In this business, you’re only as good as your team, even if you’re a great chef, it means nothing if your team isn’t with you.”
IN Tacloban City, where local food culture thrives in neighborhood kitchens and street stalls, Monch Salazar first learned to appreciate the way flavors bring people together.
Salazar initially pursued Nursing in Manila but quickly realized the path was not his to take.
“I knew early that Nursing was not where I could build my future,” Salazar told The Manila Times.
“My siblings are into Medicine and Law, and ako lang ’yung pasaway,” he laughs.
“But my Dad told me, if I really wanted this, I should learn the foundations, not just cook for fun.”
That advice brought him to New York, where he enrolled at the International Culinary Center (formerly the French Culinary Institute).
It was a one-year intensive program that changed his perspective on food, discipline and creativity.
While studying, Salazar also worked part-time as a cook, not for the pay, but for the experience.
“I wanted to apply what I learned immediately.”
“Culinary school gives you the theory, but the kitchen gives you the truth.”
A shared plate
Salazar wasn’t alone in his culinary journey.
His girlfriend at the time, Anna, who is now his wife, had already been working in restaurants before he enrolled in culinary school.
“She went straight from high school to culinary.”
“While I was still a Nursing student, she was already working in one of Manila’s busiest kitchens.”
He fondly remembers those nights when he would pick her up from work.
“I’d see her calling out orders, leading her team.”
“It was an open kitchen, so I’d watch from the counter.”
“That’s when it hit me, this is what I want to do.”
Their shared love for cooking became the backbone of what would later become Kitchen2K.
Together, they braved the long hours and high-pressure life of the restaurant industry in the United States.
“We were working six days a week, 12 hours a day.”
“Our only day off became our laundry and grocery day.”
The return home
By 2015, the couple began saving up to return to the Philippines.
Manila was their first option, but reality hit fast: rent was steep, and competition was cutthroat.
“If you calculate the costs, you’d just be working to pay the rent.”
“My Dad suggested Tacloban instead, and he said the city needed people to help raise its food scene after Yolanda.”
The decision turned out to be more than practical; it was personal: Tacloban was home.
In 2017, they began building what would become their dream restaurant, a modest space overlooking the sea.
The name Kitchen2K carries a story of its own.
“It came from our apartment number in New York,.
“Apartment 2K was where my wife and I used to cook together after work, experimenting with flavors and dreaming about the restaurant we wanted someday, and when it was finally time to open one, it felt only fitting to name it after the place where it all began.”
They opened in November 2018, just in time for the holiday season, but the first few months were far from smooth.
“I wasn’t fully ready because although we were trained in the US to serve small portions with multiple components, people here found the servings too small and would say, Chef, bitin!”
It was a wake-up call for the couple as they quickly adapted, rethinking portions and eventually introducing Filipino favorites into their menu.
“At first, I didn’t even have rice on the menu.”
“Now it’s one of our bestsellers.”
In its early days, Kitchen2K drew mixed reactions as locals admired the ambience but assumed it was expensive.
“If it looks nice, people automatically think it’s pricey.”
Once guests came in, they were pleasantly surprised to find the food refined but approachable, plated beautifully yet priced reasonably and word spread so that by 2019, Kitchen2K had become one of Tacloban’s go-to venues for celebrations.
“People started booking us for weddings, baptisms, anniversaries.”
“So my wife suggested we also make it an event space, and now our indoor area seats about 120 people while the garden can host even more.”
Then came 2020 and the pandemic.
“We were one of the first to close, and I felt bad for my staff, but without income we couldn’t pay salaries, so I told them to rest and stay in touch, and once we could open again, we did.”
The experience reshaped his leadership philosophy.
“In this business, you’re only as good as your team, even if you’re a great chef, it means nothing if your team isn’t with you.”
Today, Kitchen2K has evolved into a restaurant that reflects Salazar’s philosophy: good food, honest work and constant growth.
Their current bestseller is the Ribeye Steak — a steal compared to its Manila counterparts.
“We source from Australia and Japan.”
“If you order this in Manila, it’s three times the price.”
“Same quality, same farm.”
Salazar’s approach to leadership is rooted in humility.
“When I started, I thought I was good, but the more you learn, the more you realize how much you don’t know.”
He runs a tight but compassionate kitchen: cooks, dishwashers and service staff.
“We open at 11 a.m. and close at 9 p.m..”
“We’re closed on Sundays because I want my staff to go to church or spend time with their families.”
It’s this balance: discipline with empathy that has kept Kitchen2K’s team intact.
Six years since its opening, Kitchen2K stands as more than a restaurant.
It’s a story of perseverance, adaptation and love, both for food and for the community it serves.
“Don’t go into this business for money,” Salazar advises aspiring restaurateurs.
“The margins are small yet you do it because you love it.”
“In the kitchen, you can have a bad day today and start fresh tomorrow.”
“That’s what I love about it, you can always begin again.”
As the sun sets over Tacloban Bay and the kitchen fires up once more, one thing is certain: for Chef Monch Salazar, Kitchen2K isn’t just a place to eat, it’s a life lived in full flavor.
QUICK QUESTIONS
WHAT IS YOUR BIGGEST FEAR?
Not making my parents proud.
WHAT REALLY MAKES YOU ANGRY?
Individuals who abuse the trust of others.
WHAT MOTIVATES YOU TO WORK HARD?
My daughter, Lily.
WHAT MAKES YOU LAUGH THE MOST?
Dry, sarcastic remarks.
WHAT WOULD YOU DO IF YOU WON THE LOTTO?
– Donate to Samar-Leyte Texas.
– Pay back parents.
– Bring in world-renowned chefs to Tacloban.
IF YOU COULD SHARE A MEAL WITH ANY INDIVIDUAL, LIVING OR DEAD, WHO WOULD THEY BE?
My grandmothers.
WHAT WAS THE LAST BOOK YOU READ?
“Good Inside” by Dr. Becky Kennedy.
WHICH CELEBRITY WOULD YOU LIKE TO MEET FOR A CUP OF COFFEE?
Deion Sanders.
WHAT IS THE MOST DARING THING YOU HAVE EVER DONE?
Pursue a career in culinary.
WHAT IS THE ONE THING YOU WILL NEVER DO AGAIN?
Dwell in negativity.