Turkey, roast beef, lechon: What the country’s top chefs and restaurateurs eat during the holidays

The holiday season is synonymous with great food. We gather at our favorite restaurants with the people we love, savoring delicious dishes and creating memories.

Making these moments possible are hardworking chefs, restaurateurs, and their tireless teams who often sacrifice their time and their own celebrations so we can enjoy unforgettable meals.

But we at The Philippine STAR wondered—what do the country’s top chefs and restaurateurs eat on Christmas and New Year? What will they be enjoying with their loved ones this year? Here’s what they said:

Josh Boutwood 
Chef, Ember, The Test Kitchen, Savage, Juniper, and Helm; The Philippines’ First Restaurant wth two Michelin Stars

For us as a family, we have two traditions over Christmas. We celebrate the Swedish Christmas on the 24th with a julbord (Swedish for Christmas table)—a spread of food that includes meatballs, cocktail sausages, gravlax and herrings, among many other dishes. On the 25th, we celebrate a more English type of Christmas dinner with either a roast turkey or beef with all the trimmings. On the 26th, we enjoy the leftovers from both, which taste better.

Miko Calo 
Chef, Taqueria Franco, Lazy Oeuf

I’m usually working during the holidays. But the times I get to spend the holidays with my cousins and brother in the UK, we usually have a roast turkey and a few side dishes.

When I get to spend it in Butuan with my parents, it’s usually roast beef.

Sonja Ocampo 
Cupcakes By Sonja, Cakeshop By Sonja, and By Sonja

It’s a big clan celebration every Christmas for us. The menu changes, but lechon is always present. I’ll be bringing a Bûche de Noël—always! —and our By Sonja Gâteau de Noël, the Christmas cake we make for the season. For New Year’s, I’ll be at the beach with my best friends, keeping it simple and relaxed.

Maritel Nievera 
President and CEO of Cabalen Group

For Christmas Eve, our family celebrates with a traditional salu-salo boodle feast at home—a spread that reflects the flavors and spirit of Cabalen. We prepare our Cabalen premium dishes such as kare-kare, sisig, and our signature bringhe, along with assorted inihaw or grilled fishes served with burong hipon (fermented shrimp) and a selection of steamed vegetables.

Everything is laid out on the table in a boodle-style or kamayan feast, which really brings everyone together. It’s a joyful, hands-on way of sharing food, stories, and laughter—very true to how Kapampangans celebrate.

John Kevin Navoa 
Chef, Aya and Hapag, a Michelin-Starred Restaurant

For Christmas and New Year, my parents never ask for much—just a few dishes that I personally love to cook. I usually take on the heavier proteins for Noche Buena: a proper steak, sometimes ribs, and my absolute favorite, palabok. It’s the one night of the year I allow myself to eat freely, no calorie counting, just pure enjoyment.

Being focused on the restaurant all year means the holidays are very special to me. This is the time I slow down, give myself completely to my family, and just be present. 

The holidays mean a rare three-day pause. Cooking something simple at home, opening a few bottles of wine, and spending long evenings talking about the year.

It’s also the time I truly reflect. I look back at everything we’ve been through, the struggles and the wins, and the moments that truly made me feel alive that year. I’m grateful to say this year has been very good to me and to the restaurant. I can’t complain.

As the year ends, I am extremely happy to say that I have so much gratitude in my heart and even more hunger to push harder and grow with the team. Hopefully, also bringing Hapag to even greater heights this coming year.

Thirdy Dolatre 
Chef, Aya and Hapag

For Christmas this year, things will be a little different because for the first time, I’ll actually be the one eating, and not doing any of the cooking. On the 24th, my family and I decided to celebrate with a lauriat-style lunch at Summer Palace. I’m really looking forward to my favorites: their supreme seafood soup served piping hot in a clay pot, the roasted Beijing duck, and that nostalgic hot prawn salad with cornflakes. And of course, there will be noodles and fried rice on the table. My brother also promised to pull out a few special bottles from his wine stash to share over the meal.

On the 25th, I’ll be flying to Melbourne to spend the rest of the holidays with my wife. I’m especially excited for a long, relaxed lunch at Embla, where I can enjoy their beautiful Australian wood-fire cooking and explore their wonderfully curated wine selection. We’ll be sharing that experience with my childhood best friend, whom we’re visiting on the trip.”

Charles Montanez 
Chef, Liyab and Mamacita

Lechon is absolutely non-negotiable for me during Christmas, so I’m planning to smoke and roast a cochinillo at Liyab and bring it home for Noche Buena to share with the family. I also need my annual fix of lengua smothered in mushroom cream sauce, plus my mom’s legendary embutido loaded with raisins, chopped gherkins, and of course, her signature Spam cubes.

Ana De Ocampo 
CEO of Wildflour Hospitality Group

I’ll be spending Christmas in San Francisco with my family. I usually get honey-baked ham from the neighborhood deli and pair it with Hawaiian rolls smothered in really good butter. My eggplant lasagna is another hearty dish I make for Noche Buena, along with the tomahawk steak that I prepare with steak-fried rice because my sons love it! During Christmas, I also like to make a quick trip to Costco for the holiday chaos and, of course, their roasted chicken. To complete the Christmas experience, I bake my own apple pie and serve it with rich hot chocolate.

New Year’s Eve is a bonding experience for my family and me because everyone is in the kitchen with different tasks as we roast the turkey and prepare sides like baked beans, sweet potato casserole, and cranberry sauce. Lastly, I make my grandmother’s leche flan to end our Media Noche on a sweet note.

Quenee Villar 
Chef, Celera, a Michelin-Starred Restaurant

I will be enjoying the homemade hot choco that my Lola will cook on New Year’s Eve.

We always have spaghetti with queso de bola and toasted white bread paired with the hot choco that my Lola makes.

George Pua 
President of Rico’s Lechon/Ogawa Japanese Restaurant

Christmas lunch will never be complete without your family. This year, our Christmas menu will be, of course, Rico's Lechon, pansit, pomelo salad, garlic spicy fried crab, baked prawns with cheese, sauteed scallops with asparagus, pineapple pan-fried ham, and steamed lapu-lapu. Dessert will be buko pandan salad, puto bumbong, assorted cakes, and fresh fruits.

Pat Go 
Chef, Your Local, Lazy Suzy, Gochugang Korea Eatery

I’ll be celebrating with my wife, parents, and in-laws. We will most likely be having some sort of noodles, Christmas ham, hot dogs, and rice. We also love having hot chocolate and bread on Christmas Eve.

Abba Napa 
Founder, The Moment Group

It’s fortunate that we have a catering arm, Moment Catering, so for the past years they’ve taken care of my holiday gatherings. While you can get most of our brands’ dishes from Catering, there are also other cuisines it offers, and this year I chose our Euro-Mediterranean spread which has a tapas bar and paella.

Apart from Christmas Eve and New Year’s Eve dinners, I also thought it would be so wonderful to kick off those days with a full Filipino spread for breakfast. So we’ll have different silogs, because there’s really nothing like a Pinoy Christmas. Even during the holidays Moment and Manam are still very much a part of me, and how I celebrate.

Marvin Agustin 
Restaurateur, Kondwi, Mr. Monk Dimsum and Roast, Wolfgang’s Steakhouse Ph, Lupino Prime, and Cochi, a Michelin-Bib Gourmand Restaurant

Basta may pandesal, hamon and queso de bola, ok na ko. Pero lalagayan ko ng cochinillo.