Margarita Forés

🇵🇭 Philippines · Filipino cuisine · b. 1959

Asia's Best Female Chef and the global ambassador of modern Filipino cuisine.

Biography

Margarita Forés is a Manila-based chef and restaurateur widely regarded as the leading international voice of modern Filipino cuisine. Trained informally in Italy, where she developed a deep love for Italian regional cooking, she returned to Manila in the 1980s and built one of the country's most influential restaurant groups: Cibo (a long-running modern Italian chain), Lusso, Grace Park, and Cafe Ysabel.

In 2016 she was named Asia's Best Female Chef by The 50 Best Restaurants — only the second Filipino chef to win the award — and has used the platform tirelessly to champion Filipino cuisine, organising international Filipino food festivals from Madrid to New York and consulting on Filipino-themed dinners at globally recognised restaurants.

Her cooking blends deep Italian classical training with a clear-eyed appreciation for the regional cuisines of the Philippines — Pampanga, Bicol, Visayas, Mindanao — and is frequently credited with helping launch the global 'modern Filipino' movement of the late 2010s.

Cooking Philosophy

Filipino cuisine is the next great Asian cuisine to be discovered globally — and it is unmistakably its own thing. Forés argues that the long Spanish, American, Chinese and Malay influences on Filipino food don't dilute it; they make it distinctively layered. Her mission is to give Filipino cooking the same fine-dining seriousness historically afforded to Thai, Japanese or Vietnamese cuisine.

Restaurants

Cibo
Manila
Long-running modern Italian restaurant chain — her commercial backbone.
Grace Park
Manila
Farm-to-table Filipino-international restaurant.
Lusso
Manila
Italian fine dining in Greenbelt 5.

Awards & Recognition

Asia's Best Female Chef (2016) — The 50 Best Restaurants
Order of Lakandula (Philippines)
Madrid Fusion Manila Festival Culinary Director

Iconic Dishes

Modern Italian-Filipino crossoversPinoy heirloom recipes reinterpretedRegional Philippine ingredients

Cookbooks

Cibo (cookbook)

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Signature Recipes Inspired by Margarita

Original recipes we created as homages to Margarita's cooking style and signature dishes. Not direct reproductions of any copyrighted material — these are our interpretations of the traditionsMargarita has worked with throughout their career.

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Modern Pinoy Adobo — Margarita Forés-Inspired

Pork belly braised in vinegar, soy, garlic and bay leaves until lacquered and meltingly tender — the Philippines' national dish, refined.

15m prep · 90m cook · ⭐ 4.9

Recipes in Margarita's Style

These recipes from our database reflect the filipino cooking tradition that Margarita works in. They are not direct reproductions of Margarita's copyrighted recipes, but traditional dishes inspired by the same culinary heritage.

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Filipino Chicken Adobo — The National Dish

10 prep · 50 cook · ⭐ 4.9

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Sinigang na Baboy (Filipino Sour Pork Soup)

15 prep · 60 cook · ⭐ 4.8

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Lechon Kawali (Filipino Crispy Fried Pork Belly)

15 prep · 90 cook · ⭐ 4.8

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Pancit Canton

20 prep · 20 cook · ⭐ 4.8

Frequently Asked Questions about Margarita Forés

Who is Margarita Forés?

Margarita Forés is one of the Philippines' most prominent chefs and the country's most internationally visible culinary ambassador. She was named Asia's Best Female Chef in 2016 and has been a leading figure in the global 'modern Filipino' movement of the late 2010s.