Stomach story: Three Manila chefs on the power of food

The second is chef Charles Montañez, who is currently in the process of opening a restaurant called Liyab. He also founded Grupo Alegria, an award-winning food and beverage group, but is no longer involved. Chef Charles has recently been exploring new ways to continue his culinary journey with a new group of people.

The last one, Sofia Padilla, does not don the title of “chef,” but is a concerned and curious citizen who loves to eat. While our other interviewees operate out of fully-fledged restaurants, Sofia owns Fiasfud, a small business run via Instagram and the occasional food stall. She uses her platform to explore the intersection between food, conservation and social responsibility.

The three chefs share a strong belief in the good that food can do for the self and the world. Each of them is fueled by different advocacies and chooses food as a tool for change-making in service to a better future.

For chef Charles, food is freedom and self-expression. Each dish is highly unique as he strives to make food that he would enjoy, with specific focus given to his preferences and memories.

You’ll notice when walking into chef Charles’ restaurant that it is unlike the usual fine dining venue: enlarged Filipino artworks adorn the walls, purple and black dominate the ambiance, and explicit pop music floats through the room. The chef’s personal design philosophy is to be dissonant in the sea of other restaurants of its caliber. He wanted the establishment to reflect his own approach and not be “standard.” His mantra is simple: “There are no rules. Do whatever you want.” His success is proof that the best thing to be is yourself.

For chef Jordy of Toyo Eatery, food is identity. Chosen among “Asia's Top 50 Restaurants” in 2023, Toyo Eatery uses locally and sustainably sourced ingredients to produce uniquely Filipino dishes. This is a personal choice: “We source most, if not all, of our ingredients locally to gain a better understanding of what we have as a country. This appreciation for all things local extends beyond ingredients. We also work with different artists and craftsmen to create our furniture, our serviceware, and even art.” Food, chef Jordy believes, is incredibly broad in its scope, and it can have an effect on the personal, the public, and the political.

Chef Jordy says that food can teach us who we are and shed light on the intersections between cultures and people. For example, sinigang uses specific souring agents depending on where you are in the Philippines.

Cooking, for him, is also a deeply personal tool that teaches organization, discipline and creativity. However, public policies and opportunities for our farmers along with other agricultural issues we face will inevitably determine what will end up on our plates. “Ultimately, food, from the act of making it, cooking it, and consuming it, is an extension of who we are as humans. It has a greater value beyond just sustenance,” he shares.

Toyo Eatery recently acquired a forest/farm in Lucban. “We hope to preserve parts of it to offset our carbon footprint while also closing the loop with our composts, which we can use to grow plants and produce.” While sustainability was not Toyo’s initial focus, they slowly realized the circularity of their relationship with the environment. The restaurant’s operations affect its surroundings, and the quality of the environment in which its ingredients are grown affects the quality of the restaurant’s output.

Hence, Toyo Eatery also sources its ingredients based on what is in season. “We’re able to access better produce and better variety throughout the year. Similarly, we also try to tap our producers’ expertise; we encourage them to grow produce they know would be best for the season or the condition of their soil and not to focus too much on the demands of the market. Through this, they are able to preserve their traditions as well as express their creativity, which we also highlight in our dishes.”

Toyo is a prime example of the value of sustainable sourcing and how that translates to bringing traditions and environmental advocacy alive through food.

For Sofia, food is the future. When talking to this chef, you become infected with her refreshing idealism and hope for a brighter future where food is power. She is imbued with curiosity and, at times, apologizes for getting too emotional. It’s clear that she cares deeply about everyone involved in the process of making food, from farmers, whom she wrote her undergraduate thesis about, to creatives, whom she says give her inspiration.

She believes it is simultaneously possible for producers to earn sustainable wages, for chefs to make a profit doing what they love, and for consumers to enjoy delicious meals at reasonable prices. Further, her love for nature—she knows how to fish and farm and loves to free dive —gave her firsthand insight into the importance of our environment in the process. “Food is a medium with which we can uplift lives,” Sofia shares.

Fiasfud plans to open a café/test kitchen that serves food based on what is in season rather than a set menu.

Sofia also loves to cook because food is a means of connecting with others. “I love sharing with people. If you have a friend who’s sad, you can feed them and they become happier. After a tiring day of work, you eat your Mama’s food and you’re happier.”

This is a sentiment she shares with chefs Charles and Jordy: food is the intrinsic connection that binds us all, across cultures, borders and languages. Not only is food a gustatory experience, but a multisensory and emotional encounter. Food is sustenance, food is art, food is culture. Food is unique each time, yet it is a binding connection. After all, the language of a full stomach is universal.