Asia's best female chef putting the finishing touches on her soup
Cover Asia's best female chef putting the finishing touches on her soup

As one of Asia’s top chefs, her infectious charm and intense passion for Filipino cuisine make people sit, listen and well, eat

It would be easy to assume that foreigners would be repulsed when presented with balut. It would not be the first time for people to be disgusted with incubated duck egg anyway, as it had been the downfall of many Fear Factor players.

In September 2017 though, instead of losing curiosity, the legion of Harvard University students took interest and even gamely indulged on the balut dish served on that special night class. That’s the Margarita Forés effect in play. Whenever the celebrated female chef talks about an unfamiliar local ingredient with such a degree of sincerity and fascination, one just can’t help but listen.

This she has proven time and again: when she took the stage to present kinilaw during the 2015 Madrid Fusion in Spain; when she introduced taba ng talangka to acclaimed Japanese chef Hi-royasu Kawate of Florilege in Japan; and when she cooked sinanglay to a packed Fireside restaurant in Sydney, Australia during her collaboration with Lennox Hastie just before the pandemic hit. On all occasions, they took notice of what she had to say and cook because her joyful enthusiasm when it comes to sharing her own Filipino discoveries is just too hard to ignore.

“Always having childlike wonder, excitement, hunger and curiosity while travelling and eating around our more than 7,000 islands has always helped me continue to discover new flavours, and produce all over our country,” she says.

See also: Tony Boy Escalante, Margarita Fores, Abba Napa & More: Meet 5 Pillars Of The Philippine Dining Scene

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Bohol crab and coconut milk passato
Above Bohol crab and coconut milk passato
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Cocktail snacks featuring Bohol broas and okoy
Above Cocktail snacks featuring Bohol broas and okoy

This she has proven time and again: when she took the stage to present kinilaw during the 2015 Madrid Fusion in Spain; when she introduced taba ng talangka to acclaimed Japanese chef Hi-royasu Kawate of Florilege in Japan; and when she cooked sinanglay to a packed Fireside restaurant in Sydney, Australia during her collaboration with Lennox Hastie just before the pandemic hit. On all occasions, they took notice of what she had to say and cook because her joyful enthusiasm when it comes to sharing her own Filipino discoveries is just too hard to ignore.

“Always having childlike wonder, excitement, hunger and curiosity while travelling and eating around our more than 7,000 islands has always helped me continue to discover new flavours, and produce all over our country,” she says.

See also: Why Is Filipino Cuisine One Of The Richest Food Cultures In The World

Always having childlike wonder, excitement, hunger and curiosity while travelling and eating around our more than 7,000 Islands has always helped me continue to discover new flavours, and produce all over our country.

- Margarita Forés -

The same thing happened last January when she participated in Amorita’s Beats or Bohol Eats, the resort’s bimonthly initiative to help the ailing restaurant scene in the province. What started as a simple pop-up hosted by selected chefs on the island evolved into special one-night-only dinners featuring respected talents from Manila. On its eighth instalment, it advanced further to become a noble event that not just celebrated food but also helped fellow Boholanons in need by giving part of the proceeds to the people in Balicasag Island whose land and livelihood were affected by Typhoon Odette and the pandemic, respectively.

“It [Beats] may have been a one-night event but I think the overall impact is long,” said general manager Leeds Trompeta. “Especially this one. It was a bit closer to our hearts because it was our first event after the big storm and we added that [charitable] component as well.”

See also: Mark Bumgarner's Unforgettable Bohol Trip: Helping Odette Victims in Their Time of Need

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A surf and turf number featuring Bohol marlin and pork belly confit
Above A surf and turf number featuring Bohol marlin and pork belly confit

Helping them with their endeavour was restaurateur Margarita Forés who designed and prepared two pre-meal bites and five courses in her signature style, all of which celebrated the best of the Philippines with the best of the world. “We also added some ingredients that are not from [Bohol] but are also kind of very unique from other parts of the Philippines,” she said.

Matching the Don Papa Rum cocktails were her take on okoy made with rice flour and served with a condiment composed of alamang, parmigiano, coconut vinegar and mayonnaise—and what proved to be an instant favourite among the guests, tender Bohol broas piped with chive mousse then topped with ikura and crispy prosciutto.

See also: Filipino Food: What Is The Ilocos Empanada?

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Margarita's savoury bibingka is topped with uni and lardo
Above Margarita's savoury bibingka is topped with uni and lardo

The stellar meal started with her savoury take on bibingka—a bite-sized galapong pancake crowned with lardo, parmesan cream and Japanese uni, then lubricated with biasong vinaigrette and Bohol uni sauce. The soup exuded elegance sans vibrant colours and it delivered the same refinement in flavour with crispy Dumaguete gamet nori providing a lovely textural contrast to the delicate local crab and coconut milk passato. To reinforce the delicious seafood offerings from the island, it came with a side snack of crab salad and crab coral kinilaw nestled on a squid ink gnocco. It was a course that had people on our table sighing with satisfaction.

The pasta number again put the spotlight on fresh sea harvest with handmade water spinach pappardelle and kalamansi cream taking on the pleasant taste of the Bohol takla, the crispy Bicol biti fish maw, and creaminess lent by the baby crab fat.

See also: Pairing Pasta and Sauce: How to Choose the Right Type of Pasta According to Your Recipe

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Amorita Facade, Amorita Resort
Above Amorita Facade, Amorita Resort
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Junior Suite
Above Junior Suite

White marlin from the island was accompanied by another homegrown protein, pork belly for the main dish. Each came with their own sauce—fish collagen pilpil for the former, and pork fat and tsokolate for the latter. They were bound together by the rest of the ensemble: sautéed kamote tops, porcini mushrooms and Negros tinigib polenta.

Capping off the dinner, apart from the live acoustic entertainment, was a dessert that featured two of Bohol’s beloved delicacies—kalamay and peanut kisses. They both added dimension and character to the millefoglie layered with mascarpone espuma.

At the end of the night, guests came home not just with a satisfied appetite but also a renewed appreciation for our cuisine, as the chef stunningly presented in her inspired and inspiring repertoire. That’s the Margarita Forés effect in full display.

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