Gaita Fores, chef, restaurateur dies in Hong Kong

MANILA, Philippines — “After Morocco and Madrid, what a way to come home,” Margarita “Gaita” Fores wrote on her Instagram account from  Hong Kong.

Yesterday, she passed away in her hotel room.

Her son Amado Fores posted on Instagram yesterday: “It is with a heavy heart that I share the sudden passing of my Mom, Margarita A. Fores. Our family is mourning this unexpected loss and we kindly ask for your prayers during this time. We will be able to share more in due time.”

Gaita had attended the birthday celebration of luxe retailer Jappy Gonzalez in Morocco with other friends, and Hong Kong was her stopover before coming back  to Manila. When she missed a luncheon appointment and did not respond to calls, her room was forced open and she was found dead.

The multi-awarded Gaita, named Asia’s Best Female Chef in 2016, was a pioneering figure in gastronomy who got her culinary training in Italy but also championed Filipino cuisine.

She would have turned 66 in March.

A cancer survivor, Gaita posted in April 2021: “I got it! Any vaccine today is a good vaccine. I am a senior with comorbidity…two bouts with cancer.”

Gaita leaves a legacy of culinary excellence with her acclaimed restaurants like Cibo, Pepato, Grace Park and Lusso and her catering business, Cibo de M.

A scion of the Araneta clan whose Araneta Coliseum  is now an iconic landmark in Cubao, and the Aranetas’ White House has been their home and venue of the clan’s milestone events.

Gaita herself was busy preparing for the wedding of her son Amado to his fiancee Carmela Fortuna in May, with the wedding reception planned at Araneta Coliseum.

Gaita posted on her last dinner at The Prince and the Peacock, a restaurant described as “an ode to the opulence and beauty of India’s royal courts.”

She raved about paani puri, tokri tart, crazy samosas, lamb patties and pickled shallots by Chef Palash Mitra.

Gaita described herself on Instagram as “Chef, Mother, Filipino Cuisine Advocate and Italian in a past life.”