it loses the true essence of its flavor — of how it should be. Instead, we just source a really good ingredient and work with it as little as possible, just to amplify the perfect notes. Then the other ingredients are there to give balance and story to the dish.”

CHEF MIKO CALO, CHEF

"For me, my technique will always be French. As for the ethos of my philosophy as a cook, I give importance and respect to the ingredients and the flavors of the ingredients. I will always highlight produce. With that, my cooking becomes more personal. It starts to tie with my heritage, my childhood, my experience living abroad and working in French kitchens, and living in different cities all ties to how I put things on the plate. So, the execution becomes very personal."

CHEF STEPHAN DUHESME, CHEF/OWNER METIZ AND AUTOMAT