Chef Victor Neri

In a white uniform topped by black-and-white-striped apron, Victor Neri looked more like the chef that he is than the action star that he used to be. You have to take a second, closer look to be able to reconcile Victor today to the Victor of yesterday because of the extra poundage that, in fairness, he carries with flair.

Funfare met Victor last Saturday at the blessing of Sauté where he is the head chef, located at the ground floor of CKB Building on Tomas Morato Avenue, Quezon City, next to Italianni’s. Did he call it Sauté maybe because some, if not most, of the food on the menu are spicy, “hot”?

“Why Sauté? Well,” said Victor, a Culinary Arts graduate from a Bangkok’s Le Cordon Bleu, “preparing of any dish starts with sauté-ing. I like the name. It’s perfect for my restaurant which specializes in what I call Asian comfort food which is very familiar to the Asian palate. During my stay in Hong Kong, Beijing and Bangkok, I enjoyed different types of cuisine. But I was trained the French way.”

Asked why he studied in Bangkok, Victor said, “Because I love Thai food. I wanted to learn more about the history of Thai food. You can take the course in one year or two years and I finished mine in one year by attending classes every day. I chose Le Cordon Bleu because for me, it’s the best institution for culinary arts. The teachers are the same as those in France and London.”

Victor stayed in Bangkok for three years studying (7 a.m. to 3 p.m.) and moonlighting (for his On The Job Training) in a Thai restaurant; two and a half years in Hong Kong to work for an insurance company; and more than a year in Beijing to study Mandarin.”

“I really love cooking since I was a kid, thanks to my mom who loves to cook,” added Victor. “We are a big family, we are seven children, and when my mom would cook, I would assist her.”

Traveling is broadening one’s knowledge and Victor knows that too well.

Some of the food served at Sauté: 1. Sauté Fried Rice; 2. Crispy Pork Leg with Asian sauerkraut with home-made liver sauce; 3. Tinapa Fish Cake Pickled Vege-tables and Bagoong Mayo; 4. Prawns in Coconut Lime Sauce; and 5. Lemon Grass Squid.

“In the countries I stayed in, I would eat and eat, hindi ako namimili. That’s how I grew this big, hehehehe! It was in Hong Kong where I realized how I love cooking. My friend, a chef, hosted a party and I volunteered to help in the cooking. Since then, I told myself, ‘Gusto ko na dito sa industriyang ito.’”

His advice to those planning to go into the food industry: Before you get in, go and spend time in the kitchen to make sure that you really want the job. It’s not easy. It’s tiring and exhausting; you have to be on your feet for as much as 15 hours.”

It was love for food that lured Victor away from showbiz. His last TV show was the GMA soap Bakekang seven years ago. Before that, he starred in mostly action movies. His comeback soap was Hawak-Kamay on the Kapamilya Network, with Piolo Pascual. He’s happily married, with two children, one 14 years old and the other, two months old.

(Sauté is open from 6 p.m. to 2 a.m. weekdays and 6 p.m. to 4 a.m. weekends. For info about the menu, go to Victor Neri’s Instagram account @chefvictorneri.)

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