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MANILA, Philippines – The culinary world mourns as the Philippines lost one of its most legendary Filipino chefs — chef Margarita Forés — on Tuesday, February 11.
A pioneer who shaped the landscape of Filipino dining and placed the country on the global gastronomic map, Margarita “Gaita” Forés, known for her unwavering dedication to her craft, passed away suddenly in Hong Kong, leaving behind a legacy that will be felt in every kitchen, in every restaurant, and in every loyal customer whose favorite dishes were of hers.
The journey of a culinary legend
Born into the Araneta family on March 23, 1959, Margarita initially pursued a degree in accountancy, but fate had other plans. It was during a trip to Italy in 1986 that she fell in in love with Italian cuisine, immersing herself in the country’s culinary traditions by learning from home cooks, artisans, and chefs.
“I learned a very home-style approach to cooking. With sessions in their kitchens in the mornings, lessons about the best and freshest ingredients in the markets over lunch, and dinners at different restaurants in the evenings, they shared priceless knowledge and wisdom about the country’s cuisine and culture with me,” she said.
Returning home to the Philippines with a newfound reverence for Italy and her deep love for Filipino cuisine, Margarita set out to begin her stellar culinary empire.
“I came back home and spent nearly a decade sharing my new-found passion, cooking in people’s homes, slowly learning the ropes of a career in the food industry,” she wrote on Cibo’s website.
Margarita was not just a chef; she was a force of nature. At 65 years old, she still moved with the same energy and enthusiasm from the time she opened her first restaurant in 1997 — modern-casual Italian household name Cibo in Glorietta, Makati City. Prior to Cibo, she launched Cibo di M. in 1987, a luxury catering business that set the foundation.
Margarita was never one to settle. After the quick expansion of Cibo across the country, Lusso followed in 2009, a refined and luxurious space in Makati that served elevated, indulgent Italian comfort dishes. In 2013, she introduced Grace Park in Rockwell and Araneta City, a restaurant that championed farm-to-table dining with local, organic ingredients. In 2016, she expanded once again with Alta, located in Ascott BGC, continuing to bring Filipino-Italian cuisine to greater heights with her signature touch.
It was a defining moment — not just for her but for the country — when she was named Asia’s Best Female Chef in 2016 by a panel of over 300 industry experts. That same year, she was featured on CNN’s Culinary Journeys, showcasing Filipino cuisine on the global stage. In 2018, the Italian government honored her as Cavaliere dell’Ordine della Stella d’Italia, recognizing her contributions in promoting Italian culture abroad. She was also named a United Nations Ambassador for Gastronomic Tourism in 2019.
Margarita agreed that the award also means a lot to female chefs. “When I started in 1987, there were no female chefs in the kitchen of the Hyatt, where I did my first food festival. And I love the fact that today, when you look at all the kitchens, there are just as many females as men in the kitchen,” she said.
More than awards, passion is what drove her
Awards were great, but it was her genuine love for Filipino culture that drove her to do more — you could see it in the way she talked about her favorite ingredients, in the way she would light up when explaining the essence of a good binakol; she told me last year that the traditional comforting chicken soup would be the one Filipino soup she would serve to all foreign guests. She would excitedly tell guests that taba ng talangka is her favorite ingredient to work with; with Margarita, every regional ingredient was always respected but used in a way that was fresh and new, but not unfamiliar to the Filipino.
There was never a lull in her career or a break of complacency. There was always a new restaurant, a new collaboration, or a new project that she would promote with the same excitement as if it were her first.
Last October, she launched Margarita Signature Caterer at Arete Tagaytay, a new luxury resort in the mountains (she had also been providing catering services to weddings and hotel functions in the past years).
Last year, her collaboration with Ramen Ron — owned by her son Amado, who is also behind Steak and Frice and Amano — put a batchoy-inspired twist on ramen, working with Japanese chef Hiroyuki Tamura. She said it was her personal tribute to her “dearest home province , Negros Occidental.”
A few months later, she crafted a simple afternoon tea set at Lusso, and just this January, collaborated with young and seasoned chefs like Miko Calo for the AVEC Series at Sage in Makati Shangri-La, blending Italian and French techniques with Filipino ingredients.
This year, she was set to open Margarita, a two-story restaurant at Ayala Triangle Gardens that would serve as a love letter to her 37-year career.
I remember the first time I encountered her at a media event. As a young, wide-eyed lifestyle writer, I was intimidated. How could I not be? It was THE Margarita Forés! But she was always ready with a beaming smile, exuding such positive energy that immediately put me and other guests at ease. In every restaurant launch, she was welcoming, generous, confident, and infectiously passionate (I even got to ride a helicopter with her one time; she was unfazed, while I was very fazed).
Those who knew her, or even just watched her at work, would often wonder where she drew that relentless drive from. If there was one figure who embodied puso, it would be her.
“People never really honored [Filipino ingredients], or put them on the highest tables anywhere in the industry before. And I think that’s been a real underlying advocacy. And I think that fast forward to today, it’s been worth the effort to really push it, because other chefs, both old and young — especially the young chefs now — are proud to do the Filipino cuisine,” she said.
Margarita Forés leaves behind more than just an empire; her legacy as one of the country’s greatest Filipino female chefs will live on in every chef, cook, friend, and patron; proving that passion, humility, and one’s constant dedication to their craft will always be the true ingredients of greatness. – Rappler.com
