Kate Anzani
IS THERE anything else you want from Kate?
“Asking me which one is my favorite is like asking me who my favorite daughter is,” laughs Kate Anzani on the question about the most favorite restaurant she runs. Of course, she does not have an answer because all eight are smatterings of idiosyncrasies between her and husband Marco, an Italian chef.
You wonder — how does she do all that?
Born to the Dychangco bloodline of business impresarios, the 36-year-old mother didn’t surprise us when she installed these restaurants — Anzani, Bellini, Olive Garden, Gusto IT Park, Gusto Mare, Gusto Ayala, District On 53rd — in the last eight years. So when she launched another addition to the Anzani International Group (AIG) weeks ago, she already had the full force to complete it in 60 days. Three days prior to that, Kate took home a new coffee brew from Australia, the country where she resided for five years to complete the Bachelor’s Degree in Restaurant Business and Master’s Degree in Gastronomy at Le Cordon Bleu culinary school.
As a die-hard coffee devotee, it’s solely intrinsic of her to tailor Filipino afternoon delights that go well with it, called Vittoria High Tea Series. Gifted with a sensitive sense of taste, she can identify each ingredient with just one bite and recreate it in her kitchen. She will soon employ this skill in editing the entertainment issue of Zee Lifestyle this coming November, and the same goes to her latest TV show, “Foodhunt with Kate,” on Island Living.
Ah, fashion sense, too: On this particular Thursday afternoon in July, disengaging from a morning meeting to meet us, she wore a Chloe blouse, charmingly against the color of her Miu-Miu skirt, brisk walking on a pair of Derek Lam pointed-
toe sling back. Most of all, she’s now in her best shape, thanks to her daily fitness routine.
Sure, you can’t take the glamor away from this woman, but here’s the real talk:
After a short program at Harvard University, she uncovers the depth of her life purpose, responds to her destiny, and at this point in her life, unmasks the true face of money.
Now, to a more valid question — why is the
universe so kind to her?
Why do you feel that the Universe is so kind to you?
Because I see the good outweighs the bad. In the end, you’re always fighting a force.
I am borrowing a quote from JoyBell, ”There are two things we should always be… raw and ready. When you are raw, you are always ready and when you are ready you usually realize that you are raw. Waiting for perfection is not an answer, one
cannot say ’I will be ready when I am perfect’ because then you will never be ready, rather one must say ’I am raw and I am ready just like this right now, how and who I am.’”
What is your concept of money?
Money can buy you a lot of things, but it is not enough. What is more important is to keep hungry and unique and innovated. Do you know big companies like Google are afraid of startup companies because of the faster rate of growth? It has nothing to do with money but innovation. Large companies have larger resources but heavier outfits. At some point in time, their growth charts cross. It doesn’t mean that if you have money, you have it forever. You need to know where to invest them forward.
You’re now the ambassador of Vittoria coffee from Australia. What similarities do AIG and Vittoria share?
We are committed to excellence and rooted in quality and standard. We pride ourselves in the framework to express creativity and individuality. The Vittoria coffee brand not only commits their excellence, but it has 50 years of amazing consistent coffee. Vittoria mirrors the future of our company. A league of their own. The pleasure is all ours to be able to collaborate with such a unique group of artisans who distribute all over the world.
Where is it available in Cebu?
Vittoria coffee is available in all our brand outlets. Under AIG, we carry the Anzani brand which caters to an upper niche of the market. We have two outlets — Anzani in the hills,
and Anzani Prime which just opened recently at the Tinderbox. We carry the stronger, more premium and signature roasts of the Vittoria coffee brands — which is the Cinque Stelle.
Why is Vittoria distinct from all coffees available, all coffees you’ve tasted?
It’s family owned since 1958. With time and experience comes expertise. Vittoria Coffee sources the finest 100 percent Arabica coffee beans from all over the world. Their new technologically and the advanced roasting facility ensures greater accuracy and control of the coffee roasting, allowing the ability to replicate the desired taste profile of each coffee blend. Vittoria’s original and iconic blend, Espresso, has remained unchanged for over 50 years. This blend of 100 percent Arabica coffee beans is darkly roasted to deliver the strong flavor of traditional Italian espresso. Vittoria’s premiere espresso blend, Cinque Stelle (five-star) is exclusive to fine dining restaurants. This blend of premium beans delivers a smooth, delicate finish on the palate, created as an after-dinner coffee that is best served as an espresso. Most popular food service blend, Oro (gold) has become famous for its ability to deliver a smooth and flavorsome cup whether served as an espresso or as milk-based coffee.
