1. BRUCE RICKETTS
Ricketts is quite the sensation. At only 28, this restaurateur has made stellar contributions to the Filipino culinary scene with his impressive palate. He is the chef behind Mecha Uma, Sensei Sushi, Ooma, and La Chinesca.
Best Restaurants Guide (BRG): Why and how did you get involved in the food industry?
Bruce Ricketts: I got involved in the food industry by accident. I just looked for a job in the kitchen.
BRG: Favourite cuisine to cook and to eat?
BR: Mexican and Japanese.
BRG: What is your favourite country as a culinary destination?
BR: Japan.
BRG: If it was your last meal on earth, what would your ideal three-course dinner be made up of?
BR: The soy-marinated tuna of Amano-san (the chef of Tenzushi), my wife’s pasta that I constantly crave for, and over-ripened plum and peaches, the ones that are so over-ripe they’re ready to burst in your mouth!
BRG: What is your favourite part about being a chef?
BR: The freedom to express what you feel by translating it onto a plate and serving it to customers.
BRG: What is the most challenging part?
BR: Restraint and accepting that not everything you believe in is what customers will always like.