These days Filipino chef Boyet Katigbak can fry, sear and grill like the best of them.

But years ago the 24-year-old found himself afraid to venture into the kitchen.

“When I was a child I didn’t like to cook,” the Chop Fusion chef said. “I had a fear of fire because I was burned quite badly by the oil. I have a scar on my arm to this day from it.”

As a youngster, Mr Katigbak spent a lot of time helping out in his family’s Asian restaurant in Luzon, the largest and most populous island in the Philippines.

Then when the time came to go off to college, he chose to take a course in hotel and restaurant management.

“At that point I thought to myself, ‘I need to go forward with my life’,” the chef explained. “I wanted to face my fears.

“It took me almost a year to build up courage. At first I would make pastries and do icing and decorations for the cakes, but step by step I started getting closer to the stove. The first thing I did was fry an egg, then I made hot dogs and other basic things.

“I’m happy I did it because it forced me to overcome my fears from my accident. I’m a Catholic and I always planned to conquer my fears and that’s the main reason why I’m here in Bermuda.”

Mr Katigbak is now an award-winning chef, having earned the title of Chef of the Year 2015 at the City Food Festival.

He’s been on the Island for two years fter a friend encouraged him to apply for the job in Bermuda.

Tonight and tomorrow he will be helping to cook up some of his country’s national dishes at the Reid Street locale, in honour of Philippine Independence Day. The Philippines declared its independence from Spain on June 12, 1898. To this day they celebrate with food, family time and fireworks.

Mr Katigbak said he was excited to introduce the tradition to Bermudians.

“Filipinos love to eat,” he explained. “We have a lot of influence from other cultures that tried to conquer us before, like the Chinese, Spanish and Americans. That’s why in different places and on different streets you can see a lot of variety of foods.”

Pork is one ingredient that features heavily in Filipino cuisine, he said.

“Sixty per cent of our table has pork on it. In places like Mindanao where they have a large Muslim population they don’t eat so much pork, but at my home in Luzon it’s really popular.

“Pork adobo, a braised pork dish cooked in vinegar, soy sauce, black pepper and bay leaves, is probably one of our favourite dishes. It’s simple, but very tasty.

“I personally like fatty foods, so my favourite is Lechon Baboy. It’s a whole pig roasted slowly with lots of herbs inside. We eat it with a liver sauce, so it’s a very nice combination.”

Other dishes such as Beef Kaldereta, a beef stew inspired by the Spanish, is also quite popular there.

“I like so many of the foods in the Philippines and used to eat lots of street foods,” Mr Katigbak said. “That’s why so many of my good memories there involve some kind of food.

“When I worked in the Philippines my days off were on Saturday and Sunday, so I would go to different areas and taste different foods and travel and explore the different islands. I would also go to the different festivals and celebrations, like the Masskara and Higantes, which had lots of food and dancing in the city.”

When it comes to making Filipino foods, he said it was all about balancing the flavours, such as sweet, sour and salty.

“The ingredients and recipes are just a guide. I have to believe in my own taste as well,” he said.

Mr Katigbak has already shared his national dishes with his coworkers from India, Mexico and Thailand.

• Tonight and tomorrow his team will prepare a variety of sweet and savoury Filipino dishes for guests to try at Chop Fusion. For more information visit Chopsticks.bm.