Meet Margarita Fores 'Asia’s best female chef'

Filipino chef-owner Margarita Fores was named Asia's Best Female Chef as part of the Asia's 50 Best Restaurants awards.

An international chef and restaurateur, Filipino specialises in Italian cuisine. Despite not having any formal training, Fores runs a successful catering business called Cibo Di M and restaurant chain Cibo, which has 10 outlets in Manila.

To take this year’s title as Asia’s best female chef, voters from different walks of life  chefs, restaurateurs, food writers, well-travelled gourmets, and restaurant experts voted for her.

Fores also wants to train the next generation of chefs, her penchant for Filipino cuisine still remains the same. She is also the co-author of Kulinarya, a book featuring popular regional dishes from the Philippines.

Fores’ culinary skills got true recognition during a tour of Italy in 1986. Here rudimentary skills got evolved there only by cooking in home kitchens and exploring the markets in Milan, Florence and Rome.

Fores will be awarded at the annual Asia's 50 Best Restaurants event, on Feb 29, 2016 at the W Hotel in Bangkok, Thailand.