About Us
In 2011, the Be More Pacific Filipino food truck took to the streets on a hunch that the American culinary mainstream would like Filipino cooking. They were wrong, they LOVED IT. Fast forward 6 years and thousands upon thousands of happy customers later. They are ready to continue the introduction of Filipino food with their first brick & mortar restaurant. Business partners Mark Pascual and Giovan Cuchapin, first generation Filipinos from Houston, planted roots in Austin, the perfect incubator for this Filipino experiment. Giovan has held every restaurant job from dishwasher to general manager and Mark with a background in project management, brings the entrepreneurial passion. Together they have accepted their life goal to introduce Filipino cuisine to the masses.
Executive Chef
Salvador "Buddy" Melgarejo
Born in Sacramento, Chef Buddy moved to the Philippines at the early age of 2 where he lived in Bicol, a region in the south of Luzon. His love for cooking developed as he helped his mother, a baker, around the kitchen and envied his older brother, a chef in Australia. He then went on to employ his skills as the Exec Chef at Tableu Grill and Bar, a Filipino “Restobar” specializing in Traditional Filipino Cuisine. He also worked as a chef at a hotel bistro that featured Filipino and American fare. When he reached 22 years old he jumped at the opportunity to return to the US to continue his career in the restaurant industry. While in Houston, he humbly took on positions at Papadeaux and Cinco Ranch Country Club, working there for around a year, before finally joining the team at Be More Pacific - Filipino Kitchen and Bar in Austin as the executive chef.
