Alpas: Antique’s gem
Alpas, a humble resort and restaurant in Tobias Fornier, Antique has the qualities that one seeks in a place of solace.
It showcases the simplicity of rural life, bamboo materials form the structures of the resort, the ocean breeze is available 24/7, food which is artistically presented by trained staff is made of local ingredients, souvenir items are purely local and handmade, and the business gives back to the community, among others.
Alpas is owned by couple Ken Cazeñas and Kimberly Eng.
Chef Ken has been cooking professionally since 2001 in Los Angeles, Beverly Hills, Hollywood, San Francisco, and Hong Kong. He trained for years under world-renowned chefs such as Mako Tanaka and Wolfgang Puck.
Kimberly worked in restaurants since 2008. It was her experience working closely with farm-fresh produce when she was in San Francisco that made her realize the importance of living sustainably.
To know more about Alpas, check out the following interview with Kimberly.
Kimberly: Deciding to open Alpas was mainly on impulse. We were burnt out from working in Hong Kong the year before, and previous to that had become disenchanted by the tech-y and unaffordable environment that San Francisco had become.
I visited this property for the first time with Ken just a couple months after leaving Hong Kong and immediately fell in love with the place; we had goats in our front yard and the beach as our backyard after coming from one of the most congested cities in the world.
Ken and I had dreamed about growing our own produce for our own restaurant and thought it would be incredible to have mountains as well as lowlands to grow a more diverse variety of crops. Then we serendipitously found ourselves in Antique, “where the mountains meet the sea”.
Kimberly: Alpas means “to be free; to go beyond” in Tagalog and that strongly resonated with us.
Alpas is the freedom to realize our vision of creating not just a place but a complete experience for our guests. We were lucky to have the freedom to do this in part because Ken has roots here. This is his father’s property and he has many relatives that live here.
Kimberly: Most of our challenges are also the most fulfilling parts of running Alpas.
Sticking to our principles of only sourcing locally/from the Philippines is one. As difficult as it can be to find local and organic suppliers, the ones that we have partnered with are inspiring and incredibly supportive of what we are trying to achieve here.
For the ones we partnered with early on, we are happy to call them friends. They were the ones that made us feel like we weren’t alone in our endeavors at the beginning and they gave us hope.
One big challenge is sourcing from organic farmers in our town. After having attended several Farmers Association Meetings with the farmer presidents of barangays with the hopes of sourcing fresh produce from their farmers, we have not been successful. It is a combination of (1) lack of advocacy on the part of barangay farmer presidents to speak to the farmers they represent; (2) lack of infrastructure to deliver produce (unpaved roads only accessible by habal habal, for example); (3) lack of communication (farmers are in places with no signal or have no load on their phones), and (4) lack of organization.
As a result, we primarily source our produce from local public markets and simply have to do the detective work of determining which ones are truly organic and which sellers are the actual farmers growing the produce they sell.
Innovation at Alpas is born out of what most people would consider “limitations”. We’re not in the big city and so we lack the convenience of buying certain condiments let alone organic ones from local suppliers or stores. We find fulfillment in creating new dishes, new flavors, and unique dishes out of ingredients we find and/or grow right here, and things we have to make ourselves.
It is that much more fulfilling when we have customers who seek out this type of dining experience, and others that are happily surprised by unknowingly walking into Alpas with no expectations. Granted we are far from busting at the seams with customers, but the few that walk through our doors have left feeling nourished and satisfied.
We employ young, intelligent, and talented staff, who are local to Dao (now Tobias Fornier) and a neighboring town, Anini-y. While none of them have experience in a full-service restaurant, let alone our particular hyper-local, farm to table concept, we chose our staff because of their sense of motivation and willingness to learn.
We are teaching them the discipline, skills, and knowledge we believe would allow them to excel if they were given the opportunity to work abroad.
Not only that, we are hoping that some of these principles that are so core to creating Alpas are things that they adopt in their households.
Kimberly: At Alpas, we advocate for zero waste in tandem with proper waste management, supporting local and traditional crafts, and Philippine grown produce.
Ken and I never became more conscious about our consumption of plastic packaging until coming to the Philippines. It was made so glaringly obvious because there’s no proper waste management in our town and we literally have to keep our trash in our bin for a year before we can (unsuccessfully) ask that is picked up by the municipal dump truck. This is even the case for public trash we collect on the beach.
As consumers we think twice about the purchases we make because of the packaging it comes in. We’ve drastically reduced our own build-up of trash because we made changes in our daily habits of bringing our own reusable containers, refusing products packed in plastic, buying wholesale or in bulk and most importantly doing things the ‘old school way’: we make it or grow it ourselves.
These practices have also allowed us to save a lot of money too. As a business, we ask that single-use plastics are not brought onto our property, and if it does, we ask that it gets packed up by those same guests. We also train our staff to refuse plastic and bring our reusable containers if they need to go shopping for the restaurant at the public market.
