With a bold sense of direction, Chef Roanne Gines is running the kitchen at SotoGrande Hotel Baguio with quiet confidence—at just 29 years old.
As the hotel’s first woman head chef, she’s aware of the quiet pressures that come with it. “People say women can’t handle the stress in the kitchen. But I think we’re more detail-oriented. Cleaner, more precise,” she said in jest.
At the hotel, she started working behind the scenes, not expecting management to give her the opportunity to lead, at least not so soon.
But after just six months as chef de partie, she was promoted to head chef in January 2025. Her first move was a full menu revamp at Brisa Café, the hotel’s restaurant, where she introduced a distinct Spanish-Cordilleran fusion concept that reflects both the restaurant’s name and its Baguio roots.
“I wanted the food to feel grounded in the culture of the Cordilleras,” she said. “Most hotel menus stick to safe, familiar dishes. But since we’re in Baguio, I thought—why not give guests something they won’t find anywhere else?”
The result is a mix of heritage and creativity. Her Kiniing Burger, for example, combines ground beef and smoked Cordilleran pork for a juicy, savory patty. “We boil the kiniing first to reduce the saltiness and soften the texture, then blend it into the mix,” she said. “You still get that smoky flavor, but it’s more balanced.”
Her take on watwat, a traditional meat dish usually served in soup, arrives sizzling on a hot plate with the broth served on the side. “It gives guests something familiar, but in a new form,” she said. Meanwhile, the pinuneg salad layers crisp greens with Baguio strawberries and blood sausage, finished with a house-made strawberry vinaigrette.
Born and raised just a few streets away in Barangay Cabinet Hill, Chef Roanne studied hospitality management and culinary arts at the University of the Cordilleras. “This isn’t just a job for me. I grew up here, so I want the food we serve to represent where we are.”
Aside from crafting the menu, she also reshaped the kitchen culture. “There was a full transition—new people, new systems,” she said. “I try to be direct, but respectful. If something needs to be fixed, I talk to the team privately. We work together. That’s how we improve.”
Up next for Chef Roanne is a healthy options menu, plus a new rooftop bar concept in SotoGrande Hotel Baguio with Texas-style barbecue—possibly infused with local twists like etag or tapuy. “I want to keep experimenting, keep learning. But whatever we create, it should still reflect Baguio.”
For her, the goal is simple: “I don’t just want people to say the food was good. I want them to remember it—because it was thoughtful, different, and proudly local.”
