What Great Chefs Cook For Each Other

What happens when four chefs, each one different in style, background, and story, come together not to compete, but to cook for each other? 

That was Uba, the second edition of Chef Tina Legarda's Sapnay Series, an eight-hands collaboration dinner held at Kumba in BF Homes, Parañaque last July 17. No hierarchy, no single kitchen to claim as home turf. Just four chefs, four points of view, and one table to bring it all together. 

Sapnay is a Hiligaynon word that means to wrap in protective arms, to cradle. So, what actually inspired Legarda to start the series in the first place? Adobo. 

"You know how we all say that every Pinoy family has their own version of adobo," Legarda said. "I wanted Sapnay to celebrate exactly how diverse and beautiful our culture is through the way each chef was raised, where they're from, and how they like to eat our food." 

That's exactly what the series highlights: different ingredients and cuisines interpreted by each chef, filtered through their own unique set of eyes and individual palates, formed by where they're from, where they've traveled, and how they like to enjoy their food. 

The event itself was named Uba, which in Ilonggo is a verb that means to undress, to strip bare. It was a name Legarda chose specifically, to allow each chef to "work with the intention of getting naked and cooking for [ourselves]." 

Not naked in the literal sense, but a shedding of the refined polish that comes with running a restaurant and catering to guests. It's a mindset admittedly forgotten amid the busy grind of restaurant services, events, and work. Legarda said she wanted all of them to return to the kind of cooking that feeds the soul and touches the heart.

Chef Miko Calo, Chef Bettina Arguelles, Chef Tina Legarda, and Chef Rhea Rizzo — a powerhouse of female chefs—brought both sapnay and uba to life at once. Protective of one another's skill sets, origins, and Filipino heritage, wrapped in a shared sense of identity. But they were also undressed, in a way, from their uniforms, revealing much of who they are, both in their personal dishes, how they worked with one another, and in what they appreciated about each other—not just as colleagues, but most importantly, as friends and chefs she deeply admires, Legarda said. 

The assignment was straightforward: concentrate on Filipino flavors, but without losing your own style. In practice, it meant a good hour of "catching up and being silly" before the real work began, Legarda shared, but the moment the conversation turned to food, the women switched to serious mode. 

"Our conversations were not only productive but motivational," Legarda said.

In many ways, they are different but also the same, Chef Tina said, and that was what allowed them to work together in the fast-paced environment of a kitchen with laughter and ease— a testament to what Filipinas can achieve together when rooted in Filipino warmth, heritage, and mutual support.

The saying "too many cooks in the kitchen" is not lost here. But watching them at work from the table—Chef Bettina heading the pass, the rest scattered across the kitchen— here was a harried but steady hum of dishes, orders, and questions asked. There was no time to dawdle, but the collaborative process seemed invigoratingly fun from an outsider’s perspective.

"It's a matter of planning and respecting each other's style of cooking," Legarda said, with everyone's strengths featured so everyone's happy. "Although I think my favorite part is learning from them. It's almost impossible to not learn something new, and in the middle of that we get to root for each other, which this industry needs a lot of, especially with the day-to-day things we need to cope with."

The most difficult part, by the chefs' own admission, was designing desserts for one another. This was a playfully cheeky chance to see what they truly thought of each other, plated and served.

"I'm already going to miss messaging them at 3 a.m. and waking up with all their loony messages," Legarda said. "We get to be in each other's lives all these days." 

That, in the end, might be what matters most. "Strong, amazing women in our Kumba kitchen… a memory to last a lifetime."

French-trained Chef Miko Calo opened the night with a salty, savory surprise: what looked like household fried rice was in fact packed with the crunch of Chicharon, the acidity of tomato, and the saltiness of patis, resulting in familiar flavors, compressed into one easy bite.

Sinampalukan by Chef Tina Legarda came next: a dumpling wrapped in sampaloc jam and kamote, topped with chicken skin, served in a hot sinampalukan broth. You dip the dumpling into the broth before eating it, offering a savory, homey flavor, followed by a comforting slurp of the warm, sour broth.

Chicken Inasal Pie Tee by Chef Bettina Arguelles was an ode to the household favorite chicken relleno liver spread, turned into a small, crispy, bite-sized appetizer; crunchy and creamy at once, with a pasas (dried grape) purée on top for a slightly tart contrast.

