As far as her daughter Erin can remember, Bettina has always been in the kitchen.
Back in Japan where the Arguelles family lived for a couple of years, she wasn’t in her chef whites yet. She was a housewife then. “Some of my earliest memories would be her preparing our bento boxes. They were really cute-looking. And she put in a lot of effort to make our lunches look really nice,” says the 26-year-old.
Years later, when they packed their bags and moved to Singapore, both Bettina and Erin had to navigate the changes around them. The former had to leave the comforts of her own kitchen to begin her formal culinary education, while the latter had to fulfill school responsibilities then. “I didn’t see her that much. I’d only see her in the morning before going to school. When she started culinary school, we started seeing her thrive in her career. But at the same time, she had to spend less time with us. It was an adjustment—having to go from cooking for us all the time, then it becomes cooking for other people,” Erin opened up.
How Chef Bettina Maintained Family Time While Thriving
In the course of finding her footing in the culinary world, Bettina never lost sight of being a mother. Her daughter acknowledged the changes that they all had to go through as her mother pursued her dream, including how she would make her presence felt in her daughters’ lives.
“We’d always have fun birthday parties where our friends really enjoyed because we always had good food. The leftovers would even last for more than a week!” Erin mentioned. “The dishes would always be different. Sometimes it would be simple like spaghetti and chicken, but then sometimes she’d have a huge spread and turn the house into a buffet.” On their mother’s days off, they would also spend a lot of time making pasta dumplings together in the kitchen.
For children, the simple and quiet gestures of mothers make an impact on how they view themselves and their lives. And according to her daughter, Bettina has this midas touch in the kitchen that turns a sardine-tomato-egg dish into something tasty and filling. She commented, “I want to learn how she’s able to whip random things in the kitchen and turn them into something comforting”
The Unique Mother-Daughter Bond of Bettina and Erin
There comes a point in a mother and daughter’s lives when their relationship begins to grow into something deeper—an enduring friendship. For the younger Arguelles, that bond is something she never takes for granted. “She’s an older sister and a best friend as well. I like hanging out with her because I also learn more about food when I’m with her. I’m very lucky that she brings me around and I get to listen to her conversations with her friends and learn from them.”
At the core of their relationship is food—a constant force that continues to shape the way they understand each other. But while it brings them together, it also reveals how differently they move through the world. Bettina leans towards unexpected flavor pairings, seasoned by instinct and curiosity. Erin, on the other hand, meets these ideas with cautious intrigue: she tastes them, and more often than not, discovers something surprisingly compelling in the process.
This creativity rubbed off on Erin, too, in her chosen field—graphic design in advertising. Having come from an advertising background before pursuing a career in food, Bettina Arguelles never imposed a rigid path on her daughter. For Erin, there was never pressure to fit into a version of success defined by her parents. Instead, she grew up with the freedom to explore what genuinely interested her—a mindset shaped largely by her mother’s encouragement. “My mom is really encouraging. She makes sure that we’re doing what we enjoy, and we enjoy what we’re doing. That’s important to her, and that’s what I learned from her.”
Frequently Asked Questions
Chef Bettina Arguelles is an award-winning Filipino chef with a background in luxury hotels and international kitchens. She was the first Filipina executive chef of a five-star hotel in the Philippines at Sofitel Philippine Plaza Manila, and was named Chef of the Year 2019 by the World Gourmet Awards during her time in Singapore.
She pursued formal culinary education in Singapore.
Food became a source of comfort, bonding, creativity, and shared memories.
She maintained strong family connections through cooking, traditions, and spending meaningful time with her daughters.
The relationship between Bettina and her daughter Erin is an enduring, close friendship centered around a shared love for food. Erin views her mother as a best friend and professional mentor, frequently joining her culinary circles to learn about advanced flavor profiles.
