As the proprietor of several successful restaurants, chef Margarita Forés has an entire battalion of cooks and service staff in her kitchen—but before that, she started her culinary career as a caterer, tending to dinners and events with just a small team of assistants. That’s when she realised she had to professionalise her business to become a full-time restaurateur.

Forés entered the restaurant scene with Cibo in 1997, a novelty in a franchised milieu. Offering reasonably priced authentic Italian cuisine in a modern yet cosy atmosphere, Cibo eased the Filipino diner into an elevated culinary experience.

Cibo’s success kick-started the launch of other outlets after that: Grace Park Dining, which offers Forés’s farm-to-table cuisine; champagne bar Lusso, with its elegant French-Italian plates; and The Loggia’s mixed Filipino-Italian menu at the historic Palacio de Memoria. Forés also runs her own catering company, Cibo Di Marghi, and a florist and flowerscape shop, Fiori Di Marghi. In 2023, the restaurateur extraordinaire unveiled her latest concept, Museya Kafé, at Ayala Museum and celebrated Lusso’s expansion with its second branch at The Balmori Suites, Rockwell Center. Grace Park Dining also launched its second branch in Araneta City, Quezon City.

She earned distinctions for her efforts, including Asia’s Best Female Chef in 2016, the Cavaliere dell’Ordine della Stella d’Italia (Knight of the Order of the Star of Italy) in 2018, and the title of United Nations Ambassador for Gastronomic Tourism the following year.

Twenty-six years since debuting with Cibo, Forés has become an inspiring role model—and not just for aspiring chefs and restaurateurs. By awakening a deeper appreciation for local flavours and championing the farmers, fishermen and artisans who make our cuisine possible, Forés has forever changed how we look at Filipino food.