‘My pledge now is to keep honoring what she started’

Forés and Calo at a World Trade Organization event in Cebu, where they cooked together. Forés was also a keynote speaker. —CONTRIBUTED

I’m always drawn to strong, hardworking, compassionate women. It was easy to love Margarita Forés because she was so full of love herself.

I admired how unabashedly she showed her emotions and how she was so quick to embrace and support people who needed it. During one of my most difficult times as a chef, she came to me with all the support she could give, and she told me to fight and stand my ground.

During the pandemic, we found two newborn kittens outside the restaurant. I took them in and cared for them for a few days while looking for someone to foster or adopt them since I already had cats and couldn’t afford to take in two more. I reached out to her and she willingly took them, just planning to foster them. But she got so attached to both and didn’t have the heart to adopt them out. She told me, “I’m in trouble! (My son) Amado’s gonna kill me!” Since then Moules and Frites have been in her Christmas cards.

I will forever be grateful for the time I spent with her—her energy and enthusiasm were so contagious. Her knowledge, which she generously shared, I always appreciated.

I wish we had more time, I wish I could’ve experienced her food in her flagship restaurant. I wish I still had time to repay her for everything she’s done for me and for the industry. This loss is a big one for our community—she was everyone’s favorite tita, and I thank Amado and the rest of her family for sharing such a treasure with the rest of us.