Ken and I love the Philippines as a country. It is incredibly rich in natural resources, but sadly they are either greatly underutilized or exploited.
We want Alpas to be an example of what one can achieve if we honor the materials and supplies that we have right here: bamboo to build strong and beautiful structures; buri and nito to create unique fixtures and household items; native ingredients that can be transformed into tasty, nourishing, distinctive dishes. We want to demonstrate that you can be self-sustaining and reliant if you just take the time and effort to transform the ‘ordinary’ and ‘mundane’ into something incredible.
Kimberly: We are lucky to have gorgeous sunset views from our beach. There’s also our organic garden, our unique all-bamboo restaurant and all of its interior details.
We envision Alpas to be a place where open-minded visitors both local and non-local can be relaxed, unwind, and be pleasantly surprised by our daily changing menu. We want it to be a place that people who find themselves burnt out and weary can enjoy completely without having to seek out other activities or other places nearby.
They can appreciate the unique bamboo structure that local carpenters built with their bare hands, the sounds and sights of nature around them, a quiet walk through our organic garden, and nourishing meals they don’t even have to choose; their menu is decided for them so as to open them up to an experience they would otherwise not have had if they had chosen their meal.
We offer cooking classes, buri weaving classes, and yoga retreats.
Alpas is a three-hour drive from Iloilo City.
If you have private transportation, take the coastal route along the National Highway (Tobias Fornier-Anini-Y Road). Alpas is located in Sitio Ban Ban, Barangay Paciencia. Mountain route cutting through Guinsang-an is about 2.5 hours from Iloilo City.
If you are commuting, go to Molo Terminal and take a DAO bus. Double-check with the conductor it passes through Barangay, Paciencia. It will drop you off right in front of Alpas, just past Puntahagdan Beach Resort and just before Hacienda Feliza. One way fare is about P118 per person.
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/alpasphere/
Website: http://www.alpasph.com/
Email: alpasphere@gmail.com
 |
| At Alpas, dishes are served family-style. The ingredients are sourced from their garden and from local, organic farmer. It is recommended to reserve a table at Alpas before going there. |
It showcases the simplicity of rural life, bamboo materials form the structures of the resort, the ocean breeze is available 24/7, food which is artistically presented by trained staff is made of local ingredients, souvenir items are purely local and handmade, and the business gives back to the community, among others.
Alpas is owned by couple Ken Cazeñas and Kimberly Eng.
Chef Ken has been cooking professionally since 2001 in Los Angeles, Beverly Hills, Hollywood, San Francisco, and Hong Kong. He trained for years under world-renowned chefs such as Mako Tanaka and Wolfgang Puck.
Kimberly worked in restaurants since 2008. It was her experience working closely with farm-fresh produce when she was in San Francisco that made her realize the importance of living sustainably.
To know more about Alpas, check out the following interview with Kimberly.
 |
| Kimberly Eng and Chef Ken Cazeñas, founders of Alpas |
Kathy Purr: What made you decide to open Alpas and why in Antique?
Kimberly: Deciding to open Alpas was mainly on impulse. We were burnt out from working in Hong Kong the year before, and previous to that had become disenchanted by the tech-y and unaffordable environment that San Francisco had become.
I visited this property for the first time with Ken just a couple months after leaving Hong Kong and immediately fell in love with the place; we had goats in our front yard and the beach as our backyard after coming from one of the most congested cities in the world.
Ken and I had dreamed about growing our own produce for our own restaurant and thought it would be incredible to have mountains as well as lowlands to grow a more diverse variety of crops. Then we serendipitously found ourselves in Antique, “where the mountains meet the sea”.
 |
| Alpas restaurant which can also be a function hall for your events |
KP: What does Alpas mean?
Kimberly: Alpas means “to be free; to go beyond” in Tagalog and that strongly resonated with us.
Alpas is the freedom to realize our vision of creating not just a place but a complete experience for our guests. We were lucky to have the freedom to do this in part because Ken has roots here. This is his father’s property and he has many relatives that live here.
 |
| Their beachfront guesthouse can accommodate up to five persons. It has its own full private bathroom. Breakfast is included plus 10% off lunch and dinner if you dine at Alpas Restaurant. |
KP: What is the challenging part of running Alpas? What is the fulfilling part of it?
Kimberly: Most of our challenges are also the most fulfilling parts of running Alpas.
Sticking to our principles of only sourcing locally/from the Philippines is one. As difficult as it can be to find local and organic suppliers, the ones that we have partnered with are inspiring and incredibly supportive of what we are trying to achieve here.
For the ones we partnered with early on, we are happy to call them friends. They were the ones that made us feel like we weren’t alone in our endeavors at the beginning and they gave us hope.
