Ricco Ocampo, the Renaissance polymath
One day, I woke up and wanted to be like Mr. Chow, but in my Kapampangan way. Impeccable, sincere in an understated taste.
Ricco Ocampo has had various reincarnations. In his past life, he was a young and restless retailer, opening stores with fresh eyes, armed with concepts totally new in the retailing landscape.
He tried to instill a consciousness for local creations by calling his shop Sari-Sari, all selling Philippine-made goods at a time when the market was clearly possessed by a colonial mentality.
He introduced products that challenged the mind — he was a createur and provocateur. Selling sunglasses at P100 was a mindblower at a time when people were obsessed with pricey designer shades — but, hey, people were grabbing them and they still do now.
As a restaurateur, he wanted to give better food, better ambience at better prices. His palate was both that of a gourmet and a gourmand. Each restaurant had to have more kick and fire on the taste than existing choices.
Having come from a clan of businessmen and gemologists, as well as urban farming, art, culture and history mavens, Ricco embraced the legacy and looked up to the elders he idolized — in particular, the journalist-artist-gourmet-diplomat Emilio Aguilar Cruz. The patriach instilled in him a nationalist mindset, a yearning for an existentialist if unconventional paths, valuing depth and substance but always with wit and humor. This admiration is forever cast in his heart: his son is named Emilio, and his first grandchild, Emilia.
The list of his endeavors — Sari-Sari, Anonymous, i2i New York, Kitchen, Mangan, Ebun, Kai, Manila House, Isogi, Celestina and Mix Manila, whether as founder or co-founder — is a path storied with both successes and mishaps. But what creative person is perfect?
Ricco Ocampo is certainly a Renaissance man. He makes us think and re-think.
THE PHILIPPINE STAR: You have done it all — retailing fashion, home, furniture and accessories. Building and selling homes. Reinventing dwelling spaces. You have been in the restaurant business, and now you’re in the food business, but in a way that’s entirely your own: You host dinners in your home, presenting food on beautiful tablescapes. Why are you now obsessed with food?
RICCO OCAMPO: My only quest is to promote Kapampangan cuisine and bring it to an elevated level at the best quality while maintaining its heritage. I grew up in Pampanga and was fortunate to have traveled here and everywhere. And I realized my hometown cuisine can be better, given the right ingredients and the right setting.
Are you reinventing Pampango cuisine?
It’s not reinventing Pampango cusine. I don’t like fusion and confusion.
So are you tweaking Pampango dishes?
I stick to tradition and my heritage but I aim to elevate the food with the best ingredients we can alternate. I try to repeat best practices when growing up in the province. Avoidance of frozen ingredients, daily market visit to determine menu for the days because of the market’s dictation of availability and freshness.
Elevate means you think they’re below par.
We can’t treat our own as fast food/family affair/ budol meals all the time. One doesn’t eat kare-kare in a palayok all the time to signify Filipino. We need to go beyond that and move on.
What are the favorite Pampango dishes usually on your menu?
Kare-kare, pesang dalag with tauri sauce, hito with buro. These may sound common but the correct sourcing of ingredients is my main concern. Linaga with El Rey chorizo is always a must.
Who or what inspires you to cook, to create and network?
My daughter Selina is my number one inspiration in food. She gives me so much insights on what to do, what books to read, which restaurants to go to, and what to order. Buying the right salt and how to use it for cooking and/or for garnishing… it goes on and on. She will go crazy working with me for sure, but she has my ear at all times. My ever-dependable girl. Of course, Gilbert Pangilinan, I speak every day when it comes to food. The silent warrior. The unassuming talent that only the cognoscenti appreciates.
In terms of creative, it’s Betina, she is my Pantone book, Betina has what it takes to give me good color palate. Impeccable insights on taste and always my critic in what I do. Other than textbook knowledge, Empress Joyce Ma has injected me with all that I know and aim to be when it comes to true taste.
Juliana is my mini-me. Non-stop energy. She has a quality of sincerity when it comes to meeting people. She has a longer list than I because her smile brightens up every room she walks into. I never worry about her as she will shine wherever she is.
Which restaurants do you go to?
