Toyo’s Jordy Navarra and a mano Attempt to Answer the Question: What if Pizza Was Invented in the Philippines?

Right around the time when Amado Forés was thinking of ways to celebrate the fifth anniversary of his a mano chain of authentic Italian pizzas and pastas, the country was experiencing one of the worst heat waves in recent history. There was news of farmers’ crops suffering because of the effects of the intense summer heat, and Forés wanted to do something to help.

A mano has been known to partner with some pretty big names in the culinary world in its attempts to continuously improve its menu and offer exciting new flavors to its patrons. This time, he thought of working with someone a bit closer to home.

Jordy Navarra of Toyo Eatery and Amado Fores of a mano

“I’ve known Jordy (Navarra) and May (his wife) almost as long as they’ve known my mom (Margarita Forés),” he tells Esquire Philippines. “When I asked him to work with us on this, he immediately said yes.” 

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The project is a collaboration on a special line of pizzas featuring distinctly Filipino flavors. For one month starting Thursday (July 25), all three branches of a mano (BGC, Rockwell, and Gateway Mall in Cubao) is serving three specially pizzas developed by Navarra and his team at Toyo. 

The Si Margarita Pizza, which is named after Amado’s mom, features a banana-tomato red sauce base, kesong puti, and Latteria Sorrentina-branded Fior di Latte or cow’s milk mozzarella. On top is sulasi or holy basil sourced from Cebu, and fresh basil for a delightful aroma. The pizza is simple but packed with familiar flavors. 

Si Margarita Pizza

The Tortang Talong Pizza, meanwhile, also has banana-tomato red sauce, creamy kesong puti blended with ricotta cheese, egg yolk sauce, and toppings of grilled and charred eggplant slivers. The smokey and slightly tangy flavor of the eggplant works surprisingly well with the sauce and you might find yourself getting a second or third slice. 

Tortang Talong Pizza

Finally, in a move that is sure to get pizza purists tongues wagging, Navarra presents the the Lechon & Pinya Pizza, whose main features include lechon porchetta, crispy lechon skin, and incredibly thin slices of dehydrated pineapple. The toppings sit on a bed of the same banana-tomato red sauce and Latteria Sorrentina’s Fior di Latte. For the brave and daring, there is a side of homemade spiced vinegar, although diners are free to skip this as the slice is already satisfying enough as it is. 

Lechon & Pinya Pizza

“We never thought we'd get to express Toyo Eatery flavors in a pizza, so we're really happy we have the chance to do this with a brand we admire,” Navarra says. “When our team met with the a mano team for the first time, it was pretty fun trying out different flavor combinations together. So much so that we ended up with not just one pizza, but three.”

The best part about this collaboration is that all profits of the month-long promotion will go to the Good Food Community, a non-profit “alternative food system” based on ethical and ecological farming that supports farmers and turns consumers into co-producers.

“We admire Jordy Navarra and Toyo Eatery so much,” Forés shares. “Toyo Eatery has always championed Filipino ingredients and those who produce them. We agreed that we wanted to give back to those who farm the ingredients we use every day.” 

Pizza Kamayan runs on all a mano branches from July 25 to August 25, 2024.