Regina Troy Barrios

Article (news)

Chef Theodore Day Salonga

I first met Chef Theodore “Day” Salonga in 2017 during a food tour of Laguna for Food Magazine. We had stopped to shoot <a href="https://www.instagram.com/aurorafilipinocuisine/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Aurora Filipino Cuisine</a>, his family restaurant in Santa Cruz, Laguna, set within the Salonga family’s ancestral home. It was a beautiful 1920s relic, still etched with scars from the last war and with echoes of their grandmother’s beauty parlor (I even remember the enormous vintage curling machines that stood like ghosts from another time).<div><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/17497830185882.jpg" style="width:900px" class="fr-fic fr-dib"/>The author alongside the Food Magazine team, Chef Day Salonga, and his family during a 2017 shoot in Laguna </div>Chef Day greeted us with his lovely, warm smile, his wheelchair no barrier to his vibrant spirit. Over a meal that included minanukan—a wartime dish of shredded banana heart cooked in burnt coconut cream and vinegar—he spoke softly but fiercely about preserving Southern Tagalog cuisine: “It’s our passion and our advocacy.” That meal, rich with history, seared itself into my memory, as did the man who crafted it. It remains vivid in my mind as I pay tribute today to Theodore “Day” Salonga, who passed away on June 10, 2025. He deserves not a mere farewell, but a celebration of a life lived with heart, humor, and an unyielding love for Filipino food.Born on May 24, 1977, in Santa Cruz, Laguna, Day was the middle of three children. He learned to cook from his mother, Angelina. While his sisters tidied up, he hovered by her side—tasting, learning, absorbing the rhythm of the market and the sizzle of home-cooked meals. As a young man, he chased sports, nightlife, and adventure, but food always called him back.<div><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/17497834562301.jpg" style="width:900px" class="fr-fic fr-dib"/>Chef Day Salonga, the fierce but gentle champion of Southern Tagalog cuisine | Photo: Chef Day Salonga on Facebook</div>He honed his craft in Manila’s kitchens, opened Tapeo in BGC and Cazuela in Ortigas, but his true homecoming was <a href="https://www.facebook.com/teds.sxl" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Ted’s Kitchen</a>, the restaurant built on his family’s farm in Laguna and named for his father. There, with his sister,<a href="https://www.instagram.com/baker_gel_salonga/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"> Chef Gel Salonga-Datu</a>, he served comfort food—sinugno, kare-kareng dagat, ginataang puso ng saging—dishes that were generous, familiar, and rooted in place, meant to delight without breaking the bank.But illness struck in his 20s. While studying in Beijing, Day was diagnosed with inclusion body myositis. Doctors gave him three years. He gave them 17. Muscle weakness took his legs, his hands, his ease, but nothing dimmed his fire. From using a cane, to a walker, to a wheelchair, Day kept cooking. At Ted’s Kitchen, he built a small lab where, seated, he tasted and tweaked dishes, and trained his team—his mind as sharp as his palate. He once said he craved his mother’s turbo broiler chicken with soy sauce, so he found ways to savor it. Food was his tether to home, to life.With Gel, he transformed their family’s home into a shrine to Southern Tagalog culture—Ted’s Kitchen, Aurora Filipino Cuisine, Ted’s Bed and Breakfast, and Ted’s Warehouse Event Space. Together, they organized the <a href="https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61565711154294" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Pantalan Food and Heritage Festival</a>, uniting Laguna’s farmers, artisans, and cooks. It was a love letter to their roots.<div><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/1749784057394Gel.jpg" style="width:900px" class="fr-fic fr-dib"/>Chef Day with his sister and culinary partner, Chef Gel Salonga-Datu | Photo: Gel Salonga-Datu on Facebook</div>They revived heirloom dishes like tinuto—gabi leaves folded with fish and ginger—and their grandmother’s 1920s chicken wings adobo. Each dish told a story. Ted’s Kitchen earned the<a href="https://laguna.gov.ph/news/2822" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"> Department of Tourism’s recognition as Laguna’s cleanest and best</a>, but Day’s true prize was the community he nurtured.I stumbled upon his blog, <a href="https://chefbyday.wordpress.com/about/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Chef by Day</a>, written between 2010 and 2011, where he wove recipes with tales of Laguna’s bounty. Meanwhile, he mentored countless cooks. He shared books, took his team to Manila’s restaurants, and demanded effort over perfection. And his humor was relentless—dirty jokes, pranks, gossip that could light up a room. Even in hospital beds, he teased nurses and guests, his wit a defiance of pain.His faith in God was his quiet anchor. He began each day with online Mass, supported a Carmelite community, and built a small chapel beside Ted’s Kitchen.<div><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/1749784963622a.jpg" style="width:900px" class="fr-fic fr-dib"/>The author’s cherished memory of Chef Day with Gel Salonga-Datu, Dino Datu, and Ige Ramos during the first Filipino Food Month launch at The Manila Hotel, 2019</div>Tributes poured in after his passing. &quot;We all just lost a beautiful soul who was the epitome of love, hospitality and generosity. A great man who represented everything that made Laguna a great province of the Philippines,&quot; said Amy Besa, author of <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Memories-Philippine-Kitchens-Amy-Besa/dp/1584794518" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Memories of Philippine Kitchens</a> and restaurateur behind Purple Yam and  Cendrillon in the mid-1990s. Chef Tatung Sarthou hailed him as “a culinary visionary” whose passion “inspired a deeper appreciation for Filipino traditions.” Chef Waya Araos-Wijangco of Gourmet Gypsy Baguio cherished his warmth, how he welcomed her into his kitchen. Joel Pascual of WOFEX called him a brother, remembering a Pantalan meal that brimmed with love. Writer Margaux Salcedo wrote, “Your name—Day—was so fitting. You were a bright, shining light. The master alaskador.” His brother-in-law, Dino Datu, shared how Day’s strength and tears at his wedding bound them as family: “Siya ang unang Salonga na minahal ko.”Day’s legacy isn’t just in his dishes or recipes, but in the way he lived. He showed up, wheelchair and all, building a kitchen lab to keep creating. He cooked for love, not fame, serving plates that felt like home. He kept laughing, even on hard days, his joy a quiet rebellion. He shared knowledge freely, lifting others up. His faith, understated but deep, guided him with grace. And through every dish—sinugno, adobo, ginataang puso—he honored Laguna’s soul.Cook something for Day today. It doesn’t need to be grand—just make it with heart. That’s how he did it. That’s how he lived.

