Mrs. Saldo's Chef Rhea Rizzo Remains The Very Heart of Silang’s Destination Dining Spot

(SPOT.ph) Central to a restaurant, next to the food, are the people who birth and run them. We can certainly say that about Mrs. Saldo’s, the establishment in Silang owned by Chef Rhea Rizzo, whose repertoire includes everything from big brunch plates to chic bites to hearty mains made for sharing, often drawing from the cuisines of Japan, Singapore, Thailand, Vietnam, America, and France, to name a few. 

This multitude of influences is less the result of a calculated decision not to stick to a concept, and more the organic outcome of her own life and experiences. Mrs. Saldo’s itself is largely a reflection of Rhea: her early days falling in love with food, the time she jumped ship to marketing, her many travels throughout the years, the prized opportunity she got to train at award-winning restaurant Gaggan. In opening the new Little Miss Saldo’s, Rhea presents a bigger picture of herself, showing sides of her previously unseen, and channeling these into ala-carte dishes with the same soul, vibrance, and multicultural palate the chef has long been known to carry.

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Food has always been close to Rhea’s heart. Her desire to cook was largely stoked by two figures in particular, folks she would watch doing their thing in the kitchen while she was growing up: one of their family cooks, who would allow Rhea to help in small tasks like grating cheese; and her “very maternal” neighbor who would always prepare food for her family in some way. The latter showed her, by example, that cooking can be a love language—something Rhea herself exhibits today.

It was these formative experiences that pushed Rhea to walk the culinary path herself, propelling her to take up Hotel and Restaurant Management at De La Salle-College of St. Benilde, followed by an associate degree in Culinary Arts as part of the university’s partnership with the iconic Gene Gonzales restaurant Café Ysabel. Sadly, some time after graduating, she ended up having to take a break from the professional kitchen—her son was exhibiting speech delay and her daughter was diagnosed with autism. 

But Rhea isn’t one to shy away from a challenge. She did eventually tried to establish her own restaurant marketing company in 2015, upon the suggestion of a friend in the marketing industry. Rhea admits it turned out to be a “financial disaster,” but one that taught her the practical know-how of running a business. It also connected her with dining industry giants like the Moment Group’s Abba Napa. Seeing these strong women running their own businesses awakened something in her: “‘[I asked myself], ‘Why can't I do that?’… [it taught me to think] outside the box. It gave me more courage.”

Though marketing was never her passion to begin with, Rhea admits to being hit with the existential questions that come with ending a chapter of one’s personal tale. “I didn't know what to do with my life [at the time, after closing down the business]. But I knew that I wanted to be back in the kitchen.”

She happened to be watching Chef’s Table on Netflix one day when the episode featuring drummer-turned-chef Gaggan Anand aired. She was struck by the story of Anand, who went through and surpassed his own set of struggles before getting to open Gaggan, his two-Michelin Star restaurant in Bangkok. Anand had come from a poor family but landed the opportunity to enter culinary school; he also strove to overcome debt brought about by a failed catering business.

“In any kind of story, there's always this road of challenges that you have to overcome if you really want to meet your better self on the other side… I felt like that resonated a lot with me. And so after the episode, I was crying.” Her husband Dave, seeing her in tears, told her, “I think you want to go back to the kitchen.”

With Dave’s encouragement, Rhea found herself applying to stage at Gaggan. Just about a week after sending the email, she got the call that would change her life. “I remember… the Wi-Fi [where I was at the time] was pretty bad… all I can remember was saying, ‘Yes, chef. Yes, chef,’” she recalls. “[I was like,] ‘I'm not gonna throw away that opportunity.’ I literally packed my bags, booked my flight, and left.”

At that point, it had been 10 years since Rhea last worked in a professional kitchen. As she was working in Bangkok, and in one of its top dining establishments, she was forced to adapt to a new culture and keep up with a far more hectic environment than she previously experienced. She also found herself having to learn the principles of molecular gastronomy—a popular genre at the time, one she hadn't encountered much in her years of classical European culinary training. “I had to squeeze my brain to catch up. I know that I was working slowly. I could feel it naman, compared to the people who were younger than me. So I made sure to be there two hours before [our call time of] 1 p.m., so I can catch up on my tasks.”

Rhea admits she's long had a side to her that’s “intense,” the side that would give everything to excel at whatever she was doing. She saw that side of her in her marketing era, when she would go out of her way to study marketing principles despite the fact that marketing was not a personal passion— but she'd take it on to best ensure success. It was this same characteristic that empowered her to persevere at the Gaggan internship amid setbacks. “[Now that] this was something that I love… I would do like, 1000% more when it comes to effort.” In Gen-Z parlance, she locked in, as she was determined to make the most of the opportunity that she knew many others could only dream of. “I was not there to party… [I was like,] ‘No distractions.’ Might as well give it all of your energy.” 

