Every day is a new opportunity to make things better

Chele Gonzalez, the visionary chef behind Gallery by Chele, joins the Manila Bulletin’s 125th anniversary celebration, engaging everyone in taking the Philippines to its rightful place in the world as a culinary destination

My philosophy in life as a chef and as an individual is always very clear: Every day is new and every day is a new opportunity to do something different.

Yes, I like to look to the past to learn, to improve myself, to become the best version of who I can be, especially as a chef. When we started Gallery by Chele 12 years ago, for example, nobody was using local ingredients. To be a good restaurant, you had to give what everybody wanted then—something imported.

Today, that has completely changed. And I’m so proud that now there is so much drive to cook with Filipino ingredients and to cook Filipino food. This revolution that we had been talking about in the past is already happening and things can only get better.

When we started 12 years ago, nobody was using local ingredients. To be a good restaurant, you had to give what everybody wanted then—something imported.

Sometimes we bring memories into what we do today, but it doesn’t necessarily mean that the past was better. In the culinary scene, the present and the future are more amazing, so much brighter, so much better than I could have ever imagined.

At Gallery, we study, we research, we are always pushing to make things better, we are always making sure we are the best we can be at any given moment. 

I believe that if our vision of the future is positive, together we can bring the culinary scene to an even better place and give the Philippines the place it deserves in the world as a culinary destination.