Why is it related to fashion?
Coffee, food and fashion go hand in hand in expressing creativity and individuality, where you eat, what you wear and the coffee you drink. The Vittoria Fashion Series was created years ago when Vittoria Coffee began collaborating with some of Australia’s best designers to create a limited series of printed fashion takeaway cups, a collection of paper cups arrayed with original prints. The latest Fashion Series is a collection of 10 vibrant prints from five of Australia’s most well known designers both locally and internationally, Ellery, We Are Kindred, Macgraw, Rebecca Vallance and Manning Cartell. The cups are exclusively available in cafés and restaurants not only in Australia, but now throughout the whole world. Vittoria Coffee is proud of its association with the fashion designers. And hopefully one day, we will merge our creative designers from the Philippines to their coffee cups.
Anzani Prime (at the Tinder Box) had only 60 days prior to its launch. You said you didn’t have a structured plan about it. What made you decide to open it, and what makes it distinctive from all you’ve established?
Who doesn’t like steak? After an assessment of the overall concepts in Cebu, there was a gap. There is no steakhouse. My husband was looking for a good piece of steak. There was none. So we sourced the world for it. We serve our meat on Himalayan salt blocks, which have the pure components of enhancing flavors rather than mask it. Cebu is moving in an international direction. We believe the market is ready to embrace a new international concept. We wanted to redefine the typical steakhouse and make it progressive. That is why you will find our menu in grades and levels of steak.
Taming the wild beast is as easy as a man picking his meat.
Indulge in a journey of steaks in grades. Anzani Prime showcases meat in its best element: grilled, smoked, salted, cured, raw, dry aged, rotation fed, MB5.
How do you conceptualize AIG brands?
Cebu is changing in front of our eyes so rapidly, and we see the process of gentrification happening and unique zones rising. Transformation and the emergence of the 20-plus something, social media generation, to the 30’s I’ve-achieved-something-looking-for-quality profiling, to the global traveler — they’re sophisticated, unadulterated, nonconformists looking for rooted brands. Our group understands this changing need of the customer profile, and we make concepts to meet this gap. Our brands developed organically and all are Cebu-born with global execution.
Do you have specific tasks in the company?
Our role, together as husband and wife, is very strategic and analytical, in the same way, very creative. We are our own creators of every brand. From every font type to the branding logo, to every plate, fork and spoon that goes into the concept. We are hands-on that way. When we open new branches, we check into a hotel and both Marco and I write menus, recipes, throw out game plans, argue out every critical standard. It’s a very intense place. As an example, when Marco looks at the numbers for one branch, if he sees a slight curve in the food costs, he’ll know someone is stealing. I, on the other hand, handle the business development. Since I am the
Filipino counterpart, everyone goes to me naturally. Both Marco and I see our personality traits in every branch concept we open.
KATE at the launch of Vittoria Coffee fashion cups (CDN PHOTO/ Xavier Solis)
What is your secret to effective management?
Repetition. You tell someone once you follow up on them. Second time, you address their accountability to you. Third, you watch them do it. Repeat. As basic as that.
What should we expect from your TV show on Island Living?
I am committed to the heritage and culture of our roots. My TV show is called Foodhunt With Kate. It airs nationally on over 150 stations and 30 ports and seaports. I dedicate this to our heritage: going to lola’s house, finding a dying cuisine, or an old culinary representation of a town and I reinvent it in my home kitchen. If you would like to catch it online, please view it on www.anzani.com.ph.
Tell us about the advocacy you conceptualized at Harvard University.
I came into the program to open my mind to another level of thinking and how cool to meet all the people that I’ve read about hoping for mentorship. But I came out realizing what a gift I received to learn to problem solve life better and just be yourself with a higher sense of purpose. I’m in the food business. And I have my heart for food provenance and sustainability. You need to know what you eat, where it comes from. We are committed to using the freshest ingredients and sourcing food products that go through a standard of sustainability — work with the farmers, the fishermen, the suppliers that have integrity in what they do. Again, the underlying core culture of our company is commitment. This red tape doesn’t work for us. We require transparency and clarity in every move we make.