I am a creature of habit. In Manila, I only go to a few places other than what I co-own. I go to Mamou for a dependable steak meal, People’s Palace for my pomelo salad fix, this collagen soup place Bijin Nabe in Mitsukoshi BGC, and when in the mood, it’s Metiz. But truthfully, it is always a meal in one’s house that is far more meaningful. To be invited and dine with the Pinoy way of entertainment, a dying art, is always one that I hardly say no to, whether it be Cubao at Veana’s, Irene’s callos or the feasts at the Flois.
When traveling, what are your must restos?
Abroad, it’s Le Duc and Chez l’Ami Louis in Paris, Jai Fai in Bangkok, Le Bilboquet in New York. And don’t we all miss Bonnie’s Sevva in Hong Kong? And I’m dying to get into 4 Charles soon.
Your dinner table is always interesting. What makes a beautiful tablescape?
Tablescapes you learn from the best you see when invited. At Gert Voojans, fresh leaves sewn as placemats sent from Brussels to his home in Antwerp. At Doris Ho, shabu-shabu setting. At Lizzie Zobel, a collection of silver goblets. At Joyce Ma, Puiforcat cutlery and jade bowls. I realize that one should have very good cutlery and then there you can play. Then there’s the meticulous Gina Roxas and the flamboyant Junie Rodriguez. It takes years of entertaining to learn and the secret to it all is, I always tell my staff to treat our daily meals as a party. This should allow one to put meaning in what they do.
What dishes are you addicted to?
Having been a vegetarian for 30 years, my main addiction now is to always have a good steak. My son-in-law Julian is a mentor. Sinigang is my favorite (not using powdered, please) and a great adobo is always what I like, almost dry and eaten after a day of simmering. I’m also addicted to collecting dishes (plates, etc.), it’s a bad addiction but it’s a great high.
What is your vision behind The House of O?
As I get older and wiser, I dream of being a true-blue polymath. It goes hand in hand, as Tina would diagnose me to have ADHD. So I have decided to spend my years doing things creative I only will develop on my own time and mind. So that is what The House of O is all about. Whether it’s an alligator chair of which I am currently doing a re-issue, or a few Shahtoosh vintage scarves I found in India, bed sheets in Egyptian cotton or muslin, or towels from Turkey, and all things handcrafted by artisans in La Union, flea market finds all over the country and the world, I shall hold them in one umbrella brand. My retail mantra is an edited version of products with integrity. It’s neither a clothing store nor a home store, it’s The House of O.
What do you think of our food industry now? Would you open a new restaurant anytime soon?
The food business, in general, is all about numbers. High rental costs sacrifice the quality of food. More branches kill consistency, for sure. I am way too confused with too many choices.That is why I truly admire Collin Mackay. He stays true to his vision, while he never branches out his gesture in his consistency... impeccable. Stephan of Metiz is a genius. I saw that boy grow up and he truly belongs up there. The Marketman on IG is the best to go for all the lessons on living a good life. He embodies what it is like to live well, eat well and enjoy the journey of life. He is a true connoisseur. And, of course, we have the caterers. Gilbert, Margarita, Florabel and Happy. It takes a lot of passion to be where they are. All are winners.
Today, you have caviar on our table. What are you doing with it?
Nomad Caviar has given me an opportunity to play and use it, and how to blend it with Kapampangan cuisine. Okoy with caviar. Penoy with caviar. But I wouldn’t compromise on the Kapampangan taste. I use caviar only to enhance. And, of course, with the aid of Ark vodka and Antipodes water (current obsession), it completes the scene.
What makes a good dining experience?
The appreciation of being invited in one’s home which brings out one’s personality is the best I can say. I have no judgment in one’s taste but to feel one’s sincerity is one hell of a dining experience.
What is your ideal table of guests?
My ideal guests would be true friends that I admire and people I am dying to meet: a confluence of artists, actors, family and businessmen I look up to. Too boring to be in one meal with people from the same field.
What dream occupies your mind right now?
One day, I woke up and wanted to be like Mr. Chow, but in my Kapampangan way. Impeccable, sincere in an understated taste. But in the end, I realized I would not sacrifice my life living in La Union. I need time to daydream and do nothing but draw ideas in my head on what drives me to do next. I have had it all, mistakes and wins, and both have given me an amazing journey that is one for the books. It’s time to live on my own terms. Family, travel, entertain, create, live and let live.
* * *
Follow the author on Instagram and Facebook @milletmartinezmananquil. Email her at milletman88@gmail.com and mmmananquil@philstarmedia.com.
