On a sprawling shoot day across five restaurants, newlyweds Amado and Carmela Forés show us what AF Hospitality is made of and what it means to build a life and a legacy around the table.
At the top of the staircase in the restaurant Grace Park, there is a large painting that takes up most of the wall. A woman, luminous and leaning over the back of a wooden chair, looks straight out at whoever walks in. At this early time of the day, it’s quiet, and the only ones walking in are part of the Lifestyle Asia team. We are getting ready for a cover shoot, and the woman in the painting watches over the morning’s preparations. Someone puts down their bag. Someone else pulls out a laptop. The plan of the day is mapped out over coffee: one couple, five restaurants. It is, by design, a shot list. In practice, it’s a well-appreciated food crawl. And more importantly, as we discover, it’s exactly the right way to tell this story.This day had been some time in the making, back and forth with a very busy couple—Amado and Carmela Forés, newly married, or newly married again, depending on how you count.
Their first wedding was an intimate civil ceremony held a year prior, pared down to be a quiet, close affair following the unexpected passing of the groom’s mother, the legendary chef and restaurateur Margarita Forés. The wedding they had just celebrated was the original: a large, joyful gathering at the Araneta Coliseum, surrounded by everyone they love, anchored by an extraordinary spread of food.
The restaurant group has its own version of that story. AF Hospitality, founded by Amado back in 2019, has spent the past year finding its full shape. His original concepts a mano, Ramen Ron, and Steak & Frice are now joined by his mother’s Lusso and Grace Park, brought under his care as a continuation of everything she built. Carmela, with her background in operations and retail, joins as Managing Director. It was a conversation the two had long discussed, and one that this new chapter that they’re navigating made the right time to act on.
Both personally and professionally, the picture is coming into focus. We are here, today, to find out what that looks like.
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Inherited Excellence: How Amado Forés Keeps A Legacy Alive
Growing up, Amado learned what hospitality done properly looks like from the best possible source (and as the son of Margarita, sourcing was always taken seriously). His mother founded Cibo, a modern Italian caffé-paninoteca chain that soon became one of the most beloved names in Manila dining.
“I would watch my mom’s work ethic and her love for what she was doing,” he says. “I think that set the standard for everything I’d eventually do.”
“What stayed with me most is not compromising—on service, on product, on food. For us, hospitality goes beyond the food itself. It’s the thoughtfulness in execution, from the overall experience down to the smallest touchpoints, like remembering the guest’s name and what they like.”
He left to study and work abroad, including interning at Jeepney, the Filipino-American restaurant in the East Village, where he worked and learned the operations side. It was there, far from home, he saw how some restaurants can satiate more than one kind of hunger. There is the food, yes, and for homesick Filipinos it was comforting. But he also saw it work with people who had no personal connection with the cuisine, who simply walked in and felt at home.
“Being far from home made me realize what hospitality really meant,” he says. It was something he would carry with him back to Manila and eventually build around. “The mission I anchored AF Hospitality on was simple: making guests feel at home. Everything we’ve built since flows from there.”
Eating Italy: The Beginnings Of AF Hospitality
“Honestly, I didn’t set out to build many concepts,” Amado says. “I thought I’d only build one, and that was a mano.” Amado and his mom had been on a trip to Italy, eating their way through the country in pursuit of the best version of every classic. The most faithful carbonara. A ragù that tasted like it had been simmering for hours. Real amatriciana. “I fell in love with that pursuit,” he says, “a mano was built to be fresh and faithful.”
The first restaurant under AF Hospitality, a mano opened in Rockwell in 2019 and quickly earned a following for exactly what Amado had set out to do: cooking that was fresh, faithful, and felt like home. “It’s not about trying to do something new,” he says. “It’s about finding the little intricacies that make our dishes stand out and I think that resonates with our guests.”
Not long after they opened, among those guests was a young woman by the name of Carmela, who had just returned from working in Japan. Her mother had mentioned there was a good new restaurant in Rockwell worth trying. As they ate, the guy who ran the restaurant would come by to check on the table. She didn’t think much of it at the time.
It’s fitting, then, that our shoot begins here, at this same Rockwell address that started it all. The first layouts of the day are solos. Carmela first, then Amado. Separate frames, before they come together. The shoot gets underway, and the kitchen sends out breadsticks to the table.
Forever Lunch Dates: The Story Of Amado And Carmela Forés
The next layout brings us to Lusso. Italian for “luxe,” the name earns itself with its gold interiors, upscale old world charm and, of course, fine food. Margarita opened the first branch in 2009, and it has carried that same refined sensibility ever since. It’s now one of the restaurants under AF Hospitality’s care.
It’s also where we finally get Amado and Carmela in the same frame. The food arrives for the layout. Amado reaches over to shave fresh truffle on the pasta. A couple of glasses of bubbly are poured. It’s a beautiful spread. Which makes it all the more charming when Carmela tells us about their first date.
