MANILA -- Filipino-British chef Josh Boutwood has been tapped by a French brand to be one of its chef ambassadors.

Boutwood (The Test Kitchen, Savage, Helm) joins 16 other culinary experts in the chef ambassador program of Elle and Vire, which is known for its selection of cream, butter, and cheese.

He is the first to be selected from the Philippines, and joins representatives from Thailand, Indonesia, China, and the Middle East.

"It's such a wonderful news to receive, to be appointed as a chef ambassador for Elle and Vire and to represent the Philippines. It's such a lovely feeling to be part of it," he said in a virtual press conference.

"The thing that I'm most looking forward to is the sharing of information with the 16 other chefs worldwide. I think it's a great platform for us to really bounce off ideas and creativity while using identical products. Different cultures are working together and making something amazing out of it," he added.

Errol Rivera, Elle and Vire's country manager for the Philippines, for his part said: "There's definitely a selection process in place, but we chose Chef Josh because he's a well-known, accomplished, and well-respected chef and restaurateur who makes fresh, creative, and delicious dishes."

As chef ambassador, Boutwood is set to conduct cooking demonstrations and undergo trainings and seminars with his fellow culinary experts.

The Filipino-British chef has yet to set foot in Elle and Vire's headquarters in Normandy, France due to the pandemic. Instead, he had his virtual training with Michelin-starred chef Sébastien Faré Elle and Vire pastry chef Jonathan Ledger.

Boutwood said they are currently in the process of developing recipes, with the goal of incorporating the French brand's dairy products into local cuisine.

"We're able to use these products as an innovative addition to our recipes and amplify what we already have," he said. "Something that we've been playing around with is our adobo... We've already grown accustomed to adobo sa gata, using coconut cream as a way of giving it richness."

"There are no rules that we can't add French dairy to our adobo to give it that wonderful rich flavor... while keeping our iconic bay leaf, black pepper, soy, and vinegar flavors intact," he added.

Last year, Boutwood was included in the "Young Talents of the Year" roster of La Liste, a gastronomic ranking system based in France.

One of his restaurants, Helm, also made it to the 50 Best Discovery List, an expert-approved collection of dining and drinking destinations worldwide.

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