Kitchen

J and Malu Gamboa: Sibling Act

Power siblings Malu and J Gamboa share the secret behind carrying the torch for their family’s iconic restaurants.

This story appeared in the Modern Parenting Mother’s Day and Father’s Day May 2024 issue.

Tsukiji, Cirkulo, Azuthai, and Milky Way — these formidable establishments walked so that today’s internationally recognized restaurants in Manila could run. While nothing close to being left behind, these restaurants continue to be pillars of good taste in the fast-paced, ever-changing dining scene in the metro.

Behind these well-beloved restaurants are siblings J Gamboa and Malu Gamboa Lindo of the Milky Way Group.

“Our mom, Julieta Aralia Gamboa, and her sisters started Milky Way back in the early 1960s. My mom was a CPA who worked with Carlos Valdez and Company. But her dad told her, ‘If you want to make it big in life, you should have your own business. You should be an entrepreneur,’” Malu shares.

Julieta acquired Milky Way on Aguado Street with her mother and sister from its original owners — Spanish sisters who wanted to move to the United States.

“We grew up in the restaurant. We grew up in the commissary. As the youngest, all my sisters would be in school. I’d hang out in the kitchen [or] bakery, play around with scraps of dough, and make something. When my sisters would get home, I would force them to eat it,” J, who now serves as the Head Chef of the Milky Way Group, recalls with a laugh.

Bringing the world to the Philippines

Their own experiences also made them natural successors to the legacy brands their family has built. Tsukiji, the first restaurant to directly import ingredients from Japan, opened its doors in 1989. The Japanese chef they worked with, Chef Katayama, “would go to Tokyo every two to three weeks and bring in wagyu beef, hamachi, chutoro, uni — all unknown in the Philippines at that time,” Malu shares.

Meanwhile, Cirkulo — an authentic tapas restaurant that has been around since 1995 — was a concept born out of Malu’s travels, during which she “ate her way around Europe.”

“We went to Greece. We went to Italy. And it was in Spain that I discovered the tapas bar. I was so impressed with the concept — small bites [that] you can eat for lunch, happy hour, dinner, or late nights. This is such a great thing because, at the time, all our Spanish restaurants in Manila were the traditional paella, callos, and cochinillo restaurants.’”

“But we didn’t have go-to a place for gambas, salpicao, and sangria. A hangout kind of place.”

In 2008, Malu and J opened Azuthai, a new Thai concept. They enlisted Thailand-based Swiss chef Marco Brüschweiler (Fun fact: he’s the stepfather to Blackpink’s Lisa) to help teach them all they needed to know about Thai cuisine and hire Thai chefs. To this day, Azuthai still employs chefs from Thailand.

J and Malu Gamboa

Ties that bind

As siblings who work together in the family business, Malu and J have embraced having their family lives intertwined with the business, with no lines drawn between their personal and business lives.

How do they make it work? “You have to really communicate, address things right away. Don’t shove things under the rug. Everything has to be discussed then,” Malu shares.

Malu and J have also brought up the young ones in their family the same way. “I think we do what my mom did with us. We spent time with the kids in the restaurants. My daughter, Lucia, during summers, works in the restaurant — makes halo-halo, works the cash register, cleans tables, and gives menus.”

“We try to show them that it’s not only our work, but really, it’s our life. You know, serving food, entertaining the guests, making sure that they have a good experience. I think our kids see that it’s a fun profession. All of us enjoy doing it, and hopefully, they’ll carry it on,” J shares.

With over 50 years in the restaurant industry, what sets the Milky Way Group apart is a signature blend of impeccable quality and the family’s unique personality — and that its most discerning patrons know what to expect from them.

Overall, what keeps J and Malu going forward is the sheer love for what they do. “We’ve been doing the same thing day in and day out. You have to love what you’re doing so much to do it every day forever,” Malu quips.

The food industry is no easy feat, but this sibling act has it together.


To read the full article, grab a copy of Modern Parenting Mother’s Day and Father’s Day May 2024 issue available on sarisari.shopping. Download the e-Magazine from Readly or Press Reader for more exclusive features and stories.

Words SAMANTHA BELTRAN

Photography EXCEL PANLAQUE of KLIQ, INC.

Makeup and Grooming TWINKLE BERNARDO

Hair ANGELI ALFONSO

Shoot Coordination ANTHONY MENDOZA

Sittings Editor MARGA MEDRANO-TUPAZ

Shot on Location at THE HENRY SUITES MANILA

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