Vlad Bunoan

Chef Tatung reveals unlikely journey from media to music to food

Article (news)

ABS-CBN News

<p>MANILA — Before becoming an award-winning chef and restaurateur, Tatung Sarthou was a journalist, working as a features writer and copy editor in Cebu and Manila.</p><p>Sarthou, who studied management in college, shared his unconventional career journey on “Kuan On One,” hosted by Melai Cantiveros, recalling how his early work in journalism eventually led him to the music industry before he found his calling in the kitchen.</p><div><span class="fr-img-caption fr-fic fr-dib" style="width:960px;display:block" width="960"><span class="fr-img-wrap"><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/1786082918244Chef.JPG" style="width:960px" class="fr-fic fr-dib" width="960"/><span class="fr-inner">YouTube/ABS-CBN Entertainment</span></span></span></div><p>&quot;In fact, my first few projects in Manila were also because of ABS-CBN. I was producing music back then,&quot; Sarthou said, translated into English.</p><p>His big break was recording music for &quot;Got 2 Believe,&quot; the last film of the late Rico Yan and Claudine Barretto. </p><p>&quot;I produced one of the songs in the movie&#x27;s soundtrack. One of the songs that I produced was by Piolo Pascual,&quot; he recalled.</p><p>Sarthou worked in the music industry for 10 years. &quot;But there was a time the music industry crushed because of piracy. At that time, I got burnt out,&quot; he said.</p><p>Sarthou then decided to shift careers and become a chef as part of his spiritual journey.</p><p>&quot;I went back, &#x27;what am I really good at?&#x27; It was cooking. I decided to leave everything,&quot; he said.</p><p>The chef said he started with just cooking at home while being active in his advocacies in farming. </p><p>During one of his visits to a farm in Zambales, Sarthou was invited to prepare a meal for the husband of the late environmentalist, philanthropist and former DENR Secretary Gina Lopez.</p><p>He later had the opportunity to cook for Lopez herself, which eventually led to invitations to prepare meals for the Lopez family in their homes.<strong><br/></strong></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/shorts?/AePKxlZrQ4Q&amp;wmode=opaque&amp;rel=0" frameBorder="0" allowfullscreen="" class="fr-draggable"></iframe></span><br/></div><p>&quot;I cooked for Sir Gabby Lopez. There was wine in the fridge, there. There was steak, too. I decided to cook red wine reduction because there was leftover wine. So I was cooking, I decided to finish it. Lunch time. Sir Gabby said, &#x27;I have a bottle of wine in the fridge.&#x27; He was decanting it to release. I said, &#x27;ah I used it for the wine reduction.&#x27; &#x27;Ah, okay. That was a thousand-dollar bottle.&#x27; He said, &#x27;Don&#x27;t worry I have another, I have a cheaper one there.&#x27; So I apologized,&quot; Sarthou happily recalled.</p><p>For Sarthou, the lesson is to never stop trying, because if it&#x27;s yours the doors will surely open.</p><p>&quot;But if you don&#x27;t try, nothing will happen to you,&quot; he added.</p><div><iframe class="instagram-media instagram-media-rendered" id="instagram-embed-6" src="https://www.instagram.com/reel/DbuSp6cj2XB/embed/captioned/?cr=1&amp;v=14&amp;wp=594&amp;rd=https%3A%2F%2Fod2-workbench-web.abs-cbn.com&amp;rp=%2F#%7B%22ci%22%3A6%2C%22os%22%3A24627349.799999997%7D" allowtransparency="true" allowfullscreen="" frameBorder="0" height="940" data-instgrm-payload-id="instagram-media-payload-6" 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>What started with Sarthou cooking at home and inviting people over once a week to sample his dishes eventually led him to open his own restaurant.</p><p>Today, Sarthou operates several restaurants, including Lore, which was selected in the inaugural 2026 Michelin Guide for the Philippines.</p>

<p>Before becoming an award-winning chef and restaurateur, Tatung Sarthou was a journalist, working as a features writer and copy editor in Cebu and Manila.</p>

Before becoming an award-winning chef and restaurateur, Tatung Sarthou was a journalist, working as a features writer and copy editor in Cebu and Manila.