Rodrigo Serrano

The Path

At DIP Nikkei in Barangay Punta Engaño, Lapu-Lapu City, Mactan Island, Cebu, Philippines, the kitchen is shaped by a cross-current of Peruvian soil and Japanese creativity. Rodrigo Serrano brings both into the same frame: one tradition for grounding, the other for discipline, restraint, and line. Born and raised in Peru, Serrano works from that overlap rather than around it, treating heritage as working material. His own measure of the craft is direct: “I believe creativity in the kitchen requires openness and courage. A certain level of freedom, even madness, is essential.”

The Work Today

In Cebu, the work at DIP Nikkei sits on a clear principle: two traditions can hold one another without flattening into fusion-by-default. Rodrigo Serrano’s food is rooted in Peruvian soil and Japanese creativity, with flavor, texture, and restraint carrying the load. The kitchen depends on precision, but the cooking does not stop there; openness and courage remain part of the method, not an afterthought. That balance gives the room its shape. The current style at DIP Nikkei reads as disciplined, expressive, and exacting. Rodrigo Serrano lets technique support invention rather than crowd it out, so the food stays connected to its sources while leaving room for movement. The result is a kitchen language built from contrast and control, with enough freedom to keep it live.

In Their Words “I believe creativity in the kitchen requires openness and courage. A certain level of freedom, even madness, is essential.”

Acclaim

At DIP Nikkei, Rodrigo Serrano’s current role keeps the exchange between Peruvian and Japanese lineages active in the day-to-day work of the kitchen. The post places that dialogue at the center of service, where the craft remains grounded, specific, and his own.