Andrey Shmakov
Adept of the new Nordic cuisine, Andrey Shmakov, an Estonian of St. Petersburg origin, became the brand chef of the Metropol Hotel in 2013. Before that, he managed to work on passenger liners in Europe and in restaurants in Tallinn - Mona Lisa, Le Bonaparte, as well as in Grand Hotell and Radisson SAS hotels, was the chef of the prestigious Kadriorg restaurant in the historical palace of the same name in Tallinn and "Lapland" in St. Petersburg - one of the first restaurants of the new Nordic cuisine in Russia. Andrey completed internships at the legendary Noma in Copenhagen and Chez Dominique in Helsinki. In 2015, Andrei Shmakov opened the SAVVA restaurant in the building of the Metropol Hotel. It was named in honor of the founder of the hotel - the man-legend Savva Mamontov, philanthropist and author of many ideas that changed the face of Moscow at the beginning of the 20th century. The concept of the restaurant is an elegant balance of Nordic cuisine and high Moscow traditions, mixed with a subtle understanding of the techniques of classical French gastronomy. The SAVVA restaurant is innovative and elegant, respectful of the age-old traditions of Moscow and the Metropol.
Alexander Belkovich
With a smile, Alexander Belkovich recalls his first culinary experiences: how, at the age of six, he cooked homemade yogurt and made a sandwich from Darnitsky bread with sausages. He seriously thought about the career of a cook only after the ninth grade, and after moving to Moscow, he began to actively conquer the kitchens of its restaurants.
The main school for the future chef was the Correa's restaurant chain, where, under the guidance of experienced mentors, he mastered the basics of culinary skills. Soon, the promising chef was invited to head the kitchen of the new terrassa restaurant in St. Petersburg. Alexander's path to the Ginza Project began from here. Later, he opened restaurants such as Mansarda, Moscow, Ribeye, Volga-Volga, FoodPark, Plyushkin, MariVanna in New York and London, Obed Buffet.Today, Alexander Belkovich oversees the cuisine of 5 restaurants of the holding.And also, in October 2015, together with the Ginza Project Sasha opened a restaurant of his author's cuisine called "Squirrel".
He is a laureate of international cooking competitions and the author of two books on gastronomy. In his opinion, success in the culinary arts largely depends on appetite.
“I love to eat. I just love this job. Of course, now I have completely different taste buds, but I have always loved to eat. With my brutal appetite, in general, it all started.
Dmitry Levitsky
The well-known Moscow restaurateur Dmitry Levitsky has been in the industry for almost two decades, and his career began, as he himself says, by chance: in 1998, as a student, he got a job as a bartender at T.G.I. Fridays, where a friend called him. At first, Dmitry perceived this as a temporary part-time job, but in the end he gained experience and became eager to open his own restaurant. After graduating from high school, he put his idea aside for a while and began working in retail businesses. In 2002, together with partners, he opened a consulting company - at first they taught retail, then they added a restaurant direction. Getting back on his feet financially, Dmitry returned to his idea and opened the first restaurant. Now he is the owner of the HURMA Management Group, which includes the network of bars-restaurants "Darling, I'll call you back ...", Meat Puppets bar & meatarea, the VIN "V" UD restaurant and others.
Role played by: Dmitry Levitsky
Alexander Zilinsky
Sasha hosts a culinary program on a cable TV channel in St. Petersburg. She has been figure skating for 5 years and can perform complex elements even in the kitchen! In addition, he enjoys karate, plays chess.
For a sparkling sense of humor, powerful energy and, above all, for sincerity. And now the charismatic judge quite frankly spoke not only about the novelties and behind the scenes of the 8th season, but also about the personal. How does Dmitry manage to be successful in all areas of life? How does he spend his leisure time with his daughter? And why did he decide to break off relations with his girlfriend? Read in an exclusive interview with stb.ua.
Already in the midst of filming the 8th season of MasterChef, and soon the premiere release. Did you manage to take a break between the seasons? How did you recuperate and get inspired?
As always, right after the end of the season, I went to Georgia. It is at this time that my daughter has a birthday, so I am always there in May. And then, in June, when we had a weekend between filming season 8, I traveled around Italy, I was in five cities and, in fact, I was inspired there.
Tell us about the new season of MasterChef? What do you plan to impress the audience with?
There will be even more cooking in the new season! We also decided that this year we will load the participants even more. After all, this is already the 8th season of MasterChef, and for so much time Ukraine has become more aware of both the project and what we are preparing. That is why we strive to give people a lot of cooking.
Which season do you like more: children, teens or adults?
