Kyiv, Ukraine

I'm Anastasiya Holoborodko, food journalist, author of blog on healthy food spoon.com.ua, food-editor at bit.ua, nogibogi.com.ua, student and host of culinary workshops, modern gastronomist and a very enthusiastic person. My childhood was far from glamour everyday life of city ladies. Small Ismail town, where my family still lives, frozen in its semi-city development. Quiet and cozy as granny's kitchen, it even used to play a significant role in history. I like Ismail for its diverse gastronomic melody. Just imagine: Turkish, Bulgarian and Romanian cuