Being a chef can certainly seem glamorous—successful restaurants can earn numerous accolades and, at times, even propel its chefs to celebrity status. But the job is no walk in the park, as almost anyone who’s spent or witnessed a shift in the kitchen might tell you.
Some plan for the chef track all their lives; others end up in the career more serendipitously. Some genuinely enjoy the grind that comes with the job, and continue on to become chefs in the long term; some burn out for valid reasons, and instead venture into the other opportunities both in and out of the industry. Below, current and former chefs share their stories entering the food space, and why they stayed or left the profession.
Anton Arreola, Chef and Business Owner
Although Anton Arreola already holds a degree in European Studies International Relations, he was unable to find opportunities within the field—which prompted him to explore others, e.g. the culinary world.
A cooking enthusiast even at a young age who comes from a family of restaurateurs, Anton took on an internship as FOH at Hapag and Aya, where he would stay get kitchen lessons on the side after his shift. To further his skills and gain more knowledge about cookery around the world, he took certificate courses Le Cordon Bleu Manila. He also did part-time kitchen work at Leo Sea House.
Asked whether he wants to continue on the chef track, Anton also admits he’s still figuring out the direction he wants to take. Either way, he’s since set up his own food business with friends called Peckish, which they’re now growing as a team; he’s also doing recipe development independently.
Sofia Egana Dizon, Food Writer and Business Owner
Sofia Egana Dizon was initially taking up law school, but realized after an accident that it might be time to change tracks. In what she describes to be a “leap of faith,” she enrolled in Le Cordon Bleu Manila and recently graduated with a Diplôme de Cuisine. Sofia admits she didn’t intend to be a chef from the beginning, but was looking to develop skills in the kitchen which would enable her to try out different professions within the food industry.
She’s since explored front and back-of-house positions, become an editorial intern, and even started a food concept called Peckish with Anton and other friends. Sofia is now pursuing a career in food writing while growing Peckish on the side.
Arie Callero, R&D Chef
Young chef Arie Callero (not her real name) was initially looking to be a writer, but was encouraged by her parents to try a different route and explore cooking professionally. She saw the storytelling ability of cooking—precisely the aspect of writing that appealed to her—and agreed to enter culinary school, which presented her with plenty of opportunities for growth.
After graduating, she initially took on a marketing role for a homegrown restaurant group. She’s since shifted to the operations side and works as an R&D chef for an Asian restaurant, and is “pretty happy” with where she’s at now. “I feel like I have a lot more control here. Like, I have more say in what’s going to happen. I trust my instincts more.”
JJ Yulo, Food Writer and Consultant
JJ Yulo has worked in a variety of fields, including marketing, editorial writing, even graphic design. But the culinary arts was always the back of his mind, especially as he grew up in a family that loves to eat. It was in his 30s that he decided it would be worth a shot to cook professionally, and entered the Institute of Culinary Education in the U.S.
After graduating, JJ continued to get experiences staging and working in professional kitchens in the U.S., including doing externship at Nobu in New York. Although JJ did well in culinary school had gotten experiences working in professional kitchens under his belt, he eventually decided that the chef life just wasn’t for him.
Still, he knew there were other avenues into the profession—avenues that he has since explored (and continues to move in). “I’ve always been on the creative side of things,” he shares. JJ did curated markets and hosted pop-up dinners for a while, under his brand Pinoy Eats World. He also wrote for local publications, and even dabbled with being a restaurateur.
Today, JJ continues to work in the food space as a writer and consultant. “I like where I am,” he shares. “And I like indulging my creative side. One day, I still do wanna cook a bit again… but maybe under my terms.”
Lee Jan Anicas, Chef and Owner of Bakuran Tasting Club
Lee Jan Anicas grew up with a family of cooks. Though he initially took up journalism in college, his curiosity about the kitchen eventually led to him taking a one-month TESDA cooking course.
He soon the opportunity to do an internship at Dusit Thani and got to join the team full-time for a while. From there, he explored other lines of work within the food space—branding, mentorship, R&D for the likes of Dusit Thani, I’M Hotel, and The Moment Group—before opening his own space called Bakuran Tasting Club in Quezon City.
Asked why he stayed and what he loves about being a chef, he shares: “The purpose for me is always about service. I always find joy in bringing people together. It’s never just about food for me, because I feel like food will always be secondary [because I feel like the food can always change]. It’s always the service.”
