Margarita “Gaita” Forés, celebrated chef and restaurateur, with roots in Bago City, Negros Occidental, passed away in Hong Kong on Tuesday, Feb. 11.
She was 65.
Her death was confirmed by her son Amado in an Instagram post.
“It is with a heavy heart that I share the sudden passing of my mom, Margarita A. Forés. Our family is mourning this unexpected loss, and we kindly ask for your prayers during this time. We will be able to share more in due time,” Amado wrote.
Fores reportedly suffered a heart attack and was found unresponsive in her hotel room in Hong Kong but her family has yet to confirm her cause of death.
She is the daughter of Raul Forés and María Lourdes Araneta, and a granddaughter of Negrense business tycoon Jesus Amado Araneta
Bago Mayor Nicholas Yulo said he was deeply saddened and heartbroken over the untimely passing of Forés.
“We will remember Gaita as a trailblazing woman who, despite her accomplishments in life and her hectic schedules, never forgot her hometown of Bago,” he said.
“Together with the people of Bago, her kasimanwas, we offer our prayers and extend our profound condolences to the family of this remarkable woman”, Yulo said.
Named Asia’s Best Female Chef in 2016, Fores owned several restaurants, including the Cibo chain, Lusso, Grace Park, and Alta.
When she opened her 17th Cibo branch and her first in Bacolod in 2022 Forest said “We are here to stay and get bigger in Negros,” pointing out that her grandparents were from Bago City.
It was the first Cibo restaurant outside Metro Manila.
“My lolo’s (Jesus Amado Araneta) biggest advice to me is to never forget where I came from and where we started”, she said.
Forés said her love for food began during her childhood days in Negros.
They also always had food from Negros on their tables in Manila, she said.
“It was a big part of my upbringing, it really influenced my love for food,” she said.
She opened a second Cibo branch in Bacolod in 2023 and was upbeat about the local economy.
“We believe in the potential of Bacolod City and Negros Occidental as destinations of growth,” she said then.*