At 56, the win also makes Fores the oldest to receive the award, putting her in the good company of Vicky Lau of Tate Dining Room in Hong Kong (who won in 2015), Lanshu Chen of Le Mout Restaurant in Taiwan (2014) and Bo Songvisava of Bo.Lan in Bangkok (2013).
Her first restaurant, however, would come a decade later in the form of Cibo, a cafe championing traditional Italian cuisine and the use of local produce and organic ingredients. Since its debut 18 years ago, Cibo has expanded to 10 outlets throughout Manila.
The success only inspired Fores to explore other concepts, such as Lusso, a luxe champagne and gastro bar, and Grace Park, an ingredient-driven Italian restaurant specialising in farm-to-table cuisine.
“My work with food really started in Italy, where the cuisine is really based on home-cooking and the people have the utmost respect for the quality of ingredients,” she shared. “That has helped create a difference in my work and the restaurants I have set up.”
This led to a partnership with Casa Artusi, an historic culinary institution in Forlimpopoli in northern Italy, to open Casa Artusi Philippines in 2013. Located in Manila, it is the Italian school’s first and only offshore campus.
But this is not to say Fores is not a proud advocate of Filipino cuisine. In fact, as part of her drive to promote her culinary heritage to an international audience, she co-authored Kulinarya, a compendium of popular regional dishes.
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