As a first-generation Filipino-American, I felt it was important for me to use the Ment’or Grant as an opportunity to gain a deeper knowledge of my heritage through its cuisine and to reconnect with my roots. For my grant project, I specifically chose to travel to the Philippines and stage at Toyo Eatery, a contemporary Filipino restaurant located in Metro Manila and helmed by Chef Jordy Navarra. Toyo Eatery has consistently been recognized on the list of Asia’s 50 Best Restaurants since 2019 and has been named The Best Restaurant in the Philippines for the fifth time running. My decision to stage here was driven by the restaurant’s commitment to cultural preservation and their focus on utilizing native ingredients by cultivating long-term relationships with local farmers and artisans.
During my stage at Toyo Eatery, I was immediately assigned to dinner service my first week. It was both nerve-racking and exhilarating. Service consisted of two formats–the first seating was a family-style setting called Kamayan which translates to “by hand” and refers to a traditional Filipino style of communal eating without plates or utensils. Food was served on tabletops lined with fresh banana leaves and guests were encouraged to eat with their hands. The second seating was a more conventional setting involving a 9-course tasting menu that highlighted regional dishes of the Philippines.
I rotated around the various stations throughout the kitchen beginning with the cold station. There, I helped plate several of the cold dishes as well as their dessert courses. After working at the cold station, I joined the production team and assisted with various projects ranging from building sauces to fabricating proteins. The “prod” team works heavily on the restaurant’s fermentation program, so it was exciting to be involved with these types of projects as well, in particular helping make their house fish sauce.
Once my time in production was complete, I was moved back to service and worked my way around the hotline. I started on the grill station and then eventually made my way to running the pass. Working on the grill station and running the pass taught me valuable time management skills. The grill station operates on live-fire cooking, utilizing charcoal made from coconut shells. Being able to control the fire, cook proteins and vegetables correctly, and manage a large volume of orders required a great deal of skill and focus.
I also had the fortunate opportunity to spend two weeks working next door at Toyo Eatery’s sister restaurant, Inatô, led by Chef JP Cruz who was the Sous Chef at Toyo Eatery. A relatively new restaurant having opened in February 2024, Inatô is a 9-seat chef’s counter serving an a la carte menu. Unlike Toyo Eatery, Inatô does not limit itself to locality when it comes to sourcing ingredients. The restaurant aims to find global inspiration while incorporating Filipino flavors and cooking techniques. At Inatô, I helped with both prep and dinner service by working at the app station. It was great to work under both restaurants and see the different approaches towards elevating Filipino food.
Working in the Philippines exposed me to so many unique experiences. I was able to travel to different parts of the country and experience the different styles of food that I wasn’t familiar with growing up. Because of that, I was able to expand my knowledge of cooking techniques and new ingredients. Also, I was able to build on my professional network and meet so many renowned chefs who have traveled across the globe to eat at Toyo Eatery. One of the most memorable guests was Chef Eddy Leroux of Restaurant DANIEL. It was such an incredible moment to be able to showcase Filipino cuisine for him. I also had the privilege to join the team and travel to Seoul, Korea for the Asia’s 50 Best Restaurant awards in support of Toyo Eatery. Chef Jordy has collaborated with many of the chefs on the Asia’s 50 Best List so to be surrounded by all those accomplished chefs was awe-inspiring.
In addition to my goals of learning more about the regional food of the Philippines, I was able to share my perspectives on different cooking techniques that I’ve learned working in the US. Moments where I had that exchange of knowledge with the team brought me closer to them and made me feel like a part of their family. The time I spent at Toyo Eatery was enriching for both myself and everyone at the restaurant. I’m extremely grateful for this Ment’or Grant for giving me this opportunity and to help my future endeavors of increasing the cultural exposure of Filipino food in America’s diverse culinary landscape.
