Take two

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This article was published 04/06/2025 (297 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Last summer, Couple Chef Restaurant moved into a location that’s seen its fair share of flavours.

The eatery tucked into the trees at 1199 Fife St. was built in the 1970s and made to look like a country inn, with brick masonry and a tall cedar shake roof. Its first occupant was Samovar — where Ukrainian food reigned supreme — and it has since hosted several steakhouses, Thai cuisine and, now, Filipino and Canadian comfort food.

The couple behind Couple Chef is as big a draw as the food.

“He’s become a celebrity chef,” Arlene Olegario says jokingly about her husband Nelson, who can often be found in the large lounge gabbing with customers.

“Sometimes it’s not the meal anymore; they’re coming to see me,” he adds with a smile.

Originally from the Philippines, Nelson never intended to make cooking his career. An electrical engineering graduate, he got a job as a dishwasher on a cruise ship and, despite attempts to transfer into the mechanical department, kept getting promoted within the galley.

Food service “became a passion,” he says.

“I enjoy meeting different kinds of people.”

When the couple moved to Winnipeg, Nelson worked in hotel kitchens and opened Jeepney — one of the city’s first full-service Filipino restaurants — with two partners in 2014.

The Olegarios have been cooking together as Couple Chef for nearly a decade — first operating as a catering service, then opening a brick-and-mortar restaurant in the Nor-Villa Hotel on Henderson Highway in 2020.

They were prepared to retire from restaurant ownership when their lease expired last spring, but faithful customers wouldn’t hear it.

“Some of them were asking, ‘Why are you closing? Look for another location,’” Nelson says.

“It’s very overwhelming,” Arlene says of the support, adding that many regulars have followed the restaurant to its new home on the residential edge of the Inkster Industrial Park south of the Maples.

The building was attractive for its location and 140-seat capacity, even if the interior was a little quirky.

The decor hasn’t changed much over the past 50 years. The space has a large lounge and a formal dining room with red walls, faux brick partitions and a working fountain topped with a brass cherub.

The Olegarios are leaning into the quirks and their Filipino roots, while continuing to serve Western diner staples such as omelettes, caesar salads and Reuben sandwiches.

“We are in the heart of the Filipino community, so we added more special meals,” Nelson says.

The Couple Chef menu now includes longanisa (garlicky sausage), lugaw (rice porridge) and pancit (stir-fried noodles), as well as traditional family meals served with multiple pork, chicken or fish entrées, rice, iced tea and dessert.

“It’s all authentic Filipino dishes,” says Arlene, who’s in charge of the restaurant’s growing dessert menu, among other things.

“She’s like my boss, always pointing something out. I’m so busy,” Nelson says with a laugh.

In addition to keeping everything ship-shape, Arlene works full-time in health care and went back to school several years ago for a culinary arts certificate.

Leche flan, a creamy caramel dessert, is her specialty and she has recently added some seasonal sweets to the menu — including gulaman at sago, a kind of Filipino bubble tea, and halo-halo, a shaved ice dessert loaded with fruit, ube, sweet beans and coconut.

The couple’s first year on Fife has been good, but they’re looking to attract more people to the out-of-the-way location with special events.

“You know the concept park-and-fly? We’re making it park-and-snack,” says nephew Keith Salazar, who moved to Winnipeg in February to help out with the business.

Salazar explains that customers who buy something to go are welcome to use the restaurant’s wrap-around parking lot while visiting any of the neighbouring green spaces.

The business owners are also hoping to hold outdoor barbecues this summer and plan to add Friday-night karaoke to the weekend schedule, which is often full of catering gigs and large events.

“If you go to any Filipino house, they love karaoke,” Nelson says.

eva.wasney@winnipegfreepress.com