For its second season at Volvér, Jose Garces’ Chef-in-Residency program kicks into high gear and new territory with Chef Chance Anies. Running now through Jan. 8, Garces’ shared Portuguese-inspired menu with Anies – the biracial culinary artist behind the Italian Market area’s soon-to-open Tabachoy space on S. 10th Street – looks at a culture and a cuisine that remains a mystery to even the most adventurous diners.
Metro sat down with Anies to learn more.
How does your Volvér menu represent you as a Philadelphia chef and a Filipino chef?
I started Tabachoy with the goal of representing Filipino culture and spreading Filipino food throughout Philadelphia. Having the opportunity to share our menu at Volver gives us the platform to do just that with a menu that is a culmination of the food I ate as a kid.
Where are you from, and where do you live now? How did you start cooking?
I’m a Navy brat, so I grew up all over the country, but finished high school in Herndon, Virginia. I learned to cook from my dad, a personal chef in Washington, DC. He’s also the Filipino side, so I spent nights cooking alongside him in our home, as well as catering for various events.
What was your first-ever favorite dish to cook?
The first dish I felt like I mastered was probably pork adobo, the quintessential Filipino food, and a great balance of salty and acidic, which is great practice for a young chef.
What is your take on the diversity of overall concepts, specific ideas and flavors for what you do?
I just want people to understand me. When you eat my food, or come and hang at my restaurant, I want you to get to know me as a biracial Filipino-American kid who is always trying to learn. I did not grow up in a traditional Filipino home, so I’m sharing my unique perspective on our culture.
What are your strengths, flavor profiles and signatures as a chef? What do you love to cook with most?
I’m Filipino so I love cooking with pork. I dream of a world where shoulder steaks and pork chops rival their beef counter parts on a menu. It is such a versatile meat that often gets a bad rap.
How do you know Garces? How will you elevate what you do at Tabachoy for Volver’s white linen experience?
I didn’t know Chef Garces prior to this Volver residency. He’s an incredibly talented chef with every accolade a chef can aspire for. Him tapping my shoulder for an opportunity to cook at Volver is encouraging. I have a lot to learn as a young chef, and this kind of residency gives me a lot of opportunity to grow. Tabachoy will be a better restaurant because of these kinds of experiences.
Talk about the meal you have going at Volver — why did you choose some of the items?
I wanted to do classics that are close to home and add fun additions. The arroz caldo is a personal favorite of mine, my dad would make all winter. We didn’t have Sunday gravy, we had Sunday Arroz Caldo. It is ginger toward rice congee, packed with chicken, boiled egg, and funk from fish sauce and bonito flakes. I wanted to add my embutido meatball to the menu – what’s not to love about a pork meatball stuffed with a quail egg and served with banana ketchup?
What should diners learn about you from this meal—your curated experience for Volver?
Any time I feed someone; I want it to be like you are eating in my house. The menu at Volver reflects the food from my home. Lumpia, arroz caldo, and leche flan are all foods I grew up cooking and eating in my childhood home alongside my dad. Plus, I am just trying to add to the great Filipino food that already exists in Philly. Perla, Tambayan, and Tita Emmie’s are all super-talented, and I am just happy to be amongst these wonderful chefs.