Chef Ted “Day” Salonga dedicated his life to preserving and celebrating Southern Tagalog cuisine, even as illness gradually took his mobility but never his spirit. This is a tribute to the man whose fierce love for Laguna turned every dish into a story.

Chef Ted “Day” Salonga dedicated his life to preserving and celebrating Southern Tagalog cuisine, even as illness gradually took his mobility but never his spirit. This is a tribute to the man whose fierce love for Laguna turned every dish into a story.

The Fiercest, Gentlest Champion of Laguna Cuisine Has Fallen Silent

People

Fashion

Beauty

Wellness

Travel

Culture

Living

Food

Weddings

Food

The Fiercest, Gentlest Champion of Laguna Cuisine Has Fallen Silent

Troy Barrios

Published June 12, 2025 11:30 AM PHT

|

Updated June 13, 2025 11:46 AM PHT

Read More:

chef day salonga

southern tagalog cuisine

gel salonga-datu

laguna food heritage

filipino culinary legacy

aurora filipino cuisine

ted's kitchen laguna

filipino food advocate

laguna chefs

filipino food culture

Metro.Style is your go-to destination for all things chic and stylish—featuring the latest in fashion, beauty, lifestyle, celebrity news, and inspiring stories. It's your curated guide to living your best life.

NPC Seal of Registration

Privacy Policy

AI Policy

Terms of Service

Advertise with Us

© 2026 ABS-CBN Corporation. All Rights Reserved.

NPC Seal of Registration

Privacy Policy

Terms of Service

AI Policy

Advertise with Us

© 2026 ABS-CBN Corporation. All Rights Reserved.

NPC Seal of Registration

Privacy Policy

Terms of Service

AI Policy

Advertise with Us

© 2026 ABS-CBN Corporation. All Rights Reserved.