Chefs in Europe

I’m 36. I was born in Italy, in Roncade, which is not far from Venice. My professional path began when I was a child. My family was always good at cooking. My father worked at a restaurant, and when I was six I started helping him at weekends with such big events as weddings and christening parties. At that age I already knew what I would do in the future. Then I studied for 5 years in the Hotel Business School in Italy and got Professional Chef Diploma. Then for two years I worked and trained in Dubai in a 5-start hotel Le Meridien Forte Grand, which at that period had already been named Best Airport Hotel Worldwide, and Italian restaurant of which had been already acknowledged as the best Italian restaurant abroad.

I was born 1978. I’ve been working as a cook for 12 years. I think it’s my vocation. My parents were totally against this, but I chose this path all the same. I’ve made the whole way from a cook’s helper to a chef and worked as a cook, head cook, sous-chef and became a chef in the end. In other words, I know my job inside and out. Contrary to young cooks: they start working as cook apprentice, work for 5 years and think they are professionals. But one shall try to walk the whole path.

I’m 40. For 25 years, I’ve been working as a cook of different cuisines. After 10 years of my career, I became an executive chef at a small hotel. I looked for jobs in newspapers from time to time and I found one — “Kitchen Commis”. That job status was more significant than the job description I had. I decided to change my job. Meaning from “Executive Chef” to “Kitchen Commis”. I thought it was a break point of my carrier. But I was wrong. I worked just in a breakfast department for 1.5 years. I felt like a vampire at the end of these 1.5 years.

I’m 33. I’ve been working as a cook for 14 years. In Klarabara restaurant I’ve been working since 2003 with small breaks. I became a cook thanks to my parents. When I went to school, my mother noticed that I liked cooking, and decided to put me on this way. All children reveal interest to certain things. I liked to cook at home. For example, I fried potatoes by myself and decorated it, and my mother decided that I could be a cook.

I’m 52, and I remember those dormitories. I’ve been involved with the kitchen for 34 years. Deeply involved. And I don’t regret about this. After all, my father worked as a cook for more than 50 years! By the way, my son has been cooking for more than 10 years as well. So, I can say that we are cooks by birth. I try to avoid any preferences. I try to cook and teach others to cook so that our work can bring happiness and pleasure to people. So that people coming to our café feel homey and gladly come to us again.

I’m 28. I’ve been working in Tantuni business since 1999 and I’ve been a chef for the last 7 years . I always talk to my customers so there is no distance between customers and me. I treat them as a friend in Kadikoy Tantuni that’s why the work is always a fun. But the most interesting moment was about my mistake when I was cooking. Instead of oil I put some juice in tantuni by accident. Although I put the wrong ingredient I didn’t realize it. After I served it, the customers understood my mistake, but they ignored it because we are like friends with customers. They just wanted to be kind. I cannot forget their faces when they were eating :)

Just today I’ve turned 36. You’ve got on my birthday. I’ve been working in a restaurant business for 20 years. I dreamt of being a sailor and attended Young Sailor Club when I was a child. But I never studied, as I couldn’t find maritime college in Kiev. My father advised me to study for a cook. I entered training school, and I liked it a lot. I was the best among the students of my year, and right after I passed my exams I started working at a young pioneer camp. I was only 15 then. Young pioneer camp is a very good place to learn. We had to do everything by ourselves: from separating carcasses to baking.

I’m 54. I’ve been working as a cook for 9 years. My milestone is chef at café “Centaur” I worked as a cook for several years right after I finished school, as I liked to cook since childhood. But I had to change my occupation. I tried a range of professions until I finally understood that cooking is my lifework. My favourite cuisine is Ukrainian, because it’s close to me since childhood. Moreover, I took over some traditions from my mother and grandmother.

I’m 29, and I’ve been a cook since 2000. But actually it would be more correct to say that since I was a child. When I was a child, our family somehow got two sacks of flavour. My mother doesn’t bake, so the flavor remained untouched for a long period of time. I was curious and started kind of testing it: kneaded dough and tried to bake something. At first, I didn’t manage well, but every time it was better and better. Then I started exchange recipes with my mother’s friends. At school, I ‘bought’ my marks at exams with cakes. I didn’t want to study, at that time I already knew that it was not for me. That’s why I baked a cake and brought it to a teacher, and got a good mark.

I’m 28. I was working as a barman in a restaurant, when the Japanese cuisine became popular in our country. I decided I wanted to make classy sushi and went to Kiev, where I became an apprentice of a Japanese sushi master Yoshi. My apprenticeship reminded Hollywood thrillers of 1990s, where the main protagonist goes to a guru of martial arts in the heart of Tibet. But My Tibet was in Kiev.