SURVIVING THE STORMS
CHEF TONY BOY ESCALANTE on his appetite for life, travel, sacrifice, and holding find dining traditions to the highest standards
Away from the city, beneath the distant, twinkling night skies of Tagaytay, exists Antonio’s. Its founder, Tony Boy Escalante, has accrued a myriad of awards in his almost two decades in the industry—yet the 54-year-old head chef of the Antonio’s Group of Restaurants speaks with the lithe ease of someone unburdened with celebrity. For Chef Tony Boy, accolades and honors speak to his esteem to the highest principles of cooking—the COVID crisis serves as his toughest challenge yet towards keeping his restaurants, and the finest of dining traditions, alive.
CONTINUING TO DISH OUT THE GOOD STUFF
“I’m that person who wants to compete with no one but himself,” begins Chef Tony, “Too much connectivity is distracting. I want to be unique. I know what I want but sometimes when you have that (social) media, you deviate.” The self-confessed online hermit shuns the comparative linearity of likes and comments, instead preferring to listen to his guests for feedback. “For example with our menu. We have specials every few months or so, and they try those out. Maybe later they come back and say ‘Oh, where is this or that dish?’ We keep those.”
And yet with the lockdown of Manila and other provinces, Antonio’s found itself swiftly cut-off from their core customers. “It was a total shock,” says Chef Tony Boy, “like a faucet that was suddenly shut off.” To compensate, Antonio’s shifted production to products made in its deli, re-assigning waiters to become packers, and making their food available for take-out.
Chef Tony Boy pauses briefly, before uttering words that underline his philosophy as a restaurateur. “But Antonio’s is a
destination restaurant. People come here and expect a certain experience, a level of quality. We’ve always kept to that.”
In Chef Tony Boy’s house, dishes as complex as Sous Vide Calamari with Veal Cheek, Shiitake, Anchovy, and Squid Ink Rice, as hearty as One-month old Suckling Lamb with Spicy Raisin Tomatillo Sauce, Almond Rice Pilaf, and Roast Potatoes; and as delightfully simple as Organic Greens with Raspberry Vinaigrette, serve as centerpieces to the Antonio’s experience, which include liveried staff, custom-embossed tableware, and premium cutlery—served amidst the invitingly cool climes of Tagaytay.
“I remember doing everything at the start,” he says, “from purchasing, to the cooking, to training our wait staff in serving—and of course the menu.” He explains the early days, when he ran upwards of 13-hour shifts, daily, just to ensure quality—for Chef Tony considers the meals he serves as extensions to the ones he had at home, growing up.
“Meals back then were occasions,” he says, “everyone had to be at the table at a certain time. Here, problems were shared. Concerns were shared. It was more than the food.” He smiles, remembering a memory. “But there always had to be food.” Good food. He recounts a time when he hosted his sons’ sporting event. “I volunteered as cook, and so I cooked for everyone, including the other team! When my son asked why, I just said: ‘so that no matter how the game goes, everybody wins!’”
A WAY FOR IT ALL
To create tastes that consistently triumph over the palate, Chef Tony travels.
He will choose a destination, perhaps Japan, or somewhere in France, or maybe across the United States, hop on a plane with a small group and arrive to imbibe the culture. “I’ll go somewhere I hear there’s good food, stay in a small bed and breakfast and ask people: ‘where do you eat?’” These locals will often point him to out-of-the-way places where he tries dishes, brings back what works, and adapts it to the market.
But in a post-COVID world where travel is but a distant memory, Chef Tony decides what goes on his menu in other ways. “We work with distributors to know what’s good and not good. Pastrami sandwiches and pizza are staples,” Chef Tony shares, “In Balay Dako we’ve noted that customers prefer saucy foods over grilled.” He also says that the team has a multitude of products already in development. “The most difficult thing for us now is sourcing packaging!”
But when it comes to what goes in a dish, he’s less constrained.
“I’m fearless in that I’ll try any spice or herb,” he also declares, “but when it comes to meat, I’ll stick to the basics.” He says jokingly that “this isn’t wartime yet.”
Chef Tony believes that the Philippines can be a culinary destination, and that way to doing that is by appealing to the foreign palate. “We can introduce Filipino food to them through our ilustrado roots,” he says, referring to the influence of Spanish cooking in the country. “Once we begin to explore more subtle tastes, instead of the usual sweet and salty—we’ll have them.”
And thus he continually tries new things for the menu, though at times, he does get disappointed.
“I know in the kitchen if we make something and it doesn’t work. The guests will never know,” he gets agitated, “but what’s more tragic is if something turns out amazing—but we can’t serve it.” He brings up cherry tomatoes, an ingredient plentiful in Europe but rare locally—the lack of supply rendering recipes too expensive to create, and in not enough quantities. He adds though that “normally, cost is not an issue. I make a dish, these are the ingredients, this is how it’s prepared and if that’s the price, that’s the price.”
THE COST OF SUCCESS
Perhaps a reason why Chef Tony Boy fights hard to survive now is because he had to pay for the success he enjoys with an intimate price—time with his children. “The one thing I gave up was time with my kids. They were studying in Manila, so I couldn’t take them to school, couldn’t attend their events. I only saw them weekends.” He says they have a good relationship—but that he missed spending time with them. He shares a recent roadtrip he had across America, where apart from enjoying offbeat dining destinations, he and his son bonded over off-the-record shenanigans. “But I’m happy with what we have. My goal now is to help the next generation.” He pauses.
“Now, after the lockdown, we make 25% of our regular sales…if we’re lucky. All of us (except those earning minimum wage) agreed to take massive pay cuts. Our people are very solid. We’ve just been through the Taal eruption, so we can handle this,” Chef Tony’s voices trails somewhat, “We don’t earn as much, but we’ll survive. We’ll survive.”
He proudly states that the original seven people whom he started Antonio’s with are still with him. He points to the head chef, his assistant’s son, then others in his restaurant. “Now, I have to expand, or else how else could I provide these people with more opportunities?!”
Aside from Antonio’s, he helms Balay Dako, Breakfast at Antonio’s, Lanai Lounge, and Terraza. He states that while challenging, the benefits of being a restaurateur, and responsible for over 400 families as very rewarding, especially around the holidays. “It’s a big Christmas party,” he says, smiling, “and (in the restaurant) you also see guests come in, enjoy your food—there are so many benefits.”
With the reality of a restaurant industry some feel may never fully recover however, Chef Tony Boy insists that people will, at the end of the day “eat what they still want to eat, in the way they want to be dined.” He and his team put an even greater premium on cleanliness, sanitation, security—along with the usual care
“There are always new opportunities. Like a good meal, good things take time. Patience is worth it .”
of preparation which comes in every dish by Antonio’s. He is hopeful that when the borders are opened and local travel is possible, people will want for a destination—and that Antonio’s will be open to welcome them.
When asked about plans for expansion, he answers:
“There are always new opportunities. Like a good meal, good things take time. Patience is worth it.”
ANTONIO'S is located at Purok 138, Barangay Neogan, Tagaytay, For dining, call +63.917.899.2866/ +63.918.899.2866