“Our first date was at Nadai Fujisoba in the food court of SM Aura. It may not be the most expected setting, but Amado chose it knowing how much I enjoy Japanese cuisine,” she says. “I like telling this story because many assume he would have taken me to a super fancy restaurant, but I believe he intentionally kept it simple, knowing I wouldn’t be easily impressed by anything overly elaborate on the first date.”
Since moving back from Japan, Carmela had seen him around, but it wasn’t until she bumped into him while walking her dog Maru that they properly met. Shortly after, they started going out, from food court dates to shared experiences around food and travel. In 2024, Amado proposed.
The celebrations they had imagined were, from the beginning, appropriately grand. Margarita was deeply involved in the planning (it was, after all, her only son’s wedding). The vision was a large, joyful gathering, a feast in every sense. When she passed, the original plans were set aside, a quiet civil ceremony was held instead at Bahay na Puti, the groom’s ancestral home. It was what the moment called for. It was also the moment a conversation that had been in the background moved to the foreground.
“After Amado and I got engaged, he often brought up the idea of working together. At the time, I asked for patience, as I still wanted to gain more experience in the corporate world,” Carmela says. “But when our mom Margarita passed, I knew immediately that it was time to step in and support Amado, both personally and professionally. It was overwhelming at first. We were navigating grief while also taking on the business at the same time.”
“Looking back, my decision to step in earlier than originally planned may have felt impulsive, but standing where we are today, I know it was the right one. 2025 was the hardest year for both of us, but I haven’t looked back since.”
Back on the shoot, and eventually, the team breaks for lunch. Amado and Carmela stay behind at their table in Lusso, a married couple and business partners now, on what amounts to a very good lunch date.
A Course Of Ramen And Soft Serve
When we return after lunch, we find ourselves in the kitchen of Ramen Ron, the second concept open under AF Hospitality. Chef Tamura and his team are mid-service, moving around the crew. The shoot is stop-start. A shot, then a pause for orders, then back again. Everyone is good-natured about it (and we promise to wrap up at the location as quickly as possible).
Ramen Ron is both a rescue and a love letter. It’s the successor to Ukokkei Ramen Ron on Arnaiz, the beloved restaurant of Chef Tamura, who have steadily built a devoted following over the years. “I wanted to help preserve Tamura-san’s legacy and make sure he wouldn’t have to leave the country,” Amado says, “and at the same time, keep my favorite ramen restaurant in the Philippines alive.” They opened in Rockwell in 2021.
Watching the couple in the kitchen with Tamura and his team, the dynamic of AF Hospitality has a clear visual metaphor. Amado’s role is on creative direction and vision, coming up with concepts, shaping the food, and setting the tone for the brands. In her new role, Carmela handles the operational side: standardizing and systemizing, overseeing performance, and ensuring the teams are well-prepared to execute Amado’s big ideas. It’s the chefs and their kitchens, the waitstaff and entire teams, that bring it all to life. Amado and Carmela know this, and it shows in their appreciation to them throughout the shoot.
The heat of the day has been building up. At some point, a couple people from the team eye the milk soft serve. Amado and Carmela send some over to the table, and just like that, the energy lifts.
Read the full story in our June 2026 print issue, and through our e-magazine by subscribing to Lifestyle Asia’s digital access or purchasing your copy at Readly.
Photography by Joseph Pascual Assisted by Joey Alvero
Creative Direction Paolo Torio
Stylist Roko Arceo Assisted by Vincent Dacoy
Makeup Robbie Piñera Assisted by Loribel Barrera
Hair Patty Cristobal
Associate Producer Myka Magcamit
Shot on location A Mano Rockwell, Ramen Ron Rockwell, Lusso Rockwell, Grace Park, and Steak & Frice
Frequently Asked Questions
Amado and Carmela Forés are the couple behind AF Hospitality. Amado founded the restaurant group in 2019, while Carmela now serves as Managing Director, overseeing operations as the company enters a new chapter of growth.
AF Hospitality’s portfolio includes a mano, Ramen Ron, Steak & Frice, Lusso, and Grace Park. The group expanded after Lusso and Grace Park, originally founded by chef Margarita Forés, were brought under its care.
According to Amado Forés, AF Hospitality is anchored on a simple mission: making guests feel at home. The group emphasizes thoughtful hospitality, quality food, strong service, and attention to detail throughout the dining experience.
Carmela joined AF Hospitality as Managing Director after the passing of chef Margarita Forés. Drawing from her background in operations and retail, she stepped into the business to support Amado both personally and professionally while helping guide the company through a period of transition and growth.
Carmela first visited a mano after returning from Japan and later reconnected with Amado after a chance encounter while walking her dog. Their relationship grew through shared experiences around food and travel, eventually leading to their engagement in 2024 and marriage.
