Failing can be the most painful phase in any journey to success, and for many, it is failure that hinders them from trying again. Chef Christopher Tamayo knows this by heart, and thus has mastered the skill of failing consistently only to finally be where he is today: a serial restaurateur, the heir to the acclaimed Tamayo’s Catering business, and soon-to-be international chef to be based in the US.
Tamayo’s Early Beginnings
The name Tamayo is not uncommon in the country’s food industry. In fact, it is one of the oldest mainstream catering businesses in the Philippines, a household brand that Christopher has previously felt pressured and limited by. As the son of Tamayo’s Catering founder and owner, Steve Tamayo, Christopher understands the struggle and hardships his dad had to endure in order to build the Tamayo legacy.
Christopher reveals that his father, Steve, used to work as a janitor, a waiter, and an OFW before eventually returning to the Philippines to start his own business. Steve’s first venture was actually a humble carinderia, which is a Filipino term for a casual food stall with small seating areas. As the third child among five siblings, Christopher says he saw the blood, sweat and tears Steve poured into Tamayo’s Catering Services and Restaurant, as the establishment came into existence when Christopher was only 2 years old in 1995.
Despite the success of Tamayo’s Catering, the Tamayo family maintained a frugal lifestyle, emphasizing on the value of hard work. “If we wanted anything, we would have to work for it, or find other income opportunities to be able to buy something,” shares Christopher.
Young Aspiring Chef Tamayo
Christopher mentions his dad was particularly hard on him growing up. Among his siblings, Christopher recounts their father saying that he sees a younger version of himself in Christopher. Hence, it is usually Christopher who is assigned to do the errands and set responsibilities not given to the other Tamayo children.
As a little boy, Christopher can recall seeing his aunts cooking at their carinderia. His interest in cooking would naturally flourish as he spent more time in the kitchen. Once his father founded Tamayo’s Catering, he started observing and cooking with the company’s chefs, slowly honing his skills throughout his formative years until cooking became second nature to him.
Christopher studied at the University of Santo Tomas where he graduated with a Bachelor’s Degree in Hotel and Restaurant Management in 2014. Afterwards, he proceeded to work for his dad’s catering business, and later took over as General Manager by December of the same year.
When he decided to work in Tamayo’s Catering, his internal goals included streamlining their company’s operations from ordering, logistics, manning plantilla to inventory and warehouse management. And in doing so, he hoped to uplift the brand’s quality of service. Some of the systems improvement he helped incorporate was also standardizing the recipes of their food items, which resulted to better cost efficiency and consistent food experience.
Overcoming Challenges
In spite of his early exposure to cooking and the food business plus formal education in the area, Christopher was not able to eschew failure. “It was so hard, with all the high expectations and needing to prove myself.” Having “Tamayo” for his last name did not help him either, as he would be told “anak kasi ng may-ari” (son of owner), even as he tried to pave his own track.
The biggest challenge he would encounter as general manager occured in December 2017 when he had five consecutive days of fully booked events catering to over 18,000 heads. Christopher recollects that he had “literally no sleep, not even for five minutes!” By the third day, he describes feeling his body numbing, but insisted to be a good example and lead the team. “I figured, bata pa ako, kaya ko to. (I am young, I can do this)” Until his body completely collapsed. “I vomited blood and was taken by ambulance from SMX, where we were catering, to San Juan de Dios Hospital.”
At 24 years old, Christopher was sedated and intubated. The doctors discovered that Christopher was suffering from internal bleeding, apparently due to long days of pure coffee consumption and lack of sleep. Christopher said that while confined, there was an event where their food arrived late because of severe traffic congestion that holiday season. “Thankfully, kahit na late yun food and wala ako sa event, naging successful naman.” (Although the food was late, and I was not present, the event turned out to be successful.)
As a perfectionist, it took some time before Christopher forgave himself for the hiccup. “I told myself I needed to move on. It’s not the end of the world, and it was out of my control.” Moving forward, Christopher fixed the timing for their logistics delivery schedules to take into consideration possible surge in road traffic.
Additionally, Christopher also learned to take care of his health and appreciate life more. A personal mantra he has since tried to abide by is “Be aggressive with what you want, but make sure to make time for yourself and enjoy being young.” After the health scare, Christopher was put on bed rest, and had a six month hiatus from Tamayo’s Catering. During this downtime, Christopher reflected on his future and decided he wanted to try his luck in advancing his passion for food.
