A local chef of Chopped Canada fame has closed his Red Deer restaurant to take some time off and “regroup.”
Pete Sok shut the doors to Sophear Restaurant and Bar last weekend after five years at 6712-50th Ave. It was a bittersweet event for Sok and many “tremendously supportive” customers who came for one last meal.
“People were like, ‘What? You’re closing? But the food is so good!” said Sok, with a chuckle.
He opened the 150-seat establishment just before the last recession. Although the South-East Asian restaurant developed a loyal following, Sok never managed to regularly fill the large space — so when the building lease came up, he decided to shut down and start looking for a well-situated smaller location.
Sok is hoping to land something by the fall, but has no real time-line for re-opening in a new site. “I want to wait for the right space to come along…”
The Cordon Bleu-trained chef, who won the “Bro-down Showdown” episode in the third season of Chopped Canada, is looking forward to taking some time off from the intense restaurant business.
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He’s spending a month in Cambodia this spring, where he has relatives, as well as Thailand and Vietnam.
“I’m just planning to travel and eat,” said the recently married Sok, who then intends to return to Red Deer with new recipe ideas and “stories behind each dish.”
He was on the Food Network’s Chopped Canada along with his brother, Dany Sok, who co-manages the Bamboo Hut in Sylvan Lake. Other siblings, Pon Sok and Sue Sok, run the Blue Dragon Restaurant in Red Deer.
Meanwhile, area residents can watch Pete Sok create some dishes on the local Shaw-TV cooking show Sliced Red Deer. The last episode of the season will air on Friday, and it can then be seen on YouTube.
lmichelin@reddeeradvocate.com
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