The Plaza marks 60 years of family, feasts and Filipino heritage

Insider Spotlight

• The Plaza is celebrating its 60th anniversary this October, marking six decades as one of Manila’s enduring catering institutions
• Founded by husband-and-wife team Joe and Meldy Reyes, the family business is now run by its third generation, led by Karla Marina Reyes
• The anniversary menu brings together heritage favorites such as The Plaza Premium Baked Ham and bibingka with newer live-station concepts including gnocchi and burrata
  
  
  

For six decades, The Plaza has served everything from state functions and international conferences to weddings, anniversaries, corporate gatherings and intimate family celebrations. Behind that longevity is a business that has remained closely tied to the family that founded it.

Joe and Meldy Reyes established The Plaza, launching a restaurant complex in 1966 that housed five themed restaurant concepts, eight small conference rooms and a Presidential Hall that could accommodate 800 people.

Why it matters

The husband-and-wife team divided responsibilities in a way that would help define the business. Joe managed the back of the house, while Meldy handled the front of the house, including guest relations, public relations and marketing.

Both would become pillars of the Philippine restaurant industry. Jose “Joe” Reyes was among the founders of the Hotel & Restaurant Association of the Philippines, while Imelda “Meldy” Reyes was an early mover into the catering business in the 1960s.

Meldy, together with The Plaza’s Swedish master chef Gosta Pettersson, also developed what would become one of the company’s most recognizable products, The Plaza Premium Baked Ham.

The next generation

Their eldest daughter, Millie, carried the family tradition forward by scaling The Plaza’s catering operations. By the 1970s, the company was serving thousands of guests, including at international conferences held at the Philippine International Convention Center (PICC).

In the early 2000s, Millie helped expand the business again by spinning off The Plaza Premium Baked Ham into a retail brand, extending one of the catering company’s signature products beyond catered events.

Today, The Plaza is led by the third generation of the Reyes family. Karla Marina Reyes oversees stages of the business ranging from menu development to service, maintaining the hands-on family involvement that has characterized the company for decades.

The Plaza Catering COO Karla Reyes said: "Living up to the legacy of our founders, my grandparents, Joe and Meldy Reyes, is not an easy task. However, they have instilled both business and family values which serves as my guiding light in running the company. The heart of The Plaza is the strong family values, from our own, to caring for our team, and serving our patrons."

What’s on the table

For its diamond anniversary, The Plaza is putting both its history and its evolving menu on display, serving established bestsellers alongside newer additions to its catering lineup.

The selection includes Filipino-inspired canapés and small bites such as salad Manileña cups, crispy kangkong with garlic dip, mixed mushroom bouchée with mushroom pâté, The Plaza’s signature smoked tanguingue in pinwheels, spicy tuyo aglio olio pasta and lumpiang shanghai.

Live food stations are another tradition that stretches back decades. The Plaza has offered stations such as carvery and flambé setups since the 1970s and has expanded the concept with contemporary offerings including The Plaza Roast Corned Beef, burrata stations and Mongolian barbecue. These can also be booked separately from its full-service catering packages.

Old favorites, new experiences

The Plaza Premium Baked Ham remains central to the anniversary celebration, with the signature ham carved on the spot alongside New York-style hot pastrami.

Another live-station favorite is Truffle Cream Pasta served from a Grana Padano wheel. The dish was introduced for The Plaza’s 50th anniversary a decade ago and remains part of its current offering.

A newer addition is a customizable gnocchi station, where guests can select from cream, pomodoro and pesto sauces and toppings including bacon, chistorra and fresh mushrooms.

Desserts similarly bridge old and new. Small bites include ube cupcakes, ube tapioca with coconut jelly and calamansi meringue, while The Plaza’s classic bibingka and puto bumbong draw on heritage recipes and are available for seasonal bookings.

The big picture

The evolution of the menu reflects the broader story of The Plaza. Its catering business has changed with Filipino tastes and entertaining trends, but signature recipes, live preparation and hands-on family oversight have remained recurring elements.

As The Plaza marks its 60th anniversary this October, the Reyes family is positioning the milestone as both a tribute to Joe and Meldy and a continuation of the values that helped build the business.

For a company built around celebrations, the diamond anniversary also represents another family milestone — one that connects three generations of the Reyes family with generations of patrons who have gathered around The Plaza’s tables.  —Ramon C. Nocon | Ed: Corrie S. Narisma