He still had a dream of making Tamayo’s Catering a trendsetter and game changer in the local food industry. He thought professional training in the field might just be what he needs to take on to further contribute to his family business and personal dreams.
Culinary Institute of America (CIA)
Aside from Tamayo’s Catering, the family has other business ventures such as running L’Altura, a premiere restaurant in Boracay, and other commissaries. As with any business, having a distinct product offering, target market and unique selling proposition is crucial to success. While planning the menus for their various businesses, Christopher realized he needed more knowledge about food.
“I told myself that if ever I were to pursue culinary, it will have to be in the world’s number 1 culinary school,” states Christopher. He confides that he was truly nervous during the Skype interview with the CIA’s admissions officers, but felt blessed and grateful in 2019 when he received the official letter of acceptance to the prestigious Culinary Institute of America (CIA).
Getting admitted was only the beginning though, as so many of his batch mates quit just one week into the culinary program. Having been used to a high pressure environment, he was determined to overcome the struggles and finish at CIA with flying colors.
In hind sight, Christopher says, it was in CIA that he had greater gratitude for his father’s “tough love” style of upbringing. “Struggles were a norm because of the constant push and pressure from my dad. Kaya nasanay na din ako (so I got used to it) when I encountered the ‘hell’s kitchen’ kind of situations at CIA.” When asked how he would define CIA’s “hell’s kitchen”, Christopher says that if you are not determined to succeed and do not have a strong character, you may really cave in.
When Christopher first started in CIA, he refers to his passion for food as “a small candle flame.” But he left the estimable institute with an extreme “gigil” (thrilling excitement) and invigorated fire to put into practice all of his learnings. “I thought I knew so much about food already when I entered CIA, only to be humbled and feel like wala akong alam (I know nothing).” That’s why he felt like a completely different person when he completed the program. “I was confident, I was knowledgeable. I felt empowered and very capable!” Moreover, he was now a full-fledged Chef!
Serial Restaurateur
The pandemic had already hit the country by the time Chef Christopher returned to the Philippines. Regardless, this did not stop his newly ignited appetite to experiment all things gastronomy. He created multiple dishes that he sold online under the moniker Sibol Manila, which included food options from freshly-baked signature pastries to dishes like smoked baby back ribs. He also produced the social media-trending Black Truffle Sriracha Aioli that customers could purchase by the bottle to combine with and boost the taste of their own home-cooked meals.
His experience in the US also opened his eyes to the immense potential the Filipino cuisine has yet to tap. And it is his desire to introduce the Filipino cuisine that led him to open Café Intramuros in June 2022, a Filipino café and restaurant located just across San Agustin church in Manila.
Café Intramuros currently offers a wide array of espresso, blended coffee beverages, teas, milk teas, and cakes. The restaurant will also be making available their signature hot rice meals like Kaldereta and Sisig to public soon.
International Ambitions
Chef Christopher understands the significance of trust and delegation in any business. Which is why he has standardized his creations, with full confidence in the ability of his Filipino chefs to execute for his restaurants in the Philippines, as he takes on yet another milestone abroad.
After his stint at the CIA, Chef Christopher was able to meet Chef Tyler Florence, the celebrity chef and host of multiple Food Network TV shows. The latter subsequently invited him to join Chef Tyler’s thriving restaurant, Miller & Lux Restaurant inside the Chase Center.
Miller & Lux is a modern American Steakhouse that regularly services the Golden State Warriors in San Francisco. Chef Christopher hopes that this new undertaking will create more learning opportunities for him and eventually add more value to all his food businesses in the Philippines. He will continue to oversee and run the various Tamayo restaurants while in the US.
Word of 2022: Perseverance
Much like his experiences in the past, Chef Christopher believes a heart of perseverance to withstand the challenges of failure is key to succeed and grow from the paths that he will assume. He remains steadfast in his end goal of helping make Filipino Cuisine globally acclaimed.
Get in touch with Chef Christopher Tamayo through:
Instagram – @christopher_tamayo
Instagram – @tamayoscateringofficial
SIBOL Manila:
Instagram – @sibolmanilaph
Instagram – @cafeintramuros
Instagram – @blackwater.ph
Christopher was also the pioneer personality included in Blackwater’s newest campaign BOSSING OF THE MONTH, where the grooming brand features inspiring individuals that convey stories of resilience, dreams, and work ethic.
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