Hello po!
My name is Debbie. I was born and raised on my families' farm in the Philippines, high up in the hills of the Western Visaya-islands. There I learned to cook the pure and authentic flavors of the bisaya-kitchen.
In Europe, I studied and worked with great chefs, who introduced me to a whole new cuisine, to new methods, standards and techniques. As I learned and grew, I realised how the original cooking methods of my family resonated with the modern cuisine.
I began a journey to rediscover my roots. To rediscover the traditional Filipino cuisine, the wisdom of its preservation methods, the richness of pure Filipino flavors.
The roots!
This is me - and my husband - on my fathers' land in the Philippines. Can you see the little house in the background? That's where I grew up. Incredible huh! It is abandoned now, as my parents have moved to the village. But for me, this will always be home.
I still remember carying bamboosticks filled with water - we didn't have buckets back in those days - all the way from the river to the house. Me and my brothers had to walk an hour every day to go to school. Sometimes in the pouring rain. I'm used to it. Don't forget: this is Monsoon-country!
My European adventure
I had always been interested in food. In cooking and creating. But there was no culinary school in Panay, the Island where I lived. In Europe, I studied food. I got my diploma as a chef at the Food Institute in Antwerp (PIVA), Belgium and started to work in restaurants. Antwerp is a foodie destination and home to some of the most interesting young chefs of the moment. My first big challenge was working at Roji, a French-Japanese restaurant built in a magical 13th century basement. There I worked with chef Bodi de Munck, who would later start the amazing restaurant Ukiyo. Budi studied under the great Japanese sushi masters and he thought me the finesses of Shiragiku-vinegar and sushi.
Filipino food on a Michelin star level
But my real challenge came when I started to work for Hofke Van Bazel, a fine dining restaurant just outside Antwerp. I had heard about their garden and their all-green menu and had become intrigued. Hofke was one of the first restaurants in Belgium to receive the Michelin green star, next to their 'normal' star. In Hofke, I worked with chef Kris De Roy, who has been my guide and mentor ever since.
During Covid-19 the government ordered all restaurants closed. So we decided to develop take-home boxes instead! But how do you pack the fine-dining-experience of a Michelin star restaurant in a box? Why, by using fresh, strong flavors, with spices and contrasts. Asian flavors of course! Together with chef Kris I introduced Debbie's Asian box. It became a huge succes and made local newspapers. One of my favourite elements was the papaya-salad. It was based on the achara as my grandmother would have made it: a perfect combination of sweet and sour, salt & umami, pickled to the point where it becomes translucent, with carrots and specks of raisin, and fresh chilies from the garden of Hofke. When the restaurant opened up again, it was something I often heard from customers: when can we eat that papaya salad again?
That's how it began. That little succes made me realise that there is so much in Filipino cuisine that is valuable, that is waiting to be (re)discovered. So I decided to embark on a journey: to go back to my roots and make the food my ancestors used to make, perhaps a bit different, with different techniques, but still the same, pure, Filipino Flavors.
