Chef Vallerie Castillo-Archer: Memorable moments for PAL’s ‘chef’ executive
Vallerie Castillo was born in her grandfather’s bakery in San Nicolas, Ilocos Norte. “This basically solidified my career path, although I really didn’t start until the age of 45,” says the assistant vice president for catering operations and head chef of Philippine Airlines.
She was six years old when her father enlisted in the United States Air Force and eventually petitioned his family to join him in the US. Like most Filipino families, the Castillo family was struggling to have a better life. Vallerie grew up enjoying baking and cooking but never thought of becoming a chef. She went to nursing school, dabbled as a makeup artist for Chanel, Dior and Lancôme, and acquired a real estate license. But she decided, with the support of her husband, to prioritize her children and be a stay-at-home mom.
As her kids grew older and went off to college, she decided to enroll at the Academy of Culinary Education in Woodland Hills, California. She excitedly tells us, “ I always have had the passion for baking and cooking because it allowed me to cherish the memories I had as a child with my grandparents.”
Before she started working at Yamashiro, a famous Japanese restaurant in Hollywood that caters to A-list celebrities like Johnny Depp, Ben Affleck, Gwyneth Paltrow, Dolly Parton and Brad Pitt, to name a few, chef Vallerie had a job waiting for her as executive pastry chef for Sugar Factory, which was supposed to open in six months. The owners of Sugar Factory also owned Yamashiro, but one of her friends suggested for her to present some of her pastries because they wanted to revamp their desserts.
“I didn’t really want to do it because I had a job waiting; however, I figured, why not, just for fun? Of course, being a Filipina, I went above and beyond what I was supposed to do. I really didn’t want to impress them, but I wanted to show off my skills. I had no expectations. One by one, they came into the room, the owner, receptionist, bar manager, general manager and the executive chef. Each one was delighted and seemed to like my desserts. As I started to clean up and clear the table, Freddy, the owner said, ‘Okay, when can you start?’”
Life was so busy in the US with all her family there, going back to the Philippines never crossed her mind. But after over 30 years, chef Vallerie made a decision to come back because she wanted give back to her country and hometown — Ilocos Norte. “My career would not be where it is now if it were not for the support of our kababayans. It was their constant visit to Yamashiro, the hundreds of posts on social media. All the celebrities who visited and spread the word about me. The Philippines made me who I am and put me where I am today.”
Chef Vallerie tells us that she is happy to be back home. For her it’s like a dream, it’s like she is starting all over again. This sometimes scares her yet she is grateful for the opportunity of being able to work in her country. When asked where she sees herself 10 years from now, her reply was, “ I take things one day at a time. I have learned to live in the moment. I have set goals for myself in the future, but goals that pertain to my personal life. As to my career, let’s see where it will take me 10 years from now.
“It’s difficult to really pick out 10 memorable moments during my career as a chef. The fact that I have a career at this stage in my life is hard to imagine. When our kids are off to college, it’s time we as parents slow down and plan vacations. That is not the case for me. My life for the past three years has been nonstop.”
Read on as Vallerie shares with us her 10 memorable moments as a chef:
1. One memorable time for me as a chef was when I graduated from culinary school. I have had so many attempts in my life to have a career. I went to nursing school. Became a makeup artist, and dabbled in real estate. When I graduated from culinary school, I felt I finally found my purpose. However, I really didn’t do much.
2. Prior to working at Yamashiro I was able to work with several non-profit organizations. One was established by the son of the late Michael Jackson, Prince Jackson, called Heal Los Angeles. I was an active board member and worked together with Yamashiro during the pandemic to help feed the frontliners. During the first three years graduating from culinary school, I did not work; I actually volunteered my services to charity.
3. The year 2019 was a most memorable year in my career. In August 2019 I was asked to prepare desserts for Yamashiro, an iconic landmark in Hollywood. It is located in Hollywood Hills, overlooking Hollywood. It has been a location where Hollywood movies were filmed, Memoirs of a Geisha and Kill Bill, to name a few. When you are asked to present a menu or even go for an interview at a restaurant, you are often asked to come back for a second interview or told ‘Thank you but you are not what we are looking for.’ For me, I was hired the same day. This is how my love story began with Yamashiro. I say ‘love story’ because 20 years before I was hired at Yamashiro, my boyfriend at that time, who later became my husband, took me to Yamashiro on our first date to have dessert. Fast forward 20 years later I was hired as Yamashiro’s executive pastry chef. Now I was able to create love stories for couples.
4. February 2020. After being employed with Yamashiro for five months, I got promoted as executive sous chef. Being the only female in the kitchen and to have the second highest rank in a kitchen dominated by men was an accomplishment.
5. March 13, 2020. The announcement that the world was going to be locked down was devastating. I was happy to have had six months’ experience as a chef. For a stay-at-home mom to given a chance at a major restaurant was already an accomplishment. Everyone was let go and given their final check and seeing these veteran chefs say goodbye to the place they called home was hard. When my turn came, I didn’t expect what was coming. I was asked to stay and keep the restaurant open.
6. June 2020, the reopening of the world. I became the first female Asian Filipino executive chef at the most iconic restaurant.
7. Working with performer Cardi B and being featured in one of her episodes, Cardi Tries. She came to Yamashiro to learn how to make sushi.
8. I had the pleasure of working with Bobby Flay and his daughter Sophie on their cooking show that was aired on the Food Network.
9. In 2022, I was honored as one of the Top Five Influential Asians for AAPI (Asian American Pacific Islander) month on the nationwide US show The Talk.
10. The year ended with my being asked to be a part of the Philippine Airlines family as their new executive chef. My 2023 began by my moving back to Manila to work with Philippine Airlines, not just as the executive chef, but as the assistant vice president of catering operations. *
(We welcome your suggestions and comments. Please e-mail me at [email protected]. Follow me on Instagram @monsromulo.)
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