It was interesting to work with children, but emotionally it was hard. In addition, it was my debut as a judge of a cooking show. And now I am associated in society as a judge directly of the children's "MasterChef". I even have the majority of Instagram followers are children between the ages of 10 and 15.
Have you managed to establish friendly relations with any of the participants? Perhaps you continue to communicate after filming?
I communicate with, the winner of the 7th season of MasterChef. In season 8, I also communicate with another participant, he visited my institution several times. I am impressed by his lifestyle, he is a very interesting person, interesting for his independence, freedom from some everyday moments.
Remember some funny moments from the filming of the 8th season of MasterChef. What interesting things happened on the site?
There was one funny situation at the exit competition, when we had to go to the participants on bicycles. And when everyone was already standing in their places, my chain flew off, because the bike was too big. So what, I had to slide my feet on the asphalt to get to the participants.
And on the same day she got off the bike and stood with her back to the cameras. She did not immediately understand where to turn. And it was very funny: we turned in one direction, and Tanya turned in the opposite direction. A bit out of touch with the area.
How do you manage to combine the work of a restaurateur and a MasterChef judge? How to stay successful on multiple fronts?
Well, it seems to me that success is quite predictable from the side of partnership with other people. Of course, if I had no partners, then everything would be different. By the way, with them I will participate in one of the competitions on the project. We invite either partners or close people to the competition, where the participants will impress us with their skills.
How does a cook manage to be in such good shape?
In fact, I don’t go to the gym, I don’t like it. But I work out in the morning at home, I try to move a lot and keep track of what and how much I eat.
Are you cooking for yourself? And what cuisine do you prefer?
For myself, I do not cook because of lack of time and, in fact, desire. Why cook for yourself? You need to cook for people who can enjoy your work. As for the cuisine, I like Asian cuisine, otherwise I would have had a different establishment.
Dmitry Gorovenko with his daughter Elya, ex-wife and her husband (Photo from the personal archive of Dmitry Gorovenko)
Tell us about your daughter Elya, whom you call only a little princess. Does she enjoy cooking like you do?
Yes, she is a little fond of cooking, but so far it is for her as an opportunity to switch from one, say, game to another. She willingly participates in this, she can mold some tricky things out of dough. She likes to make pizza and pasta with her mom. Once we cooked tiramisu together. She plays this game with pleasure!
How often do you manage to see and communicate with Elya, because she lives far away, in Georgia?
We communicate quite often. Now it is not so difficult, because there are many ways to communicate, social networks and so on. Eli has a phone, she writes to me, sends a photo. Personally, I visit them in the spring, but I stay for a long time, about a month. Last year, for example, I was there for two and a half months. As soon as I have the opportunity, I try to spend time with my daughter.
Activity: chef, TV presenter
Date of Birth: June 26, 1983
SignhOdiaca: Cancer
Place of Birth: Sevastopol (Ukraine)
Height: 182 cm
Tags: ,
Family status: divorced
Dmitry Gorovenko- culinary reality show judge MasterChef on STB channel
Gorovenko joined the project in 2017 and became a MasterChef judge along with the show's old-timers Hector Jimenez-Bravo and Tatyana Litvinova.
Dmitry Gorovenko is a chef with 20 years of experience.
Dmitry Gorovenko was born on June 26, 1983, originally from Sevastopol. He wanted to become a chef after, at the age of 7, he was impressed by the spectacular slicing of cucumbers by his neighbor in the country. He graduated from 9 classes, after which he studied culinary art at a culinary school, and then went to conquer the capital.
The young chef first worked on the sidelines in the famous Kyiv restaurants "Egoist", "Concorde" and "Marrokana", then went to study in Moscow, from where he returned as a ready-made chef. Gorovenko's first solo success was the City-cafe "7 Fridays" restaurant. Gorovenko's work was highly appreciated by experts and he was included in the list of the top 25 best chefs in Ukraine according to the Focus magazine. At that time, he was the youngest participant in the rating, he was 26 years old.
Gorovenko worked closely with the Kyiv-based Russian restaurateur Dima Borisov and was involved in the development of cuisine in many of his establishments. The author's style of Dmitry Gorovenko marks the cuisine of such establishments as "Badger", "Sheep Hunting", "L'opera", "Daily fish cafe" and others.
The latest brainchild of the chef is the pan-Asian restaurant Mai Satai, which opened in the summer of 2018 in Kyiv on Vozdvizhenka. Now it is one of the most popular establishments in Kyiv.
Gorovenko joined the MasterChef team in 2017 and was a judge of the MasterChef project. Children, replacing the restaurateur Nikolai Tishchenko.
On August 28, 2018 Dmitry Gorovenko returned to the duties of a MasterChef project judge. The 8th season of the culinary reality show starts on the STB channel. You can also watch MasterChef online at No Taboo.
In the second season of the children's culinary show on STB, Dmitry Gorovenko joined. Before that, we had not seen him on television, although in culinary terms, the judge "MasterChef Kids-2" has a great track record.
"Sometimes you have to restrain yourself not to cry"
- Dmitry, before "MasterChef Kids" you did not participate in television projects. How has television changed you?
Life has changed. Popularity is growing by leaps and bounds. Working in the kitchen and on television are two different paths. Television is a completely different job that I enjoy very much.
- Do you like popularity?
She doesn't bother me. I don't close myself off from people who want to take a picture, just talk or ask a question. I try to be open.
- Do you like yourself in the frame?
I don't like everything. I look through all the issues and work on myself. I don't always like the way I talk, the way I hold my hands, the way I behave. I do special exercises for facial muscles in order to speak beautifully and clearly.
- Children are not adults, their tears are more difficult to deal with. How do you do it?
You have to comfort. I am a rather sentimental person, sometimes you have to restrain yourself so as not to cry.
- Watching the participants, do you think many can become chefs?
Not everyone can become a chef, because organizational skills are needed. And working in the kitchen is hell. This is a very difficult path, and you need to understand that you will have to step over your ambitions more than once.
"The way to my heart is through understanding"
They say the way to a man's heart is through his stomach. And where is the path to the heart of the chef?
This is a social metaphor that has taken root well with us. I don't agree with her. And the way to my heart is through understanding.
- When did you prepare the first dish?
I laid the first table for my family on New Year's Eve. It was already at the age of 16-17 years. Basically, the dishes were plain - Olivier, for example. But there were also "Khreshchatyk" zrazy - few people know about them, but I always liked them.
At home, I was not particularly allowed to cook food. There was no such thing that I watched how my grandmother or mother cooks. As a child, I loved to eat delicious food.
- Why did not allow - did not trust?
No, that's not the point. It’s just that there were principles in the family that only the grandmother cooks, only she is responsible for it. Naturally, I helped. Dumplings, for example, were sculpted by the whole family. And when my grandmother baked pies, I was allowed to knead the dough.
Cooked for Pierre Richard and De-Phazz
- There is an opinion that chefs do not cook at home. How are you?
I love what I do. Therefore, it does not matter where I am - on a project, in a restaurant, at home, in nature. Of course, cooking for yourself is less interesting than cooking for someone else. But I cook at home quite often. And it is at home that I like to experiment with tastes.
- Do you cook borscht?
Happens. But I bake borscht. The original Ukrainian technique of cooking borscht is in the oven, in ceramic dishes. I don't have a wood burning stove at home. Therefore, I bake in a ceramic pot in a conventional oven.
- I wonder if you eat at fast food restaurants?
We are all human (laughs). But there is a difference between what and where to eat. The street food has gotten a lot better though. Look at the same kiosks with shawarma. If earlier there was a greasy uncle standing there, now the shawarma sellers are wearing gloves, they do not take food with their hands. It is clear that the products there are of low quality, but they are not badly prepared.
What celebrity have you cooked for?
For the pianist Keiko Matsui, Pierre Richard, the group De-Phazz ("De Phaz")... I was fully responsible for their meals during the tour and stay in Kyiv. Cesaria Evora is generally a separate issue. I admired her creativity. And I had to feed her twice. Once in Kyiv, the second - in Odessa.
"I Have a Lady"
- You are a very well-groomed and stylish person. Do you consider yourself a metrosexual?
Rather yes than no. Based on this issue, a metrosexual is a person who takes care of himself more than it should be. And a normal man is one whose nails are not cut, his hands are cracked, his fingers are hardened ... And if a man does not have all this, then this is already a metrosexual.
I go to salons, I get my hair cut, I shave, I have a beautician. All this is necessary to recover after filming. You need to take care of yourself. It's just self love.
- Do you have a lover?
Yes, I have a lady with whom we spend time together.
- She is not jealous of your fans?
No. She understands the nature of my work.
ABOUT DAUGHTER
- Your daughter Eleanor is 8. Does she cook?
Ella is cooking. I don't think she wants to be a professional cook. Sometimes he works with the dough, sometimes he bakes something with me, sometimes he helps. For her, it's more of a food game.
What is your daughter's hobby?
Learns several languages. Dancing, singing, drawing. She probably enjoys drawing the most.
- Are you a strict dad?
