20/08/2026
BEHIND THE PASS
ALVIN JOHN ANTONIO
CHEF | HOTEL NJIVICE | CROATIA
Before he became a Chef in Europe, Alvin John Antonio was simply trying to find a way forward.
His first job was delivering mineral water. Soon after, he entered the food industry as kitchen staff at Red Ribbon, where he spent almost a year learning what it meant to work in a professional kitchen.
He moved to Bonchon Chicken Philippines and eventually became a Team Leader. From there, he joined Army Navy as a Cook, continuing to build his experience while searching for a career that could give him more opportunities.
That search brought him to CiBo.
He started as a Kitchen Helper, but his actual beginning there was even more basic he worked as a dishwasher. He stayed, learned, took on greater responsibilities, and eventually worked his way up to Head Chef.
After leaving CiBo because he wanted to continue growing, Alvin joined Asador De Manila. His time there was short, and he was eventually let go.
Outside the kitchen, life also demanded his attention.
Together with his wife, Alvin started a small eatery business, selling different products to help support their family. Later, he joined Caerus Cafe. The salary was small, but the job became an important part of his family's survival during that period.
At the same time, Alvin was already thinking beyond the Philippines.
While continuing to work, he processed his documents and pursued the possibility of working abroad. It took patience, preparation, and faith, but eventually the opportunity he had been waiting for came.
Today, he is a Chef at Hotel Njivice in Croatia.
Twelve years of culinary experience brought him here, carrying lessons from every kitchen he had worked in from Red Ribbon and Bonchon Chicken Philippines to Army Navy, CiBo, Asador De Manila, and Caerus Cafe.
His professional foundation includes NC II Cookery, Food Safety, and GMP training, adding formal qualifications to years of hands-on kitchen experience.
But perhaps the most important part of Alvin's story cannot be written on a certificate.
It is the fact that he has experienced almost every level of the kitchen.
He knows what it is like to start below the position you want. He knows what it means to work while building something for his family. He knows what it feels like to lose a job and start looking for another opportunity.
And he knows what it means to finally see the result of years of effort.
Now, he is working in Europe.
Not at the end of his journey, but at a place he once dreamed of reaching.
Alvin himself puts it simply: he still has a long way to go, but he has already come a long way.
WHAT HE LEARNED ALONG THE WAY
Alvin's career is a reminder that culinary growth does not always happen through a perfect career path.
Sometimes, the next step is a promotion.
Sometimes, it is a completely different kitchen.
Sometimes, it is starting again.
What matters is continuing to learn from each place and being willing to work for the next opportunity.
His experience also shows the reality behind many Filipino chefs working toward careers abroad. The destination may look different, but getting there often involves years of preparation, sacrifice, paperwork, financial pressure, and uncertainty.
For Alvin, the dream of working abroad eventually became reality.
And now, from the Philippines to Croatia, he carries that experience into every kitchen he enters.
MESSAGE TO ASPIRING COOKS AND CHEFS
To all aspiring chefs and chef-to-be, and to all his fellow Filipino chefs, Alvin has one wish:
“I pray that we all succeed.
For those dreaming of working abroad, his message is simple:
“Don't lose hope in achieving what you want. Don't give up because nothing will happen if you give up.
His journey has taught him to keep believing, keep praying, and keep working toward the opportunity he wants.
“Just believe and pray to God above, He will give it and He will provide it.
For Alvin, those words have become part of his own story.
“God Will Provide.
Tested. Proven. And lived.
From delivering mineral water to standing as a Chef in Croatia, Alvin John Antonio's story is not about having an easy path.
It is about continuing to move forward until the opportunity you've been preparing for finally arrives.
REAL CHEFS. REAL STORIES. REAL INSPIRATION.
