Filipino food forward

“Filipino Food Forward is an initiative I’m always proud to share with everyone. I’m ever so keen to share our beautiful cuisine with the world by encouraging fellow Filipino chefs and our community to share our food with other nationalities” – Chef JP Anglo, Founder & Owner, Kooya Filipino Eatery

Sure enough, now a lot of Filipino chefs are starting to feel the pride of cooking their cuisine in the countries they reside in, which pushing the “Filipino Food Forward” initiative to scale new heights. And as for Anglo, these days, he enjoys rockstar status in the culinary world.

Kooya Filipino Eatery at a a Glance

• Kooya is the older brother of Sarsa (Chef Anglo’s flagship in the Philippines).
• It is a Filipino kitchen in a global setting that remains true to its roots.
• The restaurant is located in Marina Promenade, Dubai Marina.

Asked what keeps him at the top of his game as a chef, Anglo said, “I like to be like a sponge, soaking in everything that there is to learn. And there is so much to learn.”

“I also think that as a chef, travelling to different countries, trying different cuisines and restaurants really inspire me and motivate me to create new things. It also hones my palette and keeps me updated about what’s happening in the F&B landscape around the world. I think given a chance every chef should travel to different countries, try their cuisines, eat their street food, drink with the locals, try people’s home-cooked meals, talk to food vendors and all sorts of people who have anything to do with food and culture,” he added.

That’s Anglo’s way of leveraging food as a change agent.

In summation, pointing towards a trend that’s likely to reshape the F&B landscape in 2025, he observed, “I think that it’s no longer just about the food that you serve, but the whole experience. It’s about the hospitality, the warmth of your staff, the music you play in the restaurant, the scent of the place, the lighting and even small details like the hand soap in the washroom, merchandise that you sell, the uniforms of your people. All of these create a unique dining experience that makes your restaurant difficult to replicate. People no longer want to go to a restaurant with ‘nice décor’ that they can search on Pinterest; now they want to go to a place that has a ‘nice vibe’ and a ‘good energy’. It’s not just about what they see or taste; it’s about what and how they feel when they’re in your restaurant, it’s about what they will remember when they leave from the restaurant.”

Pick up the May edition of IMAGES RetailME to read the “Vision & Views” of 30+ leaders from the regional F&B landscape.