No. I'll tell, explain, try to interest. Such a kind teacher who gives the child the opportunity to make his own decisions.
FROM THE "KP" DOSSIER
Dmitry Gorovenko is a culinary specialist with 19 years of experience working with French, Italian, Mediterranean and Pan-Asian cuisines. He is the developer of many well-known Ukrainian and foreign restaurant projects.
RECIPE
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Easter cupcake
This cupcake is the main dish for every big holiday in the family of Dmitry Gorovenko. Dmitry's grandmother cooked it not only for Easter, but for all traditional feasts and called it "early cupcake".
Ingredients: 1 cup of milk, 2 eggs, 1.5 cups of sugar, 1 cup of thick jam (according to Dima, cherry is the tastiest), a pinch of salt, 1 tsp. without a slide of cinnamon, 1 tsp. soda, a couple of glasses of flour.
Preparation: Mix all ingredients. Depending on the quality of the flour, it may need a different amount. As a result, the dough should be the consistency of thick sour cream. Pour the dough into a mold and bake at a temperature of 180 degrees for 30-40 minutes. Check readiness with a wooden skewer.
Dmitry Gorovenko, the brand chef of the Dima Borisov restaurant group, is now one of the most sought-after professionals in the industry. met with him, talking about the gastronomic situation in Ukraine, edible flowers and impressions of Asian haute cuisine.
Tell me, when will the generation of Ukrainian chefs form, how, for example, did the generation of Scandinavian chefs form recently? And does our society really need it?
This is a process of some kind of globalization. I think that this will happen in the best case in 15 years.
Optimistic forecast!
Yes, I was just recently in the countries of the first world, where subway cars travel without drivers and air conditioners work even in underground passages. But we all adopt recipes from all over the world, probably because the nation is poor.
They think that their own is worse than someone else's.
Yes, the bottom line is: our business owner who opens a new place, first of all, thinks about how to make money, and not about the image of his restaurant. If these two points are interchanged, then everything will immediately fall into place. Then the chefs will start to develop. Then the owner of the restaurant will think about what this chef can do, what he knows.
Once we stop thinking about making money...
Then we will start thinking about the cult of food, about perception, remember how it was, what it was, about some authentic things, the cult of visiting restaurants. This should be done with my children. Now children need to start instilling the habit of going to restaurants, choosing the right products. This is a process that comes from above. We have a person with an average income, who can afford to drink beer once a week, comes to such an institution and thinks: why beer costs 25 hryvnia, and across the street - 10.
I don't think our people are that...
So... It's only in Kyiv that people understand why such a price. And if you take the periphery, then there is so much. I was recently in Lugansk, where I constantly encountered this. Although it seemed the city is rather big and there are financial resources there. But there are two strata of society: the poor and the rich, there are no middle strata at all. Our chefs may be ready to give some product, but there is no one to give it to. The rich do not need it and it is incomprehensible, and the middle class, which we want to teach, is not yet ready for this.
So this is a social problem!
This is a social problem for sure. This is not a problem of a particular restaurant or a particular owner. Next moment. Six months ago, I caught a student who came to work with us. I needed to urgently find out what program they have now and I asked him three questions. He did not answer three questions. Then I asked him three questions from a program I had plus or minus 13 years ago. He answered them for me. Nothing changed. Thirteen years have passed. The program has remained the same. Where are we heading? It turns out that some people are moving forward, doing something, and the training program remains the same. There is an organization Association of Chefs once in Kyiv, and now in Ukraine. She does nothing. In my opinion, the organization should be engaged in the selection of personnel. What is the difficulty on such a fertile land as ours, to grow lettuce, basil, dill, parsley. Well, dill-parsley is, well, cherry tomatoes are familiar and understandable to everyone. There are no complications. It just needs to be done. No one does this in our country and all such products are imported from abroad. From Israel, Holland - it's stupid! Once, with my partner Valery Pasechnik, I talked with the head of the Association about the possibility of raising personnel and obtaining accreditation. And we are told openly: "We will not earn money on this." It all happens from above, not at our level. At the level of those people who are business owners, who can, but do not want to do it.
But you and your fellow culinary enthusiasts can create such a gastronomically friendly space.
By the way, we are now thinking about creating some kind of non-profit structure for training personnel.
How is the El Bulli Foundation with Ferran Adria?
Yes Yes Yes! You can't find a good boss these days. We are all in pursuit of money. A man comes and says: "I want to earn three thousand hryvnias." The question arises: "What can you do?" "Nothing." Conditionally. Of course, he won’t say that, but you begin to understand that a person is not worth this money, but he already says that he will earn it. Well, you can understand it. 3 thousand hryvnias is not money, you can’t actually live on them, but he doesn’t know anything. And there is nothing to blame a person for!
