MANILA, Philippines — One of the country's most celebrated chefs, Margarita Fores, recently marked the 22nd anniversary of her iconic Italian-themed restaurant Cibo.
In an exclusive interview with Philstar.com, the cancer survivor and 2016 Asia's Best Female Chef shared how she overcame challenges as a restaurateur.
"I started it in 1997 because I was very eager of bringing the fast Italian way of lifestyle and eating in Manila," recalled Chef Gaita, who has been an advocate of using Filipino homegrown ingredients and grains.
The brand's continued growth makes her proud as a Filipina entrepreneur.
She, however, recalled a time when she wanted to give up. "It was always challenging, especially during the first 10 years because I don't think that you'd really be good at creating good food and running the business at the same time. So I think I was very challenged at that time with a team that's very young and I'm just happy that a few years down the road, I decided to ask my siblings to come and help me run the business because it's a family venture..."
Ever since her siblings took over the brand's business side, she was able to focus on fine-tuning the restaurant chain's products.
For the brand's 22nd anniversary this year, Chef Gaita announced her dining joint's "P22 Dining Seat Sale” offering wherein dishes such as Pizza 5 Formaggi (classic pizza with mozzarella, gorgonzola, gruyére, bel paese and parmesan) and Linguine alla Nettuno (fresh seafood pasta) are offered at P22 each through the brand's boarding pass. Likewise, for a certain amount, diners could get a raffle entry to an all-expense-paid trip to Rome.
Apart from its thin-crust pizza, cream-based pasta, panini and regional food in a mall setting, the brand, according to Fores, has stood the test of time through imbibing a sense of Italian family, culture and experience in its restaurants.
"It's not just about quality, value-for-money Italian food, but it's also about... making customers feel like they're coming to their second home." — Video by Deni Bernardo, editing by Erwin Cagadas Jr.