Let me tell you about my greatest success story in my particular area of expertise: marketing online via social media.
I’ve been in the industry for a while now — my very first client was Mario’s Restaurant (hail to Caesar Salad!) way back in 2008. Then came two of my beloveds: King Chef, the Chinese restaurant chain, which now has eight branches, including one in Baguio; and Brotzeit German Restaurant, along with its sister restaurant, Menya Kokoro Mazesoba.Combined, they now have seven branches. I have handled all of them for more than a dozen years. It’s been a ride, but the satisfaction I get from seeing them expand is well worth the effort.
But my numero uno has to be the Lechon Diva. Her name is Dedet de la Fuente, and this is her tale.
I met her in 2009, introduced by our mutual friend, Marmi Perez. Marmi simply said, “Pakitulungan mo naman si Dedet and make her lechon popular.” In my own inimitable way, I replied with a hearty, “Okay!!!” Little did I know that this simple arrangement would blossom into something extraordinary.
Dedet had one kind of lechon that has now expanded to at least a dozen: stuffed lechon. Imagine a cochinillo, perfectly roasted to a crisp, brought to the dining table, sliced open, then the fillings spill out. At first, the stuffings weren’t that complicated: German, laing, and my forever favorite, sisig.
But this was the soon-to-be-baptized Diva, and as her lechon flavors evolved and her clientele grew, she needed “side dishes” to complete her private dining experience. Yes, we were ahead of the pack when it came to private dining — years ahead, in fact.
And so, the menu expanded. There was Balut Salpicao and Sipit Sarap, crab pincers cooked in a secret coconut gravy, described as “mapapagulong ka sa sarap.” Then came my personal favorite, Hiplog, an intoxicating blend of shrimp with salted egg yolks.
I had to be there for most of these dinners, and I watched Dedet’s home transform, from IKEA furniture to world-class Filipino wares. It was amazing. Her guest lists grew and grew, from intimate dinners of eight to lavish feasts for up to 28 guests. The Lechon Diva was featured in nearly every major magazine and online publication, even catching the attention of international culinary stars like Adam Richman and the late, great Anthony Bourdain.
Then, the pandemic struck the world.
Dedet brought her daughters to Canada as soon as they could leave the Philippines, and the family stayed there. They were fine, but Dedet had an itch she couldn’t scratch — her lechon degustación.
After years in Vancouver, with her daughters now in college, Dedet found her way back home.
This week, I had the privilege of tasting her latest creation, now on its seventh iteration. It’s her most personal yet, as many of the dishes, no longer mere sides, are tributes to her parents. The presentation was stunning: bamboo transformed into pots, fruits into vessels. And it all worked. Magnificently.
I’ll leave the last words to the Diva herself:
“As a lover of Filipino flavors, I share this truth: What the world calls ‘innovation,’ we’ve known for generations. Tonight, we don’t just eat — we taste the unstoppable soul of the Filipino kitchen; past, present, and future, all at once. This is our legacy. This is my kitchen.
Now, let’s feast.”