One big challenge is sourcing from organic farmers in our town. After having attended several Farmers Association Meetings with the farmer presidents of barangays with the hopes of sourcing fresh produce from their farmers, we have not been successful. It is a combination of (1) lack of advocacy on the part of barangay farmer presidents to speak to the farmers they represent; (2) lack of infrastructure to deliver produce (unpaved roads only accessible by habal habal, for example); (3) lack of communication (farmers are in places with no signal or have no load on their phones), and (4) lack of organization.
As a result, we primarily source our produce from local public markets and simply have to do the detective work of determining which ones are truly organic and which sellers are the actual farmers growing the produce they sell.
Innovation at Alpas is born out of what most people would consider “limitations”. We’re not in the big city and so we lack the convenience of buying certain condiments let alone organic ones from local suppliers or stores. We find fulfillment in creating new dishes, new flavors, and unique dishes out of ingredients we find and/or grow right here, and things we have to make ourselves.
It is that much more fulfilling when we have customers who seek out this type of dining experience, and others that are happily surprised by unknowingly walking into Alpas with no expectations. Granted we are far from busting at the seams with customers, but the few that walk through our doors have left feeling nourished and satisfied.
We employ young, intelligent, and talented staff, who are local to Dao (now Tobias Fornier) and a neighboring town, Anini-y. While none of them have experience in a full-service restaurant, let alone our particular hyper-local, farm to table concept, we chose our staff because of their sense of motivation and willingness to learn.
We are teaching them the discipline, skills, and knowledge we believe would allow them to excel if they were given the opportunity to work abroad.
Not only that, we are hoping that some of these principles that are so core to creating Alpas are things that they adopt in their households.
 |
| They source their ingredients from the garden and from local, organic farmers |
KP: What is your advocacy?
Kimberly: At Alpas, we advocate for zero waste in tandem with proper waste management, supporting local and traditional crafts, and Philippine grown produce.
Ken and I never became more conscious about our consumption of plastic packaging until coming to the Philippines. It was made so glaringly obvious because there’s no proper waste management in our town and we literally have to keep our trash in our bin for a year before we can (unsuccessfully) ask that is picked up by the municipal dump truck. This is even the case for public trash we collect on the beach.
As consumers we think twice about the purchases we make because of the packaging it comes in. We’ve drastically reduced our own build-up of trash because we made changes in our daily habits of bringing our own reusable containers, refusing products packed in plastic, buying wholesale or in bulk and most importantly doing things the ‘old school way’: we make it or grow it ourselves.
These practices have also allowed us to save a lot of money too. As a business, we ask that single-use plastics are not brought onto our property, and if it does, we ask that it gets packed up by those same guests. We also train our staff to refuse plastic and bring our reusable containers if they need to go shopping for the restaurant at the public market.
Ken and I love the Philippines as a country. It is incredibly rich in natural resources, but sadly they are either greatly underutilized or exploited.
We want Alpas to be an example of what one can achieve if we honor the materials and supplies that we have right here: bamboo to build strong and beautiful structures; buri and nito to create unique fixtures and household items; native ingredients that can be transformed into tasty, nourishing, distinctive dishes. We want to demonstrate that you can be self-sustaining and reliant if you just take the time and effort to transform the ‘ordinary’ and ‘mundane’ into something incredible.
 |
| They get "tuba" or coconut nectar from their own coconut trees. They use this for cooking or for their salad dressings. |
KP: What sights and activities can guests enjoy at Alpas?
Kimberly: We are lucky to have gorgeous sunset views from our beach. There’s also our organic garden, our unique all-bamboo restaurant and all of its interior details.
We envision Alpas to be a place where open-minded visitors both local and non-local can be relaxed, unwind, and be pleasantly surprised by our daily changing menu. We want it to be a place that people who find themselves burnt out and weary can enjoy completely without having to seek out other activities or other places nearby.
They can appreciate the unique bamboo structure that local carpenters built with their bare hands, the sounds and sights of nature around them, a quiet walk through our organic garden, and nourishing meals they don’t even have to choose; their menu is decided for them so as to open them up to an experience they would otherwise not have had if they had chosen their meal.
We offer cooking classes, buri weaving classes, and yoga retreats.
 |
| That feeling of doing hatha yoga at the beachfront is priceless and it’s great that Alpas offers yoga retreats. |
Directions to Alpas
Alpas is a three-hour drive from Iloilo City.
If you have private transportation, take the coastal route along the National Highway (Tobias Fornier-Anini-Y Road). Alpas is located in Sitio Ban Ban, Barangay Paciencia. Mountain route cutting through Guinsang-an is about 2.5 hours from Iloilo City.
If you are commuting, go to Molo Terminal and take a DAO bus. Double-check with the conductor it passes through Barangay, Paciencia. It will drop you off right in front of Alpas, just past Puntahagdan Beach Resort and just before Hacienda Feliza. One way fare is about P118 per person.
How to Contact Alpas
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/alpasphere/
Website: http://www.alpasph.com/
Email: alpasphere@gmail.com