Apart from Gaggan, Rhea would also look for more ways to go back to the kitchen. She loved to travel, often tagging along with Dave on business trips around Southeast Asia and elsewhere—Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand, Italy, Vietnam, Morocco, and the U.S. Fueled by her own curiosity, she would make it a point to take cooking classes to learn firsthand about the locals’ ways of preparing their food. The challenge of adapting to her daughter’s new diet also led to her exploring raw vegan schools in Ubud (even earning raw vegan certification there), which in turn had her learning more about Indonesian cuisine as a whole.

“Back then, I didn't think I was going to open a restaurant,” Rizzo admits. “I just wanted to cook. I just wanted to be in the kitchen, to smell the kitchen.” But it seems she was destined to be back to cooking professionally anyway. 

One might recall the state of the dining scene during that awkward, quasi-post pandemic era. COVID was still around but people were already finding ways to go back to old routines like dining out, although with social-distancing guidelines in mind. It was around this time, in October of 2021 to be exact, that Rhea's Mrs. Saldo’s opened, originally as a private-dining space. The Rizzos built the property in their farm in Barangay Malabag in Silang, Cavite, with Rhea playing an integral role in the design of the place while working closely with a foreman and consulting with an architect. 

Mrs. Saldo’s—named after a line of Zinfandel wines from The Prisoner Wine Company in Napa Valley—grew a following organically, through word of mouth and social media. Never mind that the place was all the way in Cavite; diners, likely looking for an escape amid the isolation brought on by the pandemic, would drive out to this picturesque spot for much-needed R&R and a good meal. Since people still had social distancing in mind when eating out then, it worked to Mrs. Saldo’s advantage that there were three dining rooms in the property.

In its early stages, they would grow some of the fresh produce used in their food, but this proved to be a challenge when Taal Volcano erupted. “We had to rethink the whole thing, but what stayed was the structure,” says Rhea. Her Gaggan training came out in the way she held her staff to very high standards—back in that Bangkok kitchen, after all, everyone was committed to excellence. It's a good reason to visit far off Mrs. Saldo's. "It's a destination restaurant… it takes a commitment to drive all the way here.” 

In developing the menu, Rhea was largely inspired by Thomas Keller’s Ad Hoc restaurant, which was known for its prix-fixe offerings. She would do similar sets with different themes—Asian and South American for example. It was here that you’d find the likes of a Thai fish curry, French toast, Shanghai-style braised pork, Indonesian chicken satay, and pink peppercorn-spiked squats of baklava side by side, ready to be dug into from her headquarters that were as vibrant and inviting as her food.  

The variety Mrs. Saldo’s offered was largely a strength in that it meant there was something for almost everyone. But she would also receive comments from guests and friends who preferred a narrowed-down selection, or comments that expressed their confusion over what exactly she was trying to be. There seemed to be a need for her to define her cooking through a more narrow lens—but one that risked being reductive or erasing important parts of who she was. “[I was saying], ‘Why do I have to define it? Like, why can’t it just be good?’”

Rhea resisted the need for said definition for as long as she could, admitting she felt “boxed” and pressured by the notion of defining herself in that way, when she really longed to free herself of bounds. After all, she herself is a tapestry of experiences, many involving eating her way around the world as well as being in the kitchen. 

Perhaps the solution was not to resist definition per se, but to revisit and refine said definition—because what is her food if not a reflection of her own identity, personhood, and experiences?

Her newest venture celebrates precisely that. “It’s like I went [around] 180 degrees, right? Like, ‘Look, this is me…. [I had] all of those experiences that were unique to me because my husband was traveling all through Southeast Asia. And I had those kinds of opportunities to [try] different cuisines. I lived in Bangkok. I lived in Ubud. I'm French trained.”

Little Miss Saldo’s makes this multifacetedness its very thesis statement. “Now, I'm saying that it’s [a] strength. Those are all unique experiences in my journey.”

The recently introduced leg of Mrs. Saldo's is housed on the second level of one of the structures in the Cavite compound. It goes for a brighter, more inviting look reminiscent of dining spots in Napa Valley, Sonoma, and the Hudson Valley. Like the full Mrs. Saldo’s, which now focuses on tasting menus, Little Miss Saldo’s serves a range of dishes from around the globe, interpreted through Rizzo’s lens.

