A THEMED family restaurant chain called Bigby’s Café and Restaurant with 11 branches nationwide is attracting diners from everywhere with its exciting menu, cozy ambiance, big servings and value-for-money service.

Behind the success of this dining destination is a chef-entrepreneur or “chef-preneur” who has successfully combined her expertise in both the culinary arts and running a business. Chef Joanna Cris Yu attributes her success to several key factors, one of which has to do with the training she received under the country’s pioneer institution for culinary education.

Chef Yu is a proud graduate of the Center for Culinary Arts (CCA), Manila—one of the first batch of students who enrolled in 1997 together with her friend and Bigby’s co-owner Catherine Genabe.  Today, the two friends along with Chef Yu’s husband, Henrik Kelly Yu, co-run and co-manage Bigby’s, turning it into a popular and well-recognized dining chain.

Bigby’s is an award-winning restaurant that was the grand champion of “Kumbira,” the Philippines’ longest running culinary competition, on several occasions. Last year during the Kagay-an Festival, she and her partners were also honored as homegrown entrepreneurs with other international achievers. In 2009, Bigby’s was named by the Miele Guide to Asia’s finest restaurants as a nominee for the Top 20 restaurants in Asia.

“CCA, Manila instilled in me the discipline and perseverance to launch Bigby’s,” Chef Yu said. “I learned from CCA that you have to believe in yourself, in your talent. We used to have competitions at CCA, but our dishes were not successful all the time.  Our instructors, however, kept on supporting and encouraging us to learn and do better.”

Chef Yu refers to her personality as a shy and reserved Filipino-Chinese who hails from Cagayan de Oro.  After finishing her high-school exchange program in Oregon, her father asked her to enter the Ateneo de Manila University.

“I finished a four-year course at Ateneo and it was then when I heard that CCA Manila was opening,” she added. “It was very convenient since it was just right across Ateneo.”

Coming from a traditional Chinese family, she was initially discouraged to take up culinary arts, which at the time was still regarded as a vocational course. Chef Yu, however, insisted on her choice and decided to enroll with her friend Genabe who was then taking up dentistry in Cagayan de Oro.

The two enrolled for a one-year course at CCA in 1997 as part of the first batch of students who were, unknown to them, blazing the trail for culinary education in the Philippines. Their resolve was tested through various examinations and competitions.

After completing her culinary course in 1998, Chef Yu went back to Cagayan de Oro to start her dream business: a themed restaurant that would unite her two passions in life—traveling and cooking.  The restaurant would be “fit for an adventure into the different cuisines of the world.”

Knick-knacks from travels abroad adorn the interiors of the branch, while servers are dressed in khaki gear like tour guides. The menu, however, is still the highlight of the restaurant, with dishes inspired by various flavors from different corners of the world that have become a hit among loyal patrons.  These include the Full House Ribs, Rack-a-Bye Baby, Pasta Daviola, Tuscan Fish Melt, Singapore Swing Bowl, Katsu Diner Chops, Mandarin Haystack Salad and Tijuana Quesadillas.

On December 8, 1998, the first Bigby’s branch was opened to a warm reception from the local market that found the appetizing meals offered in family servings, a definite must-try.  Chef Yu and her partners haven’t stopped since.

Indeed, the simple dream of Chef Yu had turned into a larger-than-life reality, serving as a testament to finding the right ingredients for such a worthy accomplishment.  She recognizes that most important of these elements is the foundation of quality culinary skills, which she learned from a school that is “big” on serving success: CCA Manila.  This year, CCA Manila marks 15 years of culinary excellence.