Chef RV on how he found his recipe for success: ‘I embrace rejection’

Having already lost count of his rejections when he was starting to pursue his dream in the culinary world, Filipino content creator and chef Rudolf Vincent “Chef RV” Manabat muttered, “Maraming, maraming, marami, Tito Boy.”

A few weeks back, Chef RV agreed to sit down for “The Interviewer.” He warmly welcomed yours truly and my YouTube Batalk Channel team inside his beautiful kitchen situated on the one-hectare family property in Biñan, Laguna. It was the same kitchen where netizens would see him doing content for his cooking vlogs on his YouTube channel.

His recollection of being rejected as a cookbook author was so vivid you could almost smell his pain.

“Before I became a teacher, I started as a cookbook author because I believe that anyone can write. My first baking book manuscript was rejected several times. Someone told me that I was too young to do it, that I didn’t have the guts,” shared Chef RV.

“I was also told that nobody would buy my book, and the most painful part, Tito Boy, these (hurting) words came from my so-called mentors,” he added.

Thankfully, Chef RV didn’t let multiple rejections end his career. He made them catalysts for the hard work that turned into a massive success.

“Every time I get rejected, I would bake at pinapatikim ko ‘yung produkto ko sa ibang tao kasi gusto kong bigyan ng validation during that time ‘yung sarili ko. I wanted to know whether my products taste good or not.”

Rejections, he stressed, can teach a lot. “Believe it or not, I embrace rejection because I believe that once you get rejected, it could be a blessing from the Lord. He is leading you to a better situation.”

Today, Chef RV is one of the most popular social media personalities. His followers are massive, with over 2.3 million subscribers on YouTube; two million on his Facebook page; 290,000 on Instagram; and over 128,000 on TikTok.

He shares his culinary expertise not just on digital platforms but also through his bestselling cookbooks, namely, Baking Secrets, More Baking Secrets and Chef RV’s Cooking Secrets.

Chef RV is also famous for whipping up Queso de Bola Cake, a crowd favorite and a well-known “pasalubong” from Biñan.

Discover more about Chef RV through our one-on-one interview. Below are excerpts:

At 36, what do you know about love for sure?

“Love has to be unconditional. Wala kang hihintaying kapalit. Even in romantic love, because when you love someone, there should be no expectation. Ganoon ako kahit sa trabaho sa kusina, I never expect everything I cook to turn out good. I give my all because I’m a perfectionist in all aspects — work, love and family — I always give my best.”

Does it hurt more when it comes to love?

“Oh, yes, because when you give your all. There will come a time when you realize nothing is left for yourself, and that’s painful. But of course, I learned from my past lessons.”

Overcook or undercook?

“Undercook because you can simply heat a sizzling plate or put (the food) in an oven toaster or air fryer; it will be cooked. And you have control of the ingredients.”

Invisible for a day, what will you do?

“I’ll travel the world. I will go to Japan; it’s my comfort zone. Even just the idea of planning a trip to Japan makes me feel relaxed.”

Favorite Japanese food.

“Halos lahat, but mostly the desserts and the Japanese butter, which you can spread on bread, or you can also have it on rice and steak.”

Kayumanggi o mestizo?

“Kayumanggi.”

Tall, dark or handsome?

“P’wede bang lahat? hahahaha.”

Gata o sarsa?

“Gata kasi ang nanay ko Bicolana. So, we grew up to her cooking various ginataang foods, even desserts.”

How do you make your Nanay proud?

“By being kind because that’s what she taught us when we were young.”

Between honesty and kindness, what would you choose?

“Honesty because when you are honest, you are being kind.”

Who is your favorite local movie star?

“Male, si Alden (Richards) kasi mabait talaga s’ya at kababayan ko. Sa female, si Megastar Sharon Cuneta. Sharonian talaga ako mula bata.”

Barefoot Contessa o Reyna ng Palengke?

“Barefoot Contessa, it’s the show I grew up with. When I was in high school, I would watch that 30-minute (cooking show) with Rachel Ray and then ‘Barefoot Contessa.’ Wala pang cellphone noon kaya nililista ko talaga ‘yung mga recipe n’ya. When I was in college, I promised myself that once I saved enough, I’d build a kitchen island similar to that of ‘Barefoot Contessa’ because it’s also my dream of having my own cooking show.”

Boston University or De La Salle College of St. Benilde?

“Both kasi parehong maraming itinuro sa akin.”

Teacher or baker?

“Teacher.”

Interventions you create to prevent food shortage and poverty.

“I teach people kasi when people are educated, when people are equipped with the right knowledge, sila mismo ang tutulong sa ibang tao na walang-wala.”

What is perfect in an imperfect kitchen?

“It’s the cook because it’s the cook who can control.”

Who is your personal hero?

“My mother.”

(Complete the sentence) A good chef is…

“a visionary.”

A bad one is…

“he only focuses on what he is cooking; he doesn’t look beyond.”

One lesson every student in baking must always remember.

“Never give up.”

On a scale of 1 to 10, with 10 being the highest, how good are you as a chef?

“I would say seven.”