The many hats of Leah Magallanes, advocacy trailblazer

Through the years, every time I bumped into Leah Magallanes, she always wore a completely different hat! Be it an advertising executive at Leo Burnett, the owner and brand manager of the popular vintage Coney Island and Sorbetto Ice Cream, the chef de cuisine of Michelin-starred restaurants American Renaissance and Colors, a litany of entrepreneurial pursuits such as spas, catering services and bars, all the way to the various food and beverage posts she has held within the SM Hotels and Conventions, Inc. (SMHCC),  the all-in-one package Leah has seemingly done it all!

Self-described as a dynamic and creative individual with a zest to learn, she is constantly busy, as she acquires new skills, reverse-engineers a dish to enhance its flavor and experiments on how to best turn entrepreneurial ideas into reality.

Although she has had a storied past, her top career milestones include positions as a brand manager — as this fired up her passion as an entrepreneur, exposure to culinary school and restaurants — which opened up a clear career path, and her introduction to the SM Group, which solidified her skills in the F&B industry.

At her core, Leah still holds the kitchen closest to her heart. “Being able to feed people and create memories around food has a profound impact. Many of our fondest memories involved occasions with food. Business deals are made over meals, and food represents healing, health and love,” she shared in our exclusive interview.

And with her magical touch, she has provided visionary guidance to teams she has led. She has accurately predicted signature hits or upcoming trends. “Some are even just happy accidents while developing recipes, or tweaks in ingredients to make it more memorable,” she confessed.

Leah, formerly a consultant to a chain of restaurants, where she closely collaborated with the butchers for desirable pork cuts. “At that time, I just called it a giant pork chop — but a year later it was introduced in the US market as a Tomahawk pork chop,” she recalled.

“To this day, my signature Bulalosso, a play of the famous Batangas bulalo and osso bucco, has been a signature dish for the last 11 years at Pico de Loro, a sandy shore cove resort in Batangas.”

She has likewise blessed Taal Vista with an enhanced version of the pan de sal, with better and more filling ingredients, before the upscale establishments in the city started to adapt to the culinary breakthrough.

Today, she is the vice president of Sustainability and Quality Assurance at the SMHCC, where she seamlessly merges the two fields, all while upholding the excellent standards of F&B and food safety management.

Though no two days are alike, Leah always begins her day at 5:30 a.m. to stretch, exercise and meditate. “Mornings are spent going through emails, categorizing them based on urgency. The afternoons are dedicated to meetings,” she revealed.

“My workdays are always interesting due to the various practices I tackle. I particularly enjoy days spent on the properties, either being part of operations or conducting training sessions with my staff. It allows me to learn more about our employees and observe gaps in our operations. The time spent with them grounds me and provides insights on how to motivate them better,” she narrated.

To make the long story short, Leah is still as passionate as ever for food. In fact, she has treasured her grandmother’s sentimental mixing bowls and the Rogers silver cutlery set that are probably older than her. She has even kept her chef’s knife from culinary school, and her favorite pot from 29 years ago while temporarily residing in New York. She uses both to this day.

As a chef, her favorite ingredient remains to be butter. “It can make or break a recipe.” On the other hand, her silicone tongs are her ideal partner to mix and handle ingredients.

Meanwhile, her preferred cuisine is Mediterranean. “It’s generally healthier, with colorful vegetables and rather simple cooking procedures which make me feel good,” she revealed.

When asked about a difficult-to-master recipe, it would be puff pastry. “Finding the perfect match of butter and flour, maintaining the right kitchen temperature, and mastering the skill of laminating the dough requires patience and practice. The oven must be evenly heated to achieve a uniform puff.”

On her free time, she visits food markets and entertains friends. “My house is a party place, always ready for a night of tapas or a comforting meal. Spending time with them is a great way to recalibrate. But I make sure to have ‘me time’ for exercise and meditation.”

Let us hear more about Leah’s passion in the field of food and beverage:

On personal mantra

“My mantra is ‘Competency breeds confidence.’ This means as individuals or teams become more competent in their knowledge and skills, their confidence grows, leading to a greater sense of empowerment. This concept is central to effective management and leadership practices, emphasizing the importance of training, development and continuous improvement.”

On memories of Coney Island Ice Cream

“When my family started the business, I was in grade school. The business brought our family closer. Weekends were spent visiting different stores with my grandparents to check out the crowds. My summer job included distribution of promotional leaflets. By the holiday season, we participated in Christmas parades.

“One of my early jobs out of college was being the brand manager of Coney Island. That started my love for the hospitality industry.  Aside from the bulk trade ice creams, I was also part of the operations of our Scoops and Steaks restaurants, which where scooping stations that had a fast food component like sandwiches, spaghetti and fries.” 

On food and beverage background

“It is a dynamic field with many moving parts, especially in hotel operations. This background has taught me to be very organized and systematic, and to anticipate potential problems, particularly in food safety. To be successful in both business and quality, various disciplines need to be honed. Since food is a major interest for guests at our properties, customer satisfaction and feedback are crucial to our operations. Yet, staying relevant by learning about market preferences is also essential.

“Additionally, understanding the environmental impact of food waste, which contributes significantly to greenhouse gas emissions, is vital.”

On a typical shift at a Michelin-starred restaurant

“Our shifts are 10 to 12 hours long and were not for the faint-hearted. The cooks in the ever-so-busy kitchen are high-strung, type-A personalities. The pressure to produce perfect dishes every time is immense. Being organized is crucial, and we had to listen and watch carefully for our chef’s instructions, as he would only demonstrate once.

“We start the day with mise en place for lunch, serve until about 3 p.m., take a break while stewards clean the kitchen, and then begin mise en place for dinner, which usually features a different menu.

“Dinner service can be exciting, especially when celebrities or food critics visit, elevating the kitchen’s energy. Occasions like these trigger a lot of tension specially when the reputation of the Chef and the restaurant are at stake. Those scenes you see in movies or TV with hot-tempered chefs are very real! After dinner service, when the tempers have cooled off, we break down our stations and often have a drink as a team before heading home — all friends again till the next frenzy in the kitchen.”

On secret towards a Michelin Star

“Consistency is key. Each plate and dining experience must be consistently excellent, meeting high expectations, especially given the price our guests pay.

“The executive chef needs to have a strong point of view or food philosophy when they create the menu. The guests will see, feel and taste that. It will also translate to the vibe of the restaurant.

“After this job was when I decided to take culinary and restaurant management at the New York Restaurant School.”

On dream post

“In terms of cooking, the best time of my life was working in the kitchens of New York. For sustainability, I would love to be part of the United Nations, to facilitate significant changes and reach more people on sustainability.”

On improving the F&B field

“I am passionate about elevating the Filipino F&B industry, hoping our Filipino directors, especially in large hotel chains, are given the same opportunities. I wish to share all that I have learned as a global F&B practitioner, particularly with those who never had the opportunity to formally study.”