MANILA, Philippines — Chef Dominic Vergara has taken his culinary talents to different parts of the world, but in Norway where he is currently based, it is his Filipino heritage that flows through the kitchen.
Vergara and his older brother Daniel run the Kain Neo-Filipino Bistro in the Norwegian capital of Oslo, considered by many to be the best Filipino restaurant in the country, if not in all of Europe.
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The chef returned to the Philippines at the invitation of the Royal Norweigian Embassy in Manila as ambassador Christian Lyster recently moved to a new residence in the city.
Lyster hosted several members of the media in his new residence for the "North of the Ordinary" event, which is part of the 75th anniversary celebrations of Philippine-Norway bilateral ties.
In an exclusive interview with Philstar.com, Vergara shares his journey from Italy to Norway, the birth of Kain, and where he hopes his cutlery will take him next.
Vergara was born in Pampanga. His family moved to Italy and resided in Milan, where his parents ran the Filipino restaurant Cabalen Ini. He later attended culinary school and was classically trained in Italian and French food.
The chef later developed an interest in the booming of Nordic cuisine, leading to his application at Maeemo, the only Michelin three-star restaurant in Norway.
"Nag-work ako for three months. Nagustuhan ko kasi the working conditions there, especially sa restaurant business, is way, way better than France or Italy. They respect workers more. So I decided to stay," said Vergara told Philstar.com.
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In 2019, the Vergara brothers opened the Oslo Street Food stall to showcase different kinds of Filipino food, which led to the birth of the Kain Filipino Rice Bar. They may have opened a new venture, but the younger Vergara had another thing that preoccupied his mind.
"Lagi ko nasasabi sa mga katrabaho ko or when I'm with someone na, 'Cooking is what you are, it's not what you do,' so it's not a job," said Vergara, translating the saying from Italian. "From a Michelin star restaurant we had a chance to open a food stall, so tinanong ko sarili ko, 'Bakit food stall ang gagawin ko pagkatapos ng pag-trabaho ko sa iba't ibang restaurant?'"
Vergara let go of his ego in order to prove himself, "I have an Italian passport, but my heritage is in the Philippines. I want to give homage kung saan talaga ako galing, at mas true siya sa kung sino ako. Doon nag-start ang Kain."
The brothers' restaurant has a menu filled with recipes that they have remembered from their childhood. They have slightly changed or added some bits from what they have learned from Nordic cuisine, among others.
One example Vergara gave was their Suman and Mangga dessert, inspired by their grandmother buying suman from the market, which they would dip in sugar and have mangoes on the side.
"Ang ginawa namin sa restaurant is 'yung part na rice ay crispy rice then we made mango puree," Vergara explained. "'Di ba 'yung suman ay niluluto with coconut milk? Gumawa kami ng coconot foam instead para nandun pa rin ang coconut. Mas light siya sa actual suman and mangga."
Vergara shared that Kain is always packed during weekends, with more available seats during the week, and surprisingly, only 20% of customers are Filipinos while a majority are Americans.
He believes it is because the Filipino community is not as big in Oslo, where non-Norwegian individuals are mostly Vietnamese or Somalian.
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The chef added that Filipinos who do visit learned of the restaurant from social media, sharing the story of one content creator client he and his brother met when they were still running the food stall — the parties kept in, the client got married at Kain and the couple visits the restaurant whenever they're in Oslo.
Kain is now a year-and-a-half old, and Vergara's current long-term plan is to ensure that the restaurant finds some stability.
"For now we want it to be stable in a way na maiiwan namin ng kapatid ko. Mahirap kasi ngayon maghanap ng staff," Vergara ended. "Of course, if given the opportunity, mag-open in different places. Walang preference naman kung saan."
Lyster praised individuals like Vergara for serving as a good example of people-to-people rather than government-to-government ties between Norway and the Philippines.
"It's quite fascinating because the Philippines and Norway are two countries very far away [from each other] but you have Chef Dominic — born in the Philippines, ended up running a renowned restaurant in Oslo — and you see the links between people," Lyster told Philstar.com. "You can talk about formal documents and agreements, but I think one of the most important things are the ties between the people."
The ambassador said the embassy would use every possible opportunity to highlight, promote and showcase either country's music, food, art, or culture.
"We won't stop celebrating the ties between the Philippines and Norway just because next year is the 76th anniversary, we will continue to develop and push," Lyster ended. "The ties are already very strong, the relationship is good. For me, we should keep them that way and hopefully enhance them."
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