Chef Miko Calo Holds Power Collab Dinners With Manila's Top Chefs

(SPOT.ph) It's been a busy past couple of weeks for Chef Miko Calo, who opened her steak pop-up mediumwelldone. at The Grid, debuted new items at her casual spot Taqueria Franco, and opened residency at Makati Shangri-La's Sage Bar. It seems the Robuchon-trained chef isn't stopping anytime soon. At her Shangri-La residency, she'll be spotlighting fellow local talents with a series of chef collaboration dinners taking place on selected dates until mid-December.

"I’ve been lucky to work with some of the best people in the restaurant industry, and I’m even more grateful to count many of them as friends," says Calo. "Since I’m here doing this residency at the Makati Shangri-La, I thought, why not bring them along for the ride?"

Chef Miko Calo's chef collaborations at Makati Shangri-La

Calo is known to value collaborations, be it with farmers or fellow chefs locally and abroad. Her AVEC Series of collaborations happening at Makati Shangri-La every Monday until December 9 is proof of this. The first run with chefs Nicco Santos and Quenee Vilar takes place today, November 18.

Take a peep at the schedule, and save the dates for these one-night only dinners where she partners with fellow acclaimed chefs:

• November 18: Nicco Santos and Quenee Vilar of Celera
• November 25: Aaron Isip of Kasa Palma
• December 2: Josh Boutwood of Helm, Ember, and The Test Kitchen
• December 9: Margarita Forés of Lusso, Grace Park, and Cibo

Reservations for the collabs can be placed via Makati Shangri-La—go ahead and give them a call at 8813-8888, or send an email to dining.makati@shangri-la.com.

Calo's resume is, of course, nothing short of impressive. She was born to a food-loving family in Butuan; at 13, she moved to Manila, where she would live in—and be greatly inspired by—her aunt and media personality, Susan Calo Medina. After studying Hotel and Restaurant Management at St. Scholastica’s College and working at the likes of Tivoli Grill (at the Mandarin Oriental Manila) and Hyatt Hotel Manila, she had the opportunity to study at the prestigious FERRANDI Paris, also known as Ecole Grégoire-Ferrandi, in Paris, France. Following this, she scored an internship at LA TABLE de Joël Robuchon, helmed by Chef Joël Robuchon himself—and from there got to work at Robuchon's restaurants in Paris, eventually becoming junior sous chef at L’ATALIER de Joël Robuchon and Restaurant Joël Robuchon in Singapore.

Calo continues to distinguish herself in her career, recently becoming the first Filipino chef to have a residency at a luxury hotel in Manila. The Makati Shangri-La residency is open for dinner until December 14.

For reservations and inquiries, contact 8813-8888, or send an email to dining.makati@shangri-la.com. You can also check out Miko Calo at Makati Shangri-La, or M Calo Next's Instagram page.