Growing Up in Resilience
When you meet Jayson Maulit, you don’t just meet a chef. You meet the product of grit, sacrifice, and an unshakable belief that love can be shown through action, even when life feels impossible.
“I grew up in a family that had to learn resilience early,” he recalls. “My parents were teenagers when they had me, and every decision they made after that was about giving our growing family a chance to build a future.”
That future wasn’t handed to them. His family left Ilocos for Metro Manila, living in garages until they could finally afford an apartment. Every step forward was bought with sacrifice. Dreams were cut short, re-routed, or set aside so the children could keep moving forward.
“I grew up surrounded by determination, pride, and love that showed itself in hard work and showing up for one another,” Jayson says. “I grew up around sacrifice as our currency for love, and it instilled in me that often, it’s the choice to keep going even when everything feels stacked against you that makes a person.”
Those early years did not just shape Jayson, they defined the lens through which he sees his own journey today.
Finding a Language in Food
Cooking was never part of a grand plan. It wasn’t something a guidance counselor mapped out or an ambition his family pinned their hopes on. But it grew in him the way things that are natural do, quiet and steady.
“Cooking was our language,” Jayson Maulit explains. “It was how we expressed love, how we said sorry, how we showed up when words failed.”
One of his earliest memories is of his grandmother in Ilocos, handing him an oiled bottle to roll dough for miki. “It was the first time I felt truly included in the kitchen,” he says. “That feeling of belongingness and pride is something I carry with me to this day. Cooking was the first thing that felt truly my own.”
It wasn’t just about recipes. It was about being seen, valued, and given space. And for Jayson, that realization shaped how he now sees his own kitchen — not as a workplace, but as a place where everyone deserves to feel they belong.
The Struggle to Define Success
Like many Filipinos who grow up with limited resources, Jayson Maulit often felt the weight of having to “run twice as fast to get half as far.” There were always expectations — from family, from society, from the unspoken rule that success must look a certain way.
“My journey includes chasing the version of myself other people expected me to be,” he admits. “For a long time it felt like I was falling short, pursuing a definition of success radically different from what my family imagined.”
Choosing his own path was not a clean break. It was messy, uncertain, and full of doubts — not only his own, but also those carried by the people who loved him most.
But with each setback came lessons. “I’ve accepted that it’s okay to grow slowly, to stumble, and to redefine success as something that feels true to you rather than to anyone else.”
This honesty is what makes his story resonate. Many young Filipinos know what it feels like to live under someone else’s expectations. Jayson’s story is proof that breaking away doesn’t mean dishonor — it means honoring your own truth.
Grief and the Turning Point
There are moments that change people forever. For Jayson, the pandemic years were marked by profound loss: both his grandmother and great-grandmother passed away.
“Trining’s Kitchen Stories was my attempt to hold on to their voices and memories,” he shares. “It grew into something more — a space of grief and joy, not just for me but for the many people who’ve experienced our food.”
What started as a way to preserve memory became something larger: a living testament to resilience, remembrance, and dignity.
“The ethos of the restaurant was born in that weird intersection of longing and dreaming,” Jayson explains. “We even transformed into a volunteer-driven kitchen during times of calamities. My work is defined by that North Star: that food carries dignity. And food dignity is duty, not pity.”
It’s a philosophy that moves beyond commerce. For Jayson, feeding people is never about transaction — it’s about recognition of worth.
Beyond the Kitchen
People often assume chefs are larger-than-life personalities, living in the heat of the kitchen and the constant buzz of customers. But outside of Trining’s, Jayson is far more low-key.
“People mistake me for an extrovert, but really, outside work, I’m a homeboy now,” he laughs. “I like reading, traveling, eating on my own, drowning myself in anime or K-dramas. I value quiet moments, or loud ones when my niece and nephew are around.”
In a way, these ordinary slices of life are what keep him grounded. They remind him that ambition and hard work only make sense when they connect back to the simple joys of being alive.
“These small, seemingly ordinary moments remind me why I work the way I work,” he reflects.
Lessons for Young Filipinos
Every Person of the Month on HemosPH offers a message for readers chasing their own version of success. Jayson’s lessons are simple but profound.
“If there’s one thing I wish more young Filipinos knew, it’s that your story doesn’t have to look like anyone else’s,” he says. “We should stop comparing our journey to others’. There’s no single path to meaning or success. It’s okay to take a break, to take detours, to start over. Build a life that initially doesn’t make sense to other people, as long as it feels honest to you.”
And one more piece of advice: “Never burn bridges if you can help it.”
His words carry the weight of lived experience. They’re not motivational clichés. They’re hard-won truths from someone who’s stumbled, redefined, and kept moving forward.
Looking Ahead
So where does Jayson see himself in the years to come?
“I see myself growing into someone who not only cooks but also guides,” he says. “I want to help younger cooks, creators, and storytellers believe in the power of their own stories. I hope to show them that our kitchens, our memories, and our culture are enough.”
His dream isn’t to build a food empire or chase accolades. It’s to keep creating spaces that nourish both body and soul. “More than anything, I want to keep living a life built on care,” he says. “One that nourishes people in every way that food can.”
Why Jayson’s Story Matters
In a country where young people often feel the weight of expectations, Jayson Maulit’s journey is a reminder that there is no single way to succeed. His life proves that resilience, honesty, and care are just as important as talent and ambition.
Food may be his medium, but his message goes beyond the plate: that dignity is not something granted from above, but something we can build together, through work, through memory, and through the choice to keep going even when the odds are stacked against us.
To learn more about his work and food philosophy, visit Trining’s Kitchen Stories.
And if you’re looking for more Filipino journeys of courage and reinvention, explore the other Success Stories on HemosPH.
