Hot off the heels of the 2026 Asia’s 50 Best Restaurants announcement, Michelin-starred spots Celera in Makati and Fumée from Shenzhen, China, which placed 100 and 65 respectively, were reeling with excitement when they orchestrated their one-night-only dinner last month.
Asked what drove chef Nicco Santos to invite the young female chef over to the country, he said that they were drawn to chef Reina because “she felt like a voice that was just beginning to be heard, but already carried a lot of depth,” He adds, “There was a quiet confidence in her work—very considered, very intentional—something that resonated with how we approach things at Celera.”
“We’d been consistently hearing strong feedback about her food and her perspective, and it felt like the right moment to connect. More than anything, we look for chefs who have a clear point of view, and with Reina, that was immediately evident. It felt less like a calculated choice and more like a natural alignment.”
– Nicco Santos
Kindred spirits
And so he reached out to her via Instagram, and eventually, what began as a casual conversation turned into a deeper exchange of ideas. “It felt very organic to invite her to cook with us. There wasn’t a big plan at the start, just mutual curiosity and respect for each other’s work,” says Nicco.
For Reina Chen and her team, it wasn’t such a stretch for them to be working together because after she studied his dishes and philosophy, she knew that it would be a harmonious alliance, one that she didn’t doubt would be a success, especially given that it was her very first international collaboration.
Chen’s cultural immersion
To prepare for the event, Chen wanted to be introduced to the local cuisine and to find inspiration from the market. “Soon as I got here [in Manila], I didn’t waste any time. I woke up early and went to the market to check out what’s out there,” she said.
Of the things she got to try, the humble kesong puti was what made quite an impression. “Normally, in Asia, we don’t make cheeses so I got surprised when I found out about it,” she confessed. “I fell in love with the fresh and deep flavor of this cheese. It’s interesting. So good.”
This discovery instantly drove her to include it in her repertoire, in the form of a peach-hued beurre blanc that complimented her lobster and tomato salad number. The reverence for particular ingredients continues for the rest of the dishes. There was a squid ink puff stuffed with lamb tartare; hamachi with fermented coconut cream nestled in a thin tart that’s crowned with a shiso noodle; a crystal soup, her reinterpretation of a Southern Song Dynasty delicacy, composed of sea bream, ginger flower and goji tomatoes; a mushroom and eggplant salad with walnut ganache; sea cucumber that sat on a pool of Shanghai curry and topped with crumbled chicken skin; A4 wagyu accompanied by a mole sauce made of five-year-fermented black beans; and day 10-day aged duck that’s been glazed with sampinit and served with tocino farce.
Fumée’s Reina Chen is known to live at the moment. Once a recognized Kunqu opera singer, she bravely decided to do a career switch at 30 to finally pursue her passion in cooking. Much like Celera’s Nicco Santos who left behind a promising profession in photography and traded the camera for knives and pans.
If anything, their dinner, based on the elaborate food and reaction of the diners, prove that they made the right choice.
Frequently Asked Questions
The partnership began organically when Chef Nicco Santos of Celera reached out to Chef Reina Chen of Fumée via a direct message on Instagram, driven by mutual respect and a shared intentional approach to cooking.
Both are Michelin-starred establishments with high rankings: Fumée from Shenzhen placed at number 65, while Celera in Makati earned the number 100 spot.
Chef Reina “fell in love” with kesong puti (local white cheese), noting its fresh and deep flavor; she immediately incorporated it into the dinner in the form of a beurre blanc sauce paired with lobster.
Both chefs had successful previous careers; Chef Reina Chen was a recognized Kunqu opera singer who switched to cooking at age 30, while Chef Nicco Santos was a professional photographer before becoming a chef.
The multi-course menu featured inventive dishes like Hamachi with fermented coconut cream on a bozai tart, 10-day aged duck glazed with sampinit (local wild raspberry), and A4 Wagyu with a five-year-fermented black bean mole.