We are all used to doing everything with the prefix under.
Yes! And one moment. High cuisine restaurants. All establishments that declare themselves as such with us are pseudo-restaurants. After a trip to Asia, I can say this with 100% certainty.
Where exactly have you been in Asia?
In Indonesia, Singapore and Malaysia. We open a restaurant: first they make a platform, such an "outdoor candy", and then they start to make a kitchen. Abroad, everything is completely different. I know why a restaurant can afford to be closed on Monday, pre-booking and so on. Were in a restaurant in Singapore called the Tippling Club. Its chef and co-owner is one of the top 100 chefs in the world. There is no outer shell at all...
Just a chair and table?
Chair and table! And the kitchen is where the magic happens. The restaurant is full of people, you need to sign up there. They have a day off on Monday, etc., etc. Now the question is why: here everything is aimed at making money, they have it too, but of secondary importance. There, first they offer the guest a product, explain why this is so, and then they take money from him for this service. First they take money from us, and then they provide a service. A restaurant of this level cannot afford to invite a guest just from the street. After all, the dishes that are prepared there, they are prepared within two to three hours. It takes three hours to feed a group of ten people. Therefore, you need to sign up and come at a certain time. Hence the understanding of molecular cuisine. The product takes so long to cook to be correct and tasty that in order to cook it you need a) time, b) everything is reversed. Here in the hall put a chair and a table, and where the magic happens, create a laboratory.
Does a chef need to learn or is it enough to be an amateur chef and an enthusiast?
Both one option and the second option are possible. At the moment, I would create some kind of school of cooks to get accreditation.
Do you mean work license?
Yes, and also an analogue of a diploma, which says that he graduated from such and such an enterprise and it is accredited, has the right to issue some kind of document and this document has some weight in society. We don't have anything like that right now. There is or was the School of Nikolai Tishchenko. But she doesn't give anything. You can just say that you graduated from such and such a school. But abroad it has no weight. Returning to the question, I would mix knowledge. The knowledge that chefs now receive, they are needed by 30%.
Do you mean Ukrainian universities?
Yes, yes, we don’t even have culinary institutions. There is no higher school of culinary arts. There is no institution that would produce chefs, not cooks. This is a controversial issue, because the chef can get his knowledge only by working with people, with the product. You can release a cook with the knowledge of cutting leaves. And you can release a cook with knowledge of deeper matters. Chemistry, for example. This is very necessary. For molecular gastronomy, for example.
Especially with your approach using molecular gastronomy to decorate dishes.
Yes! Now, for example, the chemistry that is taught in vocational schools is not taught at the level at which a cook needs it. This is the first, and the second - the cook does not yet understand why he needs chemistry in the kitchen.
That's why he studies it badly!
Speaking of theory and practice, do you read books about gastronomy, the same Herve This?
I do not read, I rather perceive food by taste and smell, even visually. I am interested in reading only if it is something short and capacious. By the way, now I am looking for a person with knowledge who would cross his knowledge of chemistry and my knowledge of this science. After all, I am one of those people who, while studying, did not understand why I needed chemistry. This is not even a teacher, it should be a person who will be interested in it just like me.
Would you like to get a diploma from some prestigious culinary university?
Yes, I can say that I continue to study, read, watch, try.
What is your favorite culinary technique right now?
There is such a position - edible flowers. I am currently studying this topic. This is what is interesting to me now. I study the beneficial properties of such flowers and their combination with food.
To what extent can flowers in our country be edible?
Quite. You can also grow them. These are flowers of products that are very clear to us: flowers of zucchini, cucumbers. Consider these two options: first there is a flower, and then it blooms, blooms and a small zucchini appears, which then grows, and the flower fades. It turns out that you need to interrupt the process: you do not receive a product, but you receive a flower.
Oh yes, these wonderful recipes with stuffed zucchini flowers!
And stuffed with nasturtium flowers. Not all flowers have the same situation as with zucchini. He needs that product, and that one. Probably, in most cases, our people need a zucchini, rather than a flower.
But with decorative flowers you need to be careful. I know that violets are all edible.
Yes, that is right. More pansies, clover, nasturtiums. Cucumber flower.
Carnation!
Yes, but you have to be careful there. You can eat flowers of a certain variety and only petals. More gladioli. Cornflowers.
But flowers can only be an accent, right?
Yes and no. There will never be a violet salad, but you can take lettuce leaves and try to mix them with flowers.
