CHEF

LOU BOQUILA

Born in the Philippines, Chef Lou Boquila draws on his Filipino background for inspiration in the kitchen. He is passionate about creating innovative dishes and inspiring others to expand their palates. He wants to introduce the distinctive food he has known since childhood. As a young boy, Lou learned to appreciate his mother's traditional cuisine, which sparked his interest in cooking. His experience began as a dishwasher at the renowned Knave of Hearts where he learned the operations of a kitchen. He then decided to continue his training at the Art Institute of Philadelphia, and became an intern to Chef Kiong Banh of Twenty Manning. He started to develop his culinary techniques as he went from Line Cook, Sous Chef, and then to Chef de Cuisine of Audrey Claire in 2007. Along the way, Lou began to combine his culinary knowledge to best express his interpretation of Filipino food with a modern take. Named after his mom, Lou opened Perla in 2016 in the East Passyunk neighborhood of Philadelphia.