Next came Pork, Beef, and Crab by Chef Rhea Rizzo; gorgeously plated, vibrant in both color and flavor. Tangy strawberries pulled the rest of the meats together, wrapped in betel leaf, finished with herb sauce and calamansi curd. A bright start that brightened up the palate before the heavier appetizers to come.

A collaboration between Chef Miko and Chef Bettina followed: Bacalao Croqueta, crispy-fried on the outside with a warm, soft, chunky filling of bacalao within, rounded out with green beans, soy mayo, caramelized onions, and preserved calamansi to cut through the rich, salty fish. Interestingly, dill was the standout note here, strong, fresh, and distinct.

The Halaan at Atay was a sophisticated collaboration between Chef Tina and Chef Rhea, featuring noodles and clams in tinola butter, with santol jam on freshly baked sourdough. Similar to a vongole, but creamier and less briny, and rich in garlic (the crispy garlic chips were a highlight), with the santol jam adding a fruity, tart kick. The sourdough, worth noting, was baked fresh, and a jar of that santol jam on its own would be welcome in my home!

For the palate cleanser, guests were taken on a nostalgic, interactive detour courtesy of Kumba's staff, who rang the sorbetes bell and carried around a styrofoam box of ice kendi-style treats. Green mango sorbetes, served ice kendi–style with toyo and asin, meant to be dipped and eaten by hand, the traditional way. It was sour, slightly grainy in texture, and a refreshing pause before the mains. 

Here, the chefs' travels and culinary inspirations took center stage.

Chef Tina's Pampano came dressed in kare-kare sauce, paksiw na gata, bagoong brûlée, and bone marrow (the true, indulgent star of the dish), alongside puso ng saging and sitaw. It stayed close to home, Kumba-style, but reinterpreted in a somewhat deconstructed form. The fish itself was soft and all the elements worked cohesively together.

Chef Miko's signature Duck Breast remained just as simple and just as effective: duck breast with a sweet-savory garlic honey chili sauce, no frills needed, with the sauce's sweetness drawing out the richness of the duck and a subtle hint of chili to excite.

Chef Bettina's Crispy Beef Tadyang arrived with inihaw na talong babaganoush, salted egg panipuri, and atcharang mangga. There were no rules here on which cuisines belonged together, Persian, Indian, and Filipino, all working in tandem while still bold in its own flavors.

And Chef Rhea's Vegetable Curry drew on her international experience, as she's known for her complex curries at her Tagaytay restaurant, Little Miss Saldo, served with herb rice, miso corn, and sambal kecap. Beautifully done and presented, too.

The night closed with the chefs' most personal course: a dessert each made to represent one of the others.

Chef Bettina's dessert for Rhea "The Rhea" was rum crème pâtissière, banana-langka purée, and choux pastry. A classic choux pastry on the surface, but one bite in, and the strong, bold flavor of banana and langka takes over; surprising, yet still refined, balanced, and delicate. Perhaps that's the point: getting to know Rhea is a surprise in itself.

Chef Tina's dessert for Bettina "The Bettina" was sikwate cake, toasted rice, Baileys sauce, and pili cereal. Nutty, if the pun can be forgiven, and toasty, smoky, and familiar, but comforting all the same.

Chef Miko's dessert for Tina "The Tina" was a coconut macaroon with guava and cream cheese, and it looked exactly like it tasted: like a birthday cake. Adorable, cute, and the kind of dessert that puts a smile on your face the second it's set down. Likeable and celebratory in bite-sized form.

And finally, the one that closed out the night: Chef Rhea's dessert for Miko "The Miko," which was a hazelnut and chocolate tart with champagne vanilla cream and hazelnut praline. Also nutty, sweet, balanced, and indulgently comforting, proof that even in dessert form, these chefs know exactly how to read one another.

More than a one-night service, eight hands worked, bound by one collective heart. It was a meaningful way to get to know these chefs better: friends who have stood the test of time in a tough, demanding business.

Together, the work becomes more fun. And maybe that's what it really means to strengthen, or simply keep, a connection—something that's vital not just in a single night's dinner, but in the everyday work of running a kitchen and embracing life.

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