From memory to mastery: Filipina chefs reshape the table

In kitchens long defined by pressure, hierarchy and tradition, women are increasingly taking up space not quietly, but confidently, creatively and on their own terms.

This International Women’s Month, three Filipino women chefs step forward with pastries that tell stories of memory, migration, training and identity — each one shaped by lived experience and hard-earned expertise.

The limited-edition collection, From Her Table, brings together creations by Miko Calo of Taquería Franco, Cara Davis of Halong and Amanda Hao of Seva. Available across Metro Manila from 16 March to 13 April at Starbucks, the menu highlights how women in the culinary industry are shaping flavor conversations in distinctly personal ways.

Honoring home through flavor

For Hao, the journey begins in Tuguegarao.

“So, my province is in Tuguegarao, and I grew up knowing and loving good longganisa,” she shared. “I wanted to honor that by creating a familiar Filipino flavor that is still both comforting and elevated.”

Her Longganisa and Ricotta Calzone brings together garlicky longganisa with whipped ricotta, basil, tomato jam and hot honey — balancing bold savoriness with refined technique.

“I’d like to think that I’m a chef driven by memory and place, committed to cooking with authenticity, intention and respect for the people I’m serving,” Hao said.

The flavors are not new to her. “Actually, one of the first dishes, when I realized, hey, I want to be a cook… I remember I was just sending it to friends and family, and they were like, ‘I can’t believe you; that was pretty good. Like, you can go as big.’ I guess I can.”

For Hao, taking space means honoring where she began and trusting that those roots belong on a larger stage.

Finding balance in contrast

For Davis, contrast defines both her pastry and her perspective.

“I tried to create a pastry that I would want to enjoy with coffee,” she explained. “So, whenever I do have a sweet craving, I try to look for something that’s a little bit more sweet and savory and with this pastry I chose to do this by adding the salted egg to the caramel. It’s like my sweet guilty pleasure, but it’s a mix of sweet and salty.”

Her Salted Egg Yema Chocolate Cookie layers chocolate, salted egg caramel and butterscotch — a nostalgic yet contemporary combination.

Davis trained formally in pastry, a path encouraged by her mother. “Actually, I did go to pastry school… because my mom always told me that, ‘Hey, you’re better at baking.’ So after culinary school, I decided to bring my mom and I went to pastry school.”

Though she joked that she does not naturally have a sweet tooth, her creation reflects careful intention that builds depth and balance rather than overwhelming sweetness.

Blending technique with lived experience

Identity is inseparable from craft for Calo.

“I was trained in classic French, so a lot of the things that I do lean toward the French technique,” she said. “But my Filipino, my DNA is Filipino, so instinctively, what I do is to kind of seamlessly just put it together… It’s just very normal.”

Raised in Mindanao, Calo recalled mornings walking past neighborhood panaderias, breathing in the scent of freshly baked bread.

“I always enjoy pandesal and I love Spanish Bread. So that is where this is coming from,” she said.

Her Miso Coconut Torsade — a twisted laminated pastry filled with miso and desiccated coconut — reflected that duality.

“What inspired it is my love for French Viennoiseries and my love for Filipino panaderias. So, this is a perfect marriage of both — a torsade, but inside there’s a filling that’s savory and sweet.”

For Calo, there is no separation between formal training and cultural memory. “It’s part of a lived experience. It’s part of who I am. So it comes out instinctively in everything that I do.”

Beyond the kitchen

A portion of proceeds from the collection will support nonprofit organizations including AHA Learning Center, Mano Amiga and Young Focus, extending the impact beyond the kitchen and into communities.

As women continue to claim space in professional kitchens, their influence is reshaping the culinary landscape not only through innovation, but through authenticity. They are creating room — for themselves and for the generations who will follow.