He swore he wouldn’t be a chef. Now he owns a 2-Michelin-starred restaurant in Manila

Josh Boutwood has a confession to make: the founder of Manila-based Helm – the only restaurant in the Philippines with two Michelin stars – once swore that he would not become a chef.

Born in the UK to a Filipino father and an English mother, Boutwood spent his earliest years in Boracay before moving back to England for primary school, then again to the Philippines for middle school and, finally, to Spain at age 11.

His parents were both hoteliers and restaurateurs.

“No matter which parent I was with, I was always surrounded by a kitchen,” Boutwood says, as he recalls washing dishes in the back. “I never actually wanted to do it, though. I saw them so stressed, and I thought, ‘That’s not the life for me.’”

Today, Boutwood, 39, presides over an impressive culinary empire in Manila, with a portfolio that includes Michelin Selected projects such as The Test Kitchen, Savage, Ember and Juniper. Recently, he was invited to cook at The Upper House hotel’s Salisterra restaurant in Hong Kong, the brief April 17-18 residency affording him a chance to step outside the relentless rhythm of the Philippines.

Boutwood’s next endeavour is a menu at Helm where one ingredient is served seven different ways.