Chef Josh Boutwood inspired to aim higher as Helm retains 2 Michelin stars

Chef Josh Boutwood of Helm, the only restaurant in the Philippines with two Michelin stars. Karen Flores Layno, ABS-CBN NewsChef Josh Boutwood’s Helm has successfully retained its two Michelin stars, a feat that no other restaurant in the Philippines has achieved since the arrival of the Michelin Guide last year. 

The Filipino-British chef was the last to grace the stage in this year’s Michelin Guide ceremony, which awarded a total of 127 establishments across the country. 

Shortly after the program, Boutwood went straight to work as he served dishes from Helm at the cocktail reception (the coconut chawanmushi with abalone and asparagus was especially wonderful), joining five other Michelin-starred chefs from the Philippines, Dubai, and Vietnam. 

Amid the festivities, he shared how he felt about their latest achievement: “I’m relieved, that’s my emotion at the moment.”

“I’m so happy, I’m ecstatic. I’m so proud of my team,” he added. “They deserve a massive round of applause tonight, and we’ll go back to the restaurant and celebrate with a bottle of champagne.”

Helm remains the only restaurant in the Philippines with two Michelin stars, which Boutwood admits is “a heavy pressure and weight” for him and his team. 

But he was quick to add: “It’s more of not getting burdened by that weight, but embracing it and carrying it throughout the year.”

“It’s having it in the back of our heads, knowing that they could take that away. That fear was real,” he shared. “But that is the beauty of fear, it makes you push even harder.”

As he relishes their victory, Boutwood feels inspired to set sights on an even bigger accolade: three Michelin stars for Helm.

“After two stars for two years in a row, I want a challenge. Maybe I might aim for three (stars), who knows?” he said.

“Why not, right? If we can do it, let’s see what happens.”