Golf and food are truly a great mix.

And that's what keeps Mario Benitez Jr. going.

At 68, Mario remains a competitive golfer. He still packs his swings with power and has an accurate short game with a great grasp of the greens.

Off the fairway, Mario loves to eat. In fact, the paella in their family restaurant — Mario's Restaurant — is to die for and the lengua and callos have that incredible melt-in-your-mouth sensation, a flavor that is enough to sweep even the pickiest eater off his feet.

That's why foodie golfers from Metro Manila flock to Camp John Hay in Baguio City not just to enjoy the cool mountain breeze in between putts but also to have a taste of Mario's world-class concoctions.

"My father is a golfer," Mario told Daily Tribune in an interview.

"I was 12 or 13 years old when he influenced me to play and I learned everything at the Baguio Country Club."

"We would sometimes play at Camp John Hay even though only Americans were allowed to play there. You can enter John Hay for as long as you are a resident of Baguio City."

While he already knows how to play golf, his father still encouraged him to keep on playing, a lesson that would be very valuable in running their business venture.

"When I was in college, my father told me: Don't stop playing golf. You have to always play because it's going to be very important if you go into business," Mario said.

"I didn't get it at that time, but I eventually realized that he was right. Golf is very important whenever you make business deals."

Despite the demands of his very successful restaurant business, Mario stressed that he still makes sure to harness his game.

"I go back and forth between Baguio and Manila," he said.

"In Baguio, my house is near John Hay. After the game in the morning, I would usually go to work in the afternoon. I would also work in the morning and play golf in the afternoon."

Running the business

Mario's Restaurant opened on 1 September 1971. It is a family-owned restaurant with branches in Baguio City and Quezon City.

Mario said the idea of putting up a restaurant sprung up when his mother — Nenuca Benitez — got positive remarks after cooking for their guests in Baguio City.

Then, after studying at De La Salle University, he flew to the United States to study short courses at the Culinary Institute of America, where he learned a lot about food and the business of running a restaurant.

"My mother always cooked and my father entertained our friends and guests. At that time, there were a lot of foreigners and expatriates here in Baguio because of the mining industry such as the Balatok Mines, Benguet Mines and Antamok Mines," Mario said.

"I attended short courses in the US as per the advice of an American who was lecturing about restaurant business, food cost and cooking. He told me that if you don't know how to cook, don't enter this business."

"It was supposed to be only two months of learning culinary and two months of hotel and restaurant management but I somehow ended up staying in Florida for two years. I worked as a cook at the Breakers Hotel, which is still standing up to this day."

Mario said he is using golf as a way to market his restaurant, which specializes in Filipino and Spanish dishes.

"I would usually give them my calling card and would tell them to eat at Mario's. There are only a few restaurants in Baguio that are up to our level and golfers have a meticulous taste," Mario said.

"Sometimes, I would treat them depending on the guest. Normally after the game, they would arrive at the restaurant at dinner with their wives."

Mario said their recipe is an heirloom that came from his grandmother, Maria Carmen Villareal.

"Normally, we would recommend our Ceasar salads, steaks, lamb chops from New Zealand and fish like blue marlin and trout. It all depends on the guests," he said.

"We also have Spanish dishes on the menu like paella, lengua and callos. The older customers would want that because the recipe came from our grandmother, passed down to our mother, passed down to us and our cooks."

Gentleman's game

Mario said he is applying the golden values of golf in running their family business.

Whether in the fairway or in the kitchen, he holds a high standard for himself and treats people around him with poise and kindness that earned him the love and respect of everybody.

"My father taught me to always follow the rules of golf," Mario said.

"You have to be respectable. Never fight with your fellow golfer because they might be your future customers or business partners."

"It's really a gentleman's game. You have to respect the people you play with."

Mario said people remember him not for his accurate putt or his savory paella. They remember him for the little things he does on the golf course, in their restaurant, and in life in general.

"That's the beauty of golf, you would be there for five to eight hours until our wives get angry. They didn't know we would have a drink after the game," Benitez said with a hearty chuckle.

"I'm surprised that even after 20 or 30 years, someone would remember me because of those traits."

"We cannot afford to have enemies here. You have to be friendly no matter what. That's how we also treat our customers as well."

"The customers are the kings. Without them, we wouldn't even be here. They won't come back if you are rude to them," Mario said.

"Whenever a small problem occurs, I just tell my staff to let it go and not fight with the customer. They will spend on the food anyway, that's why we are doing these little things."

Still, despite his very busy schedule, Mario stressed that he makes sure to spend time with his family.

"I only play once a week. When the weekend comes, I spend my time with my family," said Mario, who enjoys the company of his wife Bernadette and children Emilio and Safiya.

"There were times I would play with my son and we would eat at the restaurant after the game. We also use the time there to check the business."

Mario said that at 68, he has nothing more to ask for. He is already living a very fulfilling, happy and satisfying life.

After all, his joys are simple: To have a good game and eat good food.