No ‘I’ In ‘Team’: Hapag’s Erin Recto Talks Life After Michelin

(SPOT.ph) “Most mornings, I wake up and don’t even remember I have it,” says Erin G. Recto, recipient of the Philippines' first ever MICHELIN Guide Service Award. It’s a healthy response, all these months later—while the world now associates that iconic red trophy with her name and place of work, Erin's day-to-day life has largely stayed the same.

Emphasis on ‘largely’—not only have the reservations come flooding in for her homestead Hapag in waves that could only come for a newly-crowned 1-star restaurant, but she’s also (as of writing) about to babyproof the apartment she shares with her husband, Manuel Zoilo ‘Chino’ Recto, himself part of another Michelin-recognized team on the other side of town. So even as she takes these changes in stride, the roller coaster turns nonetheless.

But, for any Michelin hopeful—and this is the thing to remember—none of this began with the express goal of a trophy. In fact, it didn’t even start at Enderun, which Erin’s late father insisted she attend.

“What was your lens going into it? Food and beverage, or specifically service?” I ask the sommelier, as she finds a comfortable position (or as comfortable as one can be with a photographer in one’s home) on her couch.

Rockwell regulars know the touch she gives to the dining atmosphere, so it's a question worth posing. Front of House staff are, for whatever reason, not given as much credit for the guest experience, despite being the 'first line of defense,' as it were. Some might say the mark of excellence for these operations is that customers should barely register them—but to Erin, this approach lacks the warmth of true (and truly Filipino) hospitality.

“I think the core thing is that I liked to have people over and host them, and still do,” she says plainly. “That was fun for me. I guess I didn’t really ‘pursue’ it in that sense, but I like gatherings and making the vibes good… which, okay, I know that sounds so abstract! But there’s just a joy in making everything just right, and in doing it well.”

But after completing her education, Erin did pursue one thing aggressively: the sommelier position at then-Hapag Private Dining, back when things were uncertain both for her and the state of the restaurant. It would turn out that her initial email would get ignored, despite the scarcity of actual applicants; her apparently innate tenacity got her through the door.

“I think there’s a misconception that all emails get looked at,” she says. “I understand that even sending the emails can be a source of anxiety, but if you really want something, I think you have to show that you’re willing to be told ‘no’ to your face. Go do the door-to-door thing. There’s no secret… just show up.”

Despite her international training, she set her sights on working with and around Filipino food. “It had to be Hapag,” she says.

I have to admit that I am no stranger to the place. They opened in Quezon City back in 2019—a time when fine dining was synonymous with pretension and flashy meaninglessness—to a hesitant crowd and perfunctory glances. And Hapag beat the ‘hefty price tag, tiny plates’ allegations the second they were given the chance. Although these days the chefs explore regions that remain unheard of at worst and underrated at best to us Manileños, their tasting menus were first based on the most obvious and meaningful stories: their own, from home.

It wasn’t that different for Erin. Like the founding chefs, she had trained abroad to bring the lessons in excellence home, without really knowing what the next decade in local food and beverage would even look like. But what she did know was the truth that diners tend to gloss over—the food only really makes up about half the experience of dining.

She would soon work her way up to Operations Director for both Hapag and AYÀ, making every dinner service a hit—but not without a few misses when she started out as sommelier. Wine pairing with Filipino food just wasn’t the done thing at the time, which was the first major hurdle; second, though perhaps considerably less daunting, was the boys’ club that the restaurant was—at least at first glance.

In the end, it was that very same club that got her through the growing pains, all the way to that fateful night in October 2025. “They’ve been so supportive through everything,” she says. “I feel like [the three of us] all help each other to lead by example, which I admit is a little harder to do when you’ve grown to a team of 60.”

It is, of course, a little unfair to sincerely call Hapag a boys’ club. Despite the unshakeable sense of brotherhood between head chefs Thirdy Dolatre and Kevin ‘Nav’ Navoa, equal-opportunity hiring is held up as one of this restaurant’s greatest strengths. You wouldn’t know it to look at the whole team at first; a casual diner would just barely note the well-oiled machine that is the combination of the front of house, service staff, and the kitchen. But that’s the mark of a good uniform and even better training.

“One thing that stuck with me from my training was the idea that we are ladies and gentlemen serving ladies and gentlemen,” Erin recalls, straightening her spine. We don’t quite buy that ‘the customer is always right’ stuff either, but it’s more than that for her; it’s about the dignity of the job that many, even and especially those not in the industry, would do well to remember. “It’s a mantra that speaks to mutual respect, even if we’re in the service role.”

Behind the aprons and the kitchen counters is exactly that—ladies, gentlemen, and everyone who lies somewhere in between running on respect for the job, for the diner, and for one another.

She passes this on to every new hire, and makes sure the old guard remembers; in return, she’s assured of no rips in the seams even when she’s away. “I had to take a step back [at a certain point in the pregnancy], but they would let me know I had nothing to worry about,” she laughs. “It’s super funny to me that I got a bigger round of applause from the team for being pregnant than getting the Service Award. I don’t know, I guess that’s how we’re wired.”

A few more disclosures must be made: I began this article with the intention of, essentially, putting Erin on a pedestal—the other half of this confession is that I consider her a very good friend and felt I had every correct reason to do so. But when she agreed to be interviewed, she gave me a condition: “I want the rest of the team in the photos too. I didn’t get to where I am on my own.”

And who am I to turn down a champ? “Beyond the Stars, the MICHELIN Guide also shines a light on the individuals whose dedication, creativity and passion elevate the dining experience,” reads the website. “[Her] warmth, professionalism and seamless blend of operations and hospitality... reflect the essence of Filipino service.”

As we explore and eventually exit her home, it’s Chino who minds her steps. Even Joey Suarez, PR consultant, seems to be there as much (if not more) for her wellbeing as he is for work. There’s a warm gravity to this young woman that renders resistance futile; it actually takes more effort to not care, so anyone who comes within orbit is better off letting her sincerity pull them in.

And by the time she’s back at Hapag, she’s watched with 60-odd pairs of hawk eyes filled with silent questions: Should she be standing for so long? What did her doctor say? Is she eating enough? The fuss, she admits, is bizarre. But not to me, or to anyone who’s known her for a minimum of ten minutes.

“Maybe the independent woman is a myth,” I tell Erin, in between shots of her and her husband dining at one of their go-to after-service places—Goto Monster (now bigger and better at Comuna, for those living under a rock), open 24 hours.

In the restaurant setting alone, we figure, there’s no real ‘star’ in the way that splashy headlines tend to favor. A chef may helm the kitchen, and these days it’s his (and it is often a he) name that finds itself jumping from press release to editorial feature to the lower third supers on a televised or posted interview. But no grand vision is ever truly brought to life via solo effort, and the chefs most solidly woven into Erin’s life do not underestimate her or any employee’s contributions, and few make it far without the gratitude that she and those around her make sure to ground themselves in.

“I think so,” she replies, both pensive and sure. “It will always take a village. I’m really, really thankful for mine.”