Eric Valdez

Signature

At the plate, Eric Valdez works with familiar Filipino flavors and reads them plainly, not as material to be softened for outside approval. Lechon Liempo, KFC fried chicken with a chile garlic aioli, and Soup No. 5 each land differently: one through crackling richness, one through a sharp, playful pairing, and one through direct, unmistakable boldness. The point is not restraint for its own sake, but clarity. In Eric Valdez’s cooking, tradition is left intact enough to carry its own weight, with enough wit and precision to keep the flavors moving.

In Their Words “Instead of downgrading our own culture, we should embrace and appreciate its own beauty.” “We should not be afraid of our own cuisine and culture.” Those lines put the terms of the work in plain view: heritage is not something to dilute before serving. For Eric Valdez, cuisine carries value as it is, and the task is to cook it with confidence rather than caution. The stance is direct and peer-readable—respect the source, trust the flavors, and let the food speak without apology. That outlook sits close to the center of his signature, where pride of origin becomes part of the craft itself.

Recognition

Training at Adamson University and as an American Hospitality Academy culinary school graduate gives Eric Valdez the formal structure behind his cooking. That foundation shows up in the way the work is framed: technique first, then point of view. His role as chef at Naks in New York City, New York places that training in a professional setting where identity and execution can meet on the same menu. The progression is straightforward—education, practice, then application—and it leaves Eric Valdez with a profile defined by discipline, not decoration.

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