THE 2026 FOOD FORECAST

Angelo Comsti highlights regional flavors, experiential dining, and the influence of the Michelin Guide

- AA PATAWARAN

Francis Tolentino of Taupe

There is something about talking to Angelo Comsti that feels like opening a well-stocked pantry. You know there is order in there, you know the flavors have history, and yet there is always something surprising on the next shelf. I meet him as he prepares for another turn in a career that has kept him moving across kitchens, studios, farms, resorts, magazines, and brand-new ideas. He has worn so many hats I wonder if his head ever gets tired. It does, but he keeps going.

It started when he became the editor of a food magazine. "Researching about food trends in the country and around the world has since become a habit. I feel like it's the responsibility of an editor to be aware of what's happening in the industry and be a healthy instrument in making people aware of it as well," he says. "I practice this to date, and it will definitely be of good use to me as I take on a new editorial role." He has just put on a new hat, chief of editorial content for the soon-to-launch Philippine edition of Hearst's global food media brand, Delish.

Angelo speaks of this discipline as ordinary. In his world, it is. In ours, it reads like a manifesto.

I invite him ahead to 2026. He finds it promising with more young chefs entering the scene with concepts that are tight and ambitious, grounded in long hours of kitchen work. Even as 2025 closes, we see hints of what is coming. Liyab by Charles Montañez and Flow by Kevin Uy are early signs. Taupe's Francis Tolentino is about to be among the busiest chefs in the city with three new concepts opening one after another.