One might assume that Amado Forés naturally grew into his mother’s line of business. After all, chef extraordinaire Margarita Forés often brought him along to her client meetings and catering events.
But that wasn’t the case. At one point, everyone thought Amado would pursue a career entirely different from his mother’s.
“In college, he took up political science because my family is very active in politics. At the time, we were helping my cousin Mar (Roxas), who was running for office. Amado was deeply involved in his campaign, so we thought he’d go into government or politics,” the 2016 Asia’s Best Female Chef recalled.
She described her son’s eventual move into the food industry as a significant switch. Amado has since opened three restaurant concepts in five years: the Italian restaurant a mano, the noodle joint Ramen Ron, and the steakhouse Steak & Frice. In this short span, he earned the title Restaurateur of the Year twice—an achievement that makes his mother immensely proud.
It’s almost hard to believe that this man, who has been rocking the local food scene, was a picky eater growing up. His mother shared that as a child, all he wanted to eat were fried chicken and spaghetti from a popular fast-food chain. When she was starting Cibo, Amado would sit in the neighboring restaurant to eat tempura.
“His palate wasn’t very adventurous,” Margarita said. However, he was exposed to the Negrense and Ilonggo food cultures early on. She said she also used to make him pancakes with smiley faces. His favorite dish from her repertoire, however, is nduja pasta, a creamy pasta made with spreadable sausage paste. The mom revealed that she plans to serve this dish at her son’s wedding next year.
Travel
Margarita emphasized that she never conditioned Amado to follow in her footsteps. Instead, she opened up the world to him through travel.
“I was very happy that I took him to Europe very early on,” she said. A lot of her friends and relatives told her that he was too young to enjoy or remember the trip. But for Margarita, exposing Amado to the world was very important.
“Filipino kids always think that life is one big American mall. In Manila, everything is about the mall. And then you go to Europe, and your whole perception of life and the world changes. Because everything is all about history. It’s all about legacy.”
This exposure, she believes, shaped Amado’s well-rounded palate eventually. She never forced him to eat anything but encouraged him to try everything at least once, to take a bite once. “We’d dine in fancy restaurants in New York or Europe that I wanted to try,” she said.
Now, the roles have reversed. Amado is the one making reservations for their food-centric trips. He envied the time his mom spent with her team in the early 2000s and he couldn’t go with them.
So as soon as he could, Amado began planning overseas trips for the two of them. They went on tour in Italy around six years ago, trying iconic pasta restaurants in Rome, Emilia-Romagna, Bologna. By the time that trip ended, in Venice, he told her, “Mom, I think I want to open my own restaurant.” That’s how a mano was born.
Like a student again
Amado’s current obsession is Tokyo’s vibrant food scene. Their travel plans now often hinge on restaurant availability. “If Amado books it, it must be special,” Margarita said.
“I’m 65 and he is 34 so his perception of what the market wants is a little bit more attuned to today. He always gives me feedback on my own restaurants, on Grace Park, Lusso and Cibo. I listen to him,” she said. She said that she feels like a student all over again as she learns about the new things in the hospitality industry.
One of his contributions has been streamlining her brand under the name “Margarita.” They are reworking Grace Park’s signature dishes, such as kare-kare, adobong takway, and paksiw na belly, to resonate better with the current market.
“I think because of his youth, there are so many other dimensions that he can add to the business. He really badgered me to make sure that I make my own pepper mill that we’re going to launch next year,” she said, while pointing at the collection of pepper mills behind her office desk. “He was very instrumental that I do my signature restaurant Margarita and that’s going to happen next year.”
With Amado steering her brand toward the future, Margarita is able to focus on the aspects of the business she loves–cooking. Together, they form an unstoppable tandem—a seamless fusion of legacy and innovation. INQ