MANILA, Philippines – The Bistro Group of Restaurants has a new corporate chef in the person of Josh Boutwood, who won several awards at the recently concluded “3rd Philippine Culinary Cup.”
The 25-year-old Filipino-British chef bested hundreds of participants from the Philippines and around the world. He wowed the international judges with his entries in the US poultry, US pork, local fish, Australian lamb, US beef, pasta and sous vide categories and bagged three gold, two silver and two bronze medals. The Philippine Culinary Cup was a collaboration of Les Toques Blanches Philippines, ?the Pastry Alliance of the Philippines and Premier Events Plus Group, Inc.
“I learned the innovative way of preparing food using only local ingredients and cooking them in such a way as to preserve their purity, simplicity, and freshness,” chef Josh says.
In 2010, chef Josh returned to the Philippines and settled in Boracay, where he put up Restaurant Alchemy. He joined Bistro Group of Restaurants initially as a consultant and was appointed corporate chef early this year.
“I work hand in hand with Bistro’s strong and supportive R & D team,” he says. “I conceptualize new concepts and recipes, which is very exciting for someone like me who loves to try and do new things.”
Chef Josh recently introduced the black pizza, sesame teriyaki chicken wings, fully-loaded sweet potato skins and small plates in Village Tavern, one of Bistro’s newer concepts.
“We will soon launch new Krazy Garlik and Italianni’s specials. We recently introduced Ma Maison’s a la carte Katsu Menu,” he adds. “I would love to show our guests new flavor profiles because there is such a rich array of ingredients available in the Philippines. Indeed, I am very lucky to be in the Philippines and to be part of the Bistro family.”