Before local industrial kitchens turned into theatrical shows with chefs headlining a performance of precise cutting skills in stupendous speed, or tossing, mixing and flipping food in pans before a stunned set of diners, there was Allied Metals.
The Filipino kitchen evolved into what it is today—from a mere service area completely concealed from dining and entertaining to becoming the centerpiece of many establishments (and homes)—because of this unknown, all-Filipino company founded in a small garage 50 years ago that became the game-changer of its time.
What was it offering? Stainless steel.
“It was a time when kitchens were made of ceramics and tiles and other forms of porous metals. There was no one else offering stainless steel. So my wife (Felici) and I rolled the dice,” said Florentino “Ren” P. Silayan, chair emeritus of Allied Metals Inc.
It was 1965. The Silayans were newly married. He was 29, she was 21. Rolling the dice meant leasing the only property they had.
Luckily, he said, they were given a five-year advance payment from the 20-year lease contract. With that money, the couple bought a third-hand Volkswagen and used the rest to set up Allied Metals, including recruiting business partners.
Solid relationships
That same year, Allied Metals won the bid to serve its first-ever client, Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas.
“We were lucky Central Bank did not say, ‘Let us inspect the plant,’ because there was none. We were operating in the garage of my parents’ house in Malabon,” Silayan said.
As the only company offering stainless-steel industrial kitchens at that time, Allied Metals gradually established its name and developed solid relationships with its growing clientele. Over five decades, Allied Metals supplied complete kitchen systems to many popular brands, hotel chains and corporate clients, both here and abroad.
This includes almost 1,000 Jollibee branches, McDonald’s Phils., Nestlé Phils., San Miguel Corp., Sofitel Philippine Plaza, Excelsior Hong Kong, InterContinental Abu Dhabi, Canlubang Golf and Country Club, the Shangri-La hotel and resort chain in the Philippines, Raffles Suites, Fairmont Hotel, InterContinental Manila, St. Luke’s Medical Center Global City, Makati Medical Center, Citibank, Bank of the Philippine Islands, RCBC, Unilab, Abbott Laboratories, Pfizer Laboratories, Pico de Loro Resort, Amanpulo Aman Resort, Asian Institute of Management, Philippine Military Academy, College of St. Benilde, Cultural Center of the Philippines, Rockwell Club and Manila Polo Club, IBM Phils., Ford Phils., to name just some.
“If you walk around Makati today, I’m proud to say that we did the kitchens for most of the top hotels in the city,” Silayan said.
More recently, it signed a contract with City of Dreams to design and build 20 kitchens—its largest hotel project so far.
Complete solution
“What we offer is a complete solution. There is a lot of thought put into one kitchen. Many do not know that it needs engineering considerations, for example. You have to be very clear about locations of water, electricity, exhaust, movement of people,” said John B. Echauz, Silayan’s son-in-law and chair of Allied Metals.
Echauz said the company right now is focusing on better kitchen aesthetics, since many kitchens are now out in the open for every diner to see.
“It’s like a car—how you design it will affect how it performs. It takes a long time to develop the expertise for this kind of things. Today, how it works is just as important as how it looks,” Echauz said.
The kitchen has changed so much over the past 50 years, especially with the rise of discriminating foodies. An effective kitchen, Echauz said, should allow food to be served in volume and deliver consistent quality every single time. In a 2,000-guest event, for example, everyone must get his soup at the same temperature at the same time.
An excellent kitchen design, and chef, will be able to meet this demand, Echauz said.
Twenty years ago, the Filipino family spent little when dining out. Pizza Hut was a twice-a-month affair, and was already considered a luxury. Today, however, eating out has become a part of everyday life.
Survivor
“This is a difficult business. Many joined the bandwagon in the 1990s, but when the economy collapsed we were among the few survivors,” Echauz said.
Allied Metals, Echauz said, will continue to do what it has been doing for the past 50 years. He believes quick-service food and casual dining with good quality, traceable ingredients will become a major player in the next few years, while some people will appreciate smaller portions but better-tasting menus.