Some of the dishes under Little Miss Saldo's you might have had as part of the set menus at Mrs. Saldo’s, or in Rhea’s previous pop-ups and collaborations. As opposed to the set menus that would revolve around a theme, however, the ala-carte format of Little Miss Saldo’s lends itself to customization and spontaneity, so you can have your spread precisely as you please. Go ahead and help yourself to the Tonnato Salad (P750) to start—Rizzo’s version uses grilled romaine for subtle smoky depth, and bonito flakes that mimic the fishy umami of the traditional anchovies. The Crab Dip (P795) is a perennial favorite that’s equal parts velvety and umami, and best enjoyed slathered on Rizzo’s signature sourdough. Decidedly contemporary is the Hamachi Crudo (P795), which has succulent slices of the fish and juicy ikura over a flaky pastry base that's lent vivacity by yuzu curd. There's also the Cha Gio (P395/two pieces)—Vietnamese fried egg rolls that are a touch bigger than other versions, yet delivers the same medley of crispness, freshness, and zing.

There are bigger plates to enjoy as well—fish-based mains to try include the Barramundi (P895/regular, P1,750/sharing) given the meunière treatment with beurre noisette and capers; and the Deep-Fried Halibut (P895) paired with a punchy Chee Choo red curry sauce. From the lineup of meats, standouts are the hearty Braised Veal Oxtail (P1,295) with gremolata; Kansi Short Ribs (P1,595) with kansi demi-glace; and the Lamb Ribs (P795) in a decidedly complex sauce of Massaman curry. Make sure to save room for desserts like the Sticky Toffee Pudding (P350)—Rhea's version is wonderfully sultry thanks to the dark, gooey toffee sauce that comes with it—and the Hokkaido Sweet Potato Mochi (P200) that delivers a particularly plush chewiness from her scratch-made mochi base.

“Yes, it’s a bit of a mishmash,” Rhea admits. “But at the heart of it, it’s all comfort food. That’s what ties it all together.”

In many ways, Rhea tells us, the Mrs. Saldo’s farm and compound was designed for impact. But she goes more tranquil at Ikigai House, a living space within the compound that can be rented for overnight accommodations. 

The design is a collaboration between Rhea and metal fabricator and house designer Harvey Angsanto, who was also her contractor for the project. Rhea calls it a “reprieve from the hustle”: “I wanted Ikigai House to be a space of zen, calm, and peace,” she explains. Entering the place, one sees—and feels—the distinct tranquility of the House from the more vivacious backdrop that is the rest of the compound. 

“There was really a sort of demarcation as soon as you step into the house. [There are] no paintings, almost no bright colors save for that red metallic chair just as an accent,” says Rhea. “I wanted it to be just three elements—wood, glass and metal—[and the look is] softened by this gray Turkish rug and the greenery outside. The idea was, as soon as I enter it, I leave behind work and I can clear my mind.”

Similarly going for a more relaxed look, albeit one with an industrial-style bent, is The Necessary, another dining leg housed on the lower floor of the same building Little Miss Saldo’s is located. Rhea takes inspiration from the French colonial architecture of New Orleans with the arcs framing the windows, as well as design motifs in San Francisco—think brick walls, hanging lamps, wooden furnishings. Sunlight peeks through its many windows during the day, bringing natural vitality to the space.

“The Necessary is definitely showcasing my time in San Francisco,” the chef explains. “In terms of the rawness, it's very masculine in a way.” She likens it to a cousin of Little Miss Saldo’s that’s “just very carefree, laid-back—[someone] who likes listening to jazz, who likes his cocktails, his coffee, his bar bites.”

Consistent with its more casual, approachable atmosphere are its lineup of straightforward dishes designed to deliver comfort. The selection is still largely global, with Rhea injecting signature twists to bring each plate to life—but nothing here is over the top or unfamiliar. There’s a Monte Cristo Sandwich (P250) gone crispy with a panko crust; Pineapple Bun (P395) stuffed with jamon and a thick slice of butter for a bit of a cha chaan teng-meets-Noche Buena flavor moment; and Chicken Liver Inasal Yakitori (P195/two pieces), a fun mishmash of the Filipino and Japanese skewered classics that's served with sinamak.

Sweeter numbers not to miss here are the Honey Butter Toast (P395), its surface glossy and golden with a crackly layer of caramel; and the Banana Bread (P150) that’s sliced thick and best doused in its accompanying toffee sauce.

The chef no doubt has a spectrum of life experiences—challenges and achievements alike—that have shaped who she is today. These parts and phases of her life are reflected in the different departments of the Mrs. Saldo’s compound; to experience dining at and staying in them is to get to know Rhea herself.

Little Miss Saldo’s, The Necessary, and Ikigai House are at Mrs. Saldo’s, Barangay Malabag, Silang, Cavite. For more information, check out the Mrs. Saldo's Facebook page.