Margarita Forés

Early life

Margarita Forés was born on March 23, 1959, to Raul Forés and María Lourdes Araneta. Her grandfathers were tycoon J. Amado Araneta, owner and developer of the Araneta Center in Cubao, Quezon City, and surgeon Dr. Jose Y. Fores, a founder of the Makati Medical Center. She grew up in Manila and attended Assumption College San Lorenzo as a freshman, then moved with her family to New York City. There, Sunday visits to a midtown American-Italian restaurant sparked her interest in Italian food.

She attended the Marymount School of New York and later Mount Holyoke College for two years. She returned to the Philippines at her request, resumed her studies, and graduated in 1981 from Assumption College San Lorenzo with a degree in accountancy. She then moved to Hong Kong to work as a trainee for Axona Holdings, where she began experimenting with cooking. When the company downsized during the 1980s amid market shrinkage and preparations for the transfer of the British colony to China, she moved back to New York.

Her mother got her a job working for fur licensee Valentino's, and she later moved to the head office. During this time, her mother was active in the New York party scene, and Forés met people such as Salvador Dalí, John F. Kennedy Jr., Franco Rossellini, and Margaux Hemingway. She cooked for herself, family, and friends in a style she described as influenced by Martha Stewart. After the death of her grandfather J. Amado Araneta in November 1985, the family returned to Manila.

Forés felt a desire for change, noting that major family changes can prompt personal shifts, and realized she was becoming more passionate about food than fashion.

Culinary career

In 1986, Forés went to Italy for four months of intensive training in Italian cuisine and language, though she had no formal culinary training. She studied under three chefs: Masha Innoscenti in Florence, Jo Bettoja in Rome, and Ada Parasiliti in Milan. She also learned techniques from Italian friends by watching them cook at home, including making pesto. The trip helped her overcome bulimia, which she had experienced since returning to New York.

She began her career as a caterer, founding the company Cibo Di M and cooking in clients' homes with two sous chefs. She ran a successful food festival at the Hyatt Regency Manila, though she faced stigma due to her privileged background. In 1997, she opened her first Cibo restaurant in Glorietta, Makati, targeting traditional Italian food at good value. Her mother provided the seed money.

She considered her main competitors to be American chains TGI Friday's and Hard Rock Cafe, noting they were not Filipino-owned. She also controlled the restaurants Lusso, Grace Park, and Alta. Lusso refines Italian comfort food, while Grace Park includes twists on childhood favorites, such as a savory Eton mess with pancetta, bacon, and truffle oil. Grace Park opened after she recovered from cancer and uses predominantly organic ingredients, which was uncommon in the Philippines at the time; its menu also includes Filipino elements.

Alta is located within the Ascott Hotel at Bonifacio Global City in Taguig. In May 2024, Grace Park Dining placed 12th on Opinionated About Dining's 'Top Casual Restaurants in Asia' list. That same month, Forés and her son Amado collaborated with Japanese chef Hiroyuki Tamura to create 'Batchoy Ramen', a fusion of Ilonggo batchoy and ramen.

Awards

In 2016, Margarita Forés was surprised to be named Asia's Best Female Chef by the World's 50 Best Restaurants, likening the honor to winning Miss Universe. She attributed the recognition to her advocacy for Filipino ingredients, notably promoting the gluten-free grain Job's tears. Forés was later knighted with Italy's Order of the Star of Italy in 2018. Following her death, President Bongbong Marcos awarded her the Presidential Medal of Merit on May 4, 2025, for her culinary contributions.