“You can’t put a price on good service, a good experience,” he continues. “It can be 20,000 pesos, it can also be 15 pesos. So I guess, in a way, it’s just nice that I can be of good service to people and promise a good food, a good dinner for them equally. And that’s something I find myself doing, even 20 years from now, 30 years from now.”
JP Anglo, Chef and Owner of Sarsa and Kooya
For JP Anglo, becoming a chef was a dream he held alongside that of becoming a director. And so he entered the Center of Culinary Arts in Manila in 1999, and opened a Chinese restaurant in his hometown of Bacolod shortly after graduating—only to realize he was “too young to be a boss” at the time.
He found himself going back to school and enrolling at Le Cordon Bleu in Australia, which he admits to be out of his comfort zone but gave him the resilience and speed on top of the fundamentals he learned in the Philippines. On days off, he would work at restaurants in Sydney—which gave him the opportunity to put his learnings into practice.
All in all, becoming a chef for JP is a “test of character” and he embraces the trials and tribulations he had to overcome to get to where he is today, as the chef of Sarsa Kitchen + Bar (which bagged a Michelin Bib Gourmand for the year of 2026) and Kooya (his own Filipino restaurant in Dubai).
His current roles are more supervisory than involving full-on kitchen work, but he embraces being a chef through and through—in particular, the way the profession allows him to connect with people. “Through food you make people happy… you build relationships that will last, you know, forever.”
Edward Bugia, Chef and Co-Owner of Flipside Burgers and Easter Coffee Club
Edward Bugia had never imagined he’d become the celebrated chef that he is today. He had taken up business management and philosophy degrees in college, and was already working in corporate when—on the very day he resigned—he found a flyer for a cooking class at the Academy for International Culinary Arts (AICA) on the wiper of his car.
On a whim, he inquired and enrolled in the class, which turned out to be led by veteran chef Rob Pengson. Ed was surprised to find that he was excelling in class, and was hired right after at East Cafe by Chef Him Uy de Baron. Afterwards, he returned to take a diploma course at AICA and eventually went on to become an instructor himself at Global Academy. Eventually he also got to be involved with Pino and Pipino in Quezon City, and the rest is history.
Having pursued being a chef as a second career, Chef Ed admits he sometimes “feels envy” regarding his old peers who went the corporate or entrepreneurial route, as they get to travel more and enjoy the finer things. Still, being the kind of person who likes living simply, he has “no regrets” in his current position as a chef and co-owner of Flipside Burgers and Easter Coffee Club.
“Parang if God took me here, then this is the path that I was meant to be in… if God made me a chef, I have to keep on cooking and serving people. That’s my purpose in life.”
Frequently Asked Questions
For chef JP Anglo, JJ Yulo, and chef Lee Jan Anicas, it was either their dream from the beginning, a common profession in their close vicinity, or something that was always at the back of their mind.
For chef Anton Arreola, Sofia Egana Dizon, and chef Edward Bugia, it wasn’t their initial plans.
For Arie Callero, the chef path was one that took encouragement from other people like their parents.
Starting one’s culinary journey can look like enrolling in culinary schools or programs, doing internships and externships either here in the Philippines or abroad, or just taking that first “leap of faith” into the industry.
Absolutely!
The interviewees were in marketing, journalism, European studies, graphic design, among many others prior to giving the culinary world a shot. Some even started their food careers later their lives than you might expect.
This sentiment comes from chef JP Anglo. From going back to school to study in Le Cordon Bleu in Australia to being the chef and owner of Sarsa Kitchen + Bar and Kooya, what chef JP means by “becoming a chef is a test of character” is in reference to all the challenges he had to endure and overcome to get where he is today.
It’s okay to still be unsure about where exactly you want to go in this industry. That isn’t an uncommon place to be in.
But there can and will be moments where you realize that the chef path is meant for you. While some chefs are at the point of reflecting and weighing their options, others explicitly express that food is where they want to be. For people like Arie Callero and JJ Yulo, being in the F&B industry makes them happy and is the best place to express their creativity. For chefs Lee Jan Anicas and JP Anglo, they embrace everything, good and not as good, that come with being a chef, striving to deliver the best service they can and connect with their diners.
