Earlier this year, Filipina chef Tippi Tambunting paid Honolulu a visit as a special guest of the East-West Center’s Gala celebrating Brian Schatz — the Hawai‘i senator was being awarded the Center’s Asia Pacific Community Building Award. And when it came to the VIP reception held in his honor, East truly did meet West as Tambunting shared a few of her favorite Filipino recipes, alongside the delightful offerings created by 2022 James Beard Award winner, Fête’s Robynne Mai‘i, the first female Native Hawaiian chef to nab the coveted accolade.

It was the first time the women had ever crossed paths and after that, it likely won’t be the last. While the star chefs have entirely different repertoires, Tambunting says they have much in common, “Our philosophy when it comes to how we deal with our staff; how we run the restaurant, we’re on the same page. She treats her staff like family, and that’s how we are at M.”

The theme of “family” is ever-present in her profession, not to mention it was also the impetus that got her into her current field. Growing up, travel was always on the agenda, and restaurant reservations took precedence over booking museum tours and landmark visits. “Whenever we’d travel with my family,” she shares, “our trips would always be food-involved; our lunches and dinners would already be scheduled [well ahead of time]!”

Even as a 16-year-old, Tambunting was already in chef/biz mode, creating bottled pasta sauces and baking lemon squares to sell at local bazaars (not unlike our farmers markets and pop-ups). The desire to make great food for a receptive audience only continued to grow, and when the time came to choose which school to go to for college, there was only one school for her — The Culinary Institute of America (CIA) in New York. So, she did what any high school senior whose parents insisted she go to school for a business degree would do: she secretly applied for The  CIA anyway and got accepted. Thanks to some sibling teamwork/cajoling, Tambunting ultimately got her parents’ blessing and set off for New York. After graduation, she spent another year cutting her teeth at legendary French restaurant Lutèce (now closed) and The Modern before heading back home to the Philippines.  

Today, Tambunting is Operations Manager for M Group and Chef for M Dining + Bar — one of the top restaurants in the country, winning award after award each year. Reservations are a must at the Euro/Asian establishment, but running the restaurant is just a portion of Tambunting’s day-to-day. Catering services also come with the territory, and when one of your clients happens to ask you if you’d like to make a dessert for Pope Francis, the answer is a resounding Hell, yes! The opportunity to serve the leader of the Catholic church happened not once but twice, and it was an experience she’ll never forget. Speaking of leaders, Tambunting was also recently selected as one of the few accredited caterers for Malacañang Palace, which means that diplomatic dinners and meet-and-greets with heads of state are sure to follow.

If Tambunting has a secret recipe of her own on how she’s come to be so successful in her career, she’s keeping it close to the chest. However, friend and fellow culinary heavy hitter Abba Napa of The Moment Group — one of the leading restaurant groups in the Philippines — doesn’t mind divulging: “Tippi’s focus, dedication and work ethic make her one of the most professional chefs out there. Being calm under pressure in her workplace coupled with a strict attention to detail makes what comes out of her kitchen consistently sound. Beyond that, her food is very honest, heartwarming and bridges a classic with a modern outlook that leans happily towards nostalgic flavors.”