Ricco Ocampo, The Renaissance Polymath

One day, I woke up and wanted to be like Mr. Chow, but in my Kapampangan way. Impeccable, sincere in an understated taste.

- MILLET M. MANANQUIL

Ricco Ocampo has had various reincarnations. In his past life, he was a young and restless retailer, opening stores with fresh eyes, armed with concepts totally new in the retailing landscape.

He tried to instill a consciousness for local creations by calling his shop Sari-Sari, all selling Philippine-made goods at a time when the market was clearly possessed by a colonial mentality.

He introduced products that challenged the mind—he was a createur and provocateur. Selling sunglasses at P100 was a mindblower at a time when people were obsessed with pricey designer shades—but, hey, people were grabbing them and they still do now.

As a restaurateur, he wanted to give better food, better ambience at better prices. His palate was both that of a gourmet and a gourmand. Each restaurant had to have more kick and fire on the taste than existing choices.

Having come from a clan of businessmen and gemologists, as well as urban farming, art, culture and history mavens, Ricco embraced the legacy and looked up to the elders he idolized—in particular, the journalist-artist-gourmet-diplomat Emilio Aguilar Cruz. The patriarch instilled in him a nationalist mindset, a yearning for an existentialist if unconventional paths, valuing depth and substance but always with wit and humor. This admiration is forever cast in his heart: his son is named Emilio, and his first grandchild, Emilia.

The list of his endeavors—Sari-Sari, Anonymous, i2i New York, Kitchen, Mangan, Ebun, Kai, Manila House, Isogi, Celestina and Mix Manila, whether as founder or co-founder—is a path storied with both successes and mishaps. But what creative person is perfect?

Ricco Ocampo is certainly a Renaissance man. He makes us think and re-think.