‘I still miss her food’: 3 top Asian chefs honour the mums and grandmas who influenced their careers

Filipino kitchen legend Margarita Fores, Thitid Tassanakajohn of Le Du in Bangkok and Hong Kong’s ArChan Chan were all inspired by their mothers or grandmothers

Ahead of Mother’s Day, the three Asian culinary stars share fond memories of these female figures and reveal how they helped them get to where they are today

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Thitid Tassanakajohn with his grandmother in Bangkok, Thailand, in 2008. Tassanakajohn, Filipino culinary legend Maragrita Fores and Hong Kong’s ArChan Chan were all greatly influenced by their mothers or grandmothers. Photo: Thitid Tassanakajohn

Published: 4:45pm, 10 May 2023Updated: 11:29pm, 12 May 2023

When asked how they chose a career in cooking, many chefs tend to cite their mother or grandmother as the one who taught them in the kitchen at a young age. In many cases, this influence led them to pursue a culinary path later in life.

In their restaurants, some chefs try to recreate the taste of their mother’s or grandmother’s cooking to evoke comfort and happiness, while others strive to present the nurturing feeling of caring for diners’ stomachs and souls.

This Mother’s Day, three leading chefs in Asia pay tribute to their mothers or grandmothers, talking about their favourite memories of them while growing up and how they influenced their cooking.

1. Margarita Fores (Manila, Philippines)

Fores as a child (left) and her mother, Maria Lourdes Araneta. Photo: Margarita Fores

In Manila, chef Margarita Fores recently observed 40 days of mourning for her mother, Maria Lourdes Araneta, who died in March at the age of 84. On a recent Instagram post, Fores posted a striking portrait of Araneta and described her as “My Mother, My Rock, My Everything”.

Fores is one of the country’s most famous chefs and her mother was also widely respected – Araneta was considered a style icon in the Philippines and influenced Fores deeply in fashion as well as food.

“She was into fashion and I saw how she dressed, wore proper shoes, and she loved the colour white. What I wear today is very much influenced by her. Even in my work, my restaurant design and how I dress, I learned from her,” she says, wearing a crisp white blouse.

Fores didn’t know it at the time, but her mother’s introduction to gastronomy drew her towards the culinary arts.