SINGAPORE — Margarita Fores, respected chef and owner of an acclaimed group of restaurants in Manila, has been named Asia’s Best Female Chef 2016.

She will be presented with the award at the fourth annual Asia’s 50 Best Restaurants awards ceremony on Feb 29, hosted at the W Hotel in Bangkok, Thailand.

At 56, the win also makes Fores the oldest to receive the award, putting her in the good company of Vicky Lau of Tate Dining Room in Hong Kong (who won in 2015), Lanshu Chen of Le Mout Restaurant in Taiwan (2014) and Bo Songvisava of Bo.Lan in Bangkok (2013).

Fores gained an appreciation for authentic Italian cuisine during a tour of Italy in 1986, where she took a crash course in cooking and language. Inspired by her trip, the then-certified public accountant was determined to pursue her interest in the culinary arts and founded Cibo Di M, a catering business, the following year.

Her first restaurant, however, would come a decade later in the form of Cibo, a cafe championing traditional Italian cuisine and the use of local produce and organic ingredients. Since its debut 18 years ago, Cibo has expanded to 10 outlets throughout Manila.

The success only inspired Fores to explore other concepts, such as Lusso, a luxe champagne and gastro bar, and Grace Park, an ingredient-driven Italian restaurant specialising in farm-to-table cuisine.

“My work with food really started in Italy, where the cuisine is really based on home-cooking and the people have the utmost respect for the quality of ingredients,” she shared. “That has helped create a difference in my work and the restaurants I have set up.”

This is all quite an achievement for a chef without any formal training. So it is no surprise that Fores grew eager to share her knowledge of traditional Italian cooking with the next generation of chefs.

This led to a partnership with Casa Artusi, an historic culinary institution in Forlimpopoli in northern Italy, to open Casa Artusi Philippines in 2013. Located in Manila, it is the Italian school’s first and only offshore campus.

But this is not to say Fores is not a proud advocate of Filipino cuisine. In fact, as part of her drive to promote her culinary heritage to an international audience, she co-authored Kulinarya, a compendium of popular regional dishes.

“Studying Italian cuisine has given me a high respect for ingredients, which has influenced the cooking that I do,” she said. “Through the years, a lot of Italian technique has guided my work, and this has reawakened an appreciation for my own Philippine cuisine.”

Voted for by more than 300 industry experts from across the region who also create the annual list of Asia’s 50 Best Restaurants, the award has recognises exceptional female chefs whose culinary skills, entrepreneurial spirit and artistry have earned them the respect and admiration of critics, connoisseurs and fellow chefs.

William Drew, group editor of Asia’s 50 Best Restaurants said: “Margarita Fores is ... a true leader in her country’s restaurant sector. Her dedication, culinary skills and pioneering efforts have elevated the dining scene in the Philippines and set a new benchmark for other chefs and restaurateurs to follow.”