I moved to Perth City in 1999 soon after I finished high school in the Philippines. Little did I know I would end up in the culinary industry. I was enrolled in the civil engineering course when I realized it wasn’t for me and that I should do something right there and then. While having a break from my class, I came across a student newspaper article featuring Australia’s highly respected Chef Alain Fabregues (Disciple of Jean Delaveyne). I was so captured by his creation “Venison &
Rabbit Pie”. I said to myself I had to meet this legendary Chef. Meeting him did change the whole dynamic and approach of my life. He then became my mentor. I was a young 17-year-old energetic Filipino boy when my dream to become a chef was born. I finished my Asian & western culinary studies in Perth in 2001. Not long after, I moved and work at Aria Restaurant in Sydney 3-hat restaurant.
After six months Monsieur Alain called me and asked if I would be interested to go to France and work for his friend at “Le Meurice” with extravagant Louis XVI décor, 2 Michelin Star French Cuisine as Chef entremetier. There were no ‘ands, ifs, or buts’ when I pronounced my Yes to the offer. I knew very little of the French language but I was hungry to become master of my passion. In France I learned a lifetime of experience both as a chef and a responsible individual: how real chefs behave in the kitchen, such that even your Chef de Cuisine’s decisions were inequitable, you can’t say anything but “Oui Le Chef”. In one year and four months, I acquired personal growth — discipline, perseverance, respect, etiquette, consistency, and the value of hard work. We worked 14 to 16 hours on a daily basis to achieve perfection. We were trained in a militaristic way, but it was such a pleasant environment that you would not hear anyone complain that they are tired. Our passion and our love of what we do was the very root of it all. My dream has become bigger and bolder and it has widened its horizon every day. It was tough to leave my team and move to another chapter in my life.
Greater opportunity came up in Dubai for Burj Al Arab. I stayed in Dubai for a year and I moved to work for Mandarin Oriental Bangok. I traveled and worked in Asia until my readiness met the opportunity to work for Four Season Hotel in Macau in 2008. Opening a hotel as Chef de Cuisine in a foreign Country was tough when you have 80% percent of your staff unable to communicate in English. It was a good thing there were a few Filipinos who got hired, which made communication a little bit easier. My exposure throughout Asia played a big part in my dream. Being so close to the Philippines whilst in Macau, I took advantage of the cheap fare to go back to the Philippines and understand Filipino food better. In 2010, I took the position at Crown Casino Melbourne Multiple hotel as an Operational Executive Sous Chef. It was an aggressive operation running 15 restaurants within 3 hotels, each with a different market segmentation and cuisine identity. I become astute in administration work and developed a greater understanding and business acumen. I soon started developing a business plan; this time, not for the other company but for me. Then, I received a phone call from my mother that my dad was sick and in a perilous stage. All I could think of was to spend more time with him and make up for the lost irreplaceable time that I was away. I tendered my resignation at Crown and found a job that will allow me to go back home to the Philippines every month just to see my dad and to sustain the financial demands of his health condition.
A year after, my dad passed away. His advice to me “ Follow your dream, align your passion with it, stay focused and work hard, and most of all surround yourself with great people who contribute a greater value in this world”.
I decided to come back to Perth and execute the business plan I had. My aunt, Dr. Ma Sarah Aviles, believed in the hunger of my soul to express the accumulated experience and see it materialize in the food industry. She helped me find financial resources to start Olio’s in Perth and she became my business partner.
After studying the feasibility in Perth City, I recognized that there is a need for a warm and friendly place with excellent food and a culture behind it. A place where you always know you will get the best of everything. Olio’s features Gourmet Filipino Food at its elegant and vibrant fit-out. It has the perfect place to stop for takeaway breakfast, lunch, and snacks, Olio’s goal is to appeal to a diverse clientele and embrace Filipino cuisine. The menu at Olio’s is inspired by Filipino cuisine and European influence. The hero dishes are renowned BBQ Chicken Inasal, 24-hour Sous Vide & Roast Beef (which means “under pressure’), and Chicken Sisig ( Spicy Chicken). These hero dishes can be incorporated into either bread or rice. The Philippines’ pride dessert Halo-Halo consisting of preserved fruits, shaved ice, milk, and ice cream, is also available, a perfect treat to cap a meal!
Olio’s other emphasis is the healthy option. We have special healthy Wraps & Salads with Chef special dressings such as Beetroot & Apple Cider dressing, Carrot, and Honey Mustard dressing, Mango & Sesame dressing & other seasonal fruit dressings. We also offer freshly-made fruit juices and smoothies to fulfill your healthy refreshment.
Every Sunday we offer Philippine provencal specialties for Filipinos and Australian to experience Filipino traditional delicacies. The other area that Olio’s is building is the catering services on all occasions.
Olio’s menu offers affordable prices, without compromising on food quality and customer service. Olio’s goal is to revolutionize Filipino cuisine in order to appeal to a diverse clientele and create a greater horizon in Australia’s culinary landscape.
Customer satisfaction is paramount. It is Olio’s mission to deliver excellent dishes, provide efficient and friendly service and make it the gourmet café of choice by everyone.
What’s next for Olio’s? We are attracting investors to join us in creating a Filipino restaurant that will deliver authentic Filipino cuisine. This will enable us to orient Australians and other cultures about the greatness of Filipino cuisine. Ultimately Olio’s will be a bridge to open an opportunity to young chefs who wants to pursue their dreams.
Shop 100 Carillon City,
207 Murray St, Perth WA 6000
Mobile: 0400 163 409
Email: olibuenviaje@hotmail.com
Meanwhile, at Canningvale Sunday Markets…
from 7 am to 1 pm, look for mr.YummmO
