The Fatted Calf has a new home.

From its old, hard-to-find place in Silang, Cavite that opened in 2019, The Fatted Calf Farmhouse Kitchen is now in the scenic Tagaytay, home to a variety of great food.

Not known to many, Fatted Calf, helmed by the husband-and-wife tandem of chefs Jayjay and Rhea SyCip, had gone through a lot of challenges since its inception that eventually led to its closure early this year.

"We opened in July 2019 and officially closed in January 2023," says Rhea. "But in between, we already closed four times because of the pandemic, Taal Volcano eruption and, lastly, our property lease was not renewed."

However, as fate would have it, the last challenge was probably just a way for Fatted Calf to prepare for a big move.

"Last year, we thought it was the end of us," Jayjay adds. "We didn't know that Fatted Calf would have a rebirth, a new beginning."

Thanks to Senator Loren Legarda, a fan of Fatted Calf farm-to-table dishes. Upon learning the imminent closure of the place, she offered her ancestral lot in Tagaytay to be the new location of the restaurant.

"It was a Sunday and Senator Legarda visited the restaurant," Rhea recounts. "We don't know her. She doesn't know us. We told her we are closing the resto soon. She asked where we are moving to. We told her we are closing permanently. Then, she offered her space in Tagaytay and the rest is history. She's our new landlord."

Senator Legarda helped design the new Fatted Calf, which was built in just a few months.

"It was an answered prayer," Rhea says. "Some people believe that we shouldn't stop what we are doing because we are helping a lot of people. The food we serve here are actually from the farmers who, like us, were also struggling."