Tovic Salvador

Before getting a Michelin Star, this young Pinoy was a Junior MasterChef contestant

Article (news)

ABS-CBN News

<div><span class="fr-img-caption fr-fic fr-dib" style="width:950px"><span class="fr-img-wrap"><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/17621481553782b3a32d9-2c65-4337-836d-8ffa4c5328ef.jpg" style="width:950px" class="fr-fic fr-dib"/><span class="fr-inner" style="text-align:left">Don Patrick Baldosano of Linamnam receives his Michelin Star during the launch of the famed restaurant guide in the Philippines at the Marriott Manila Grand Ballroom on October 30. <em>Karen Flores Layno, ABS-CBN News</em></span></span></span></div><p>&quot;It&#x27;s a real dream to be on this stage right now,&quot; said Don Patrick Baldosano as he received the Young Chef Award at the <a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/lifestyle/food-travel/2025/10/31/michelin-guide-launches-first-ever-ph-selection-108-restaurants-make-the-cut-0705">launch of the Michelin Guide in the Philippines</a> last October 30.</p><p>The 27-year-old chef has certainly come a long way with his restaurant, Linamnam, where he explores the possibilities of Filipino food through creative tasting menus. </p><p>After winning the Young Chef Award, he returned on stage later that night to get his Michelin Star for Linamnam, putting him alongside greats in the global culinary scene. </p><p>&quot;Everybody thinks that Linamnam is just me. But Linamnam is actually my team back home, the farmers we work with, the producers we work with. If it wasn&#x27;t for them, I wouldn&#x27;t be here standing in front of you guys,&quot; he humbly said. </p><p>It was the kind of victory that was years in the making for Baldosano, who started out as a contestant in &quot;Junior MasterChef&quot; at the age of 12.</p><p>He first made it to the Top 20 of ABS-CBN&#x27;s reality cooking show, where he went by the nickname Patrick.</p><div><span class="fr-img-caption fr-fic fr-dib" style="width:950px"><span class="fr-img-wrap"><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/1762148675323patrick.png" style="width:950px" class="fr-fic fr-dib"/><span class="fr-inner" style="text-align:left">Baldosano (rightmost) was among the Top 20 contestants in &quot;Junior MasterChef.&quot; <em>ABS-CBN</em></span></span></span></div><p>During his stint in &quot;Junior MasterChef,&quot; which aired from 2011 to 2012, Baldosano played with different ingredients and techniques. In a <a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/ancx/food-drink/features/04/26/22/he-lost-junior-master-chef-now-his-food-is-winning-fans">previous interview</a>, he recalled winning a cooking challenge where he prepared Crispy Frog Legs.</p><p>&quot;I think I won that cooking challenge, that&#x27;s why I remember it,&quot; he said. &quot;I marinated them in milk and deep-fried them afterwards.&quot; </p><div><span class="fr-video fr-deletable fr-fvc fr-dvb fr-draggable" contenteditable="false" draggable="true"><iframe width="640" height="360" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/XeyVSgRsadY?&amp;wmode=opaque&amp;rel=0" frameBorder="0" allowfullscreen="" class="fr-draggable"></iframe></span><br/></div><p>And while he only made it to 9th place in &quot;Junior MasterChef,&quot; Baldosano did not get discouraged. After studying Hospitality Management focusing on Culinary Arts at De La Salle-College of St. Benilde, he went on training in professional kitchens such as Chef Jordy Navarra&#x27;s Toyo Eatery, which is also a recipient of one Michelin Star. </p><p>And looking back, everything just seems to be connected as Chef JP Anglo, one of his judge-mentors in &quot;Junior MasterChef,&quot; was also recognized by the Michelin Guide, with his restaurant Sarsa winning the Bib Gourmand Award. </p><div><iframe class="instagram-media instagram-media-rendered" id="instagram-embed-0" src="https://www.instagram.com/p/DQdgBpwD2rb/embed/?cr=1&amp;v=14&amp;wp=540&amp;rd=https%3A%2F%2Fod2-workbench-web.abs-cbn.com&amp;rp=%2F#%7B%22ci%22%3A0%2C%22os%22%3A27253838.400000095%7D" allowtransparency="true" allowfullscreen="" frameBorder="0" height="925" data-instgrm-payload-id="instagram-media-payload-0" scrolling="no" style="background:white;max-width:540px;width:calc(100% - 2px);border-radius:3px;border:1px solid rgb(219, 219, 219);box-shadow:none;display:block;margin:0px 0px 12px;min-width:326px;padding:0px"></iframe></div><script async="" src="//www.instagram.com/embed.js"></script><p>Through Linamnam, Baldosano hopes to keep pushing the boundaries of Filipino cuisine, and in turn inspire others to see the beauty of what the Philippines has to offer. </p><p>&quot;This is not an achievement for us, but rather a symbol that FIlipino food can be something if we just see the possibilities,&quot; read a post on Linamnam&#x27;s Instagram page.</p>

<p>The 27-year-old chef has certainly come a long way with his restaurant, Linamnam, where he explores the possibilities of Filipino food through creative tasting menus.</p>

The 27-year-old chef has certainly come a long way with his restaurant, Linamnam, where he explores the possibilities of Filipino food through creative tasting menus.