VIDEO INTERVIEWS: 7 Hospitality Leaders Share the Secrets Behind Their Success

Hospitality is more than food, drinks, hotels, and restaurants—it is the art of creating experiences, building relationships, and turning passion into a meaningful career. Behind every successful hospitality business is a story of vision, resilience, creativity, and a willingness to keep learning.

At Discovering Hospitality, we believe the best way to understand the hospitality industry is to learn from the people who have helped shape it. This collection brings together inspiring interviews with chefs, culinary educators, sommeliers, restaurateurs, musicians, and hospitality entrepreneurs who share their experiences, challenges, insights, and lessons from the field.

From music and live entertainment to culinary education, fine wine, craft beer, cafés, and restaurant entrepreneurship, these conversations offer practical knowledge and inspiration for aspiring chefs, hospitality students, entrepreneurs, and professionals looking to grow in the industry.

In this collection, you'll discover:

Chef Philip John Golding, Culinary Director of CCA Manila, who discusses his culinary journey, techniques, and insights for aspiring

chefs and hospitality professionals.

Ian Tan, Freestyle bassist and songwriter, who transformed a recording studio into Gig Music Hall, combining live music, dining, and hospitality into a thriving business.

Lee Rosaia of Real Coffee Boracay, who shares nearly three decades of hospitality wisdom and the story behind one of Boracay's most beloved cafés and its famous Calamansi Muffins.

Chef Norbert Gandler, Culinary Director of ISCAHM, who shares his journey from Michelin-star kitchens to establishing a leading culinary and hospitality school in the Philippines.

Ian Santos, 2019 Philippine Sommelier Champion, who shares his journey from studying wine in Napa Valley to becoming a freelance sommelier, wine consultant, and trainer.

Oli Stassen, restaurateur and craft beer maker, who brings his Belgian brewing heritage to Boracay through Bistro des Amis and his own Bier des Amis.

Chef Victor Legaspi, Executive Chef of Splendido Tagaytay Hotel and Country Club, shares his culinary journey, Filipino food philosophy, leadership insights, local ingredients, and vision for hospitality.

Together, these stories reveal the many paths a career in hospitality can take—and the values that connect them all: passion, perseverance, creativity, continuous learning, and genuine service.

Whether you're a hospitality student searching for career inspiration, a chef developing your craft, an entrepreneur planning your next venture, or simply curious about the people behind some of the Philippines' most interesting hospitality businesses, these interviews offer lessons worth discovering.

Explore their stories, learn from their experiences, and discover what it truly takes to build a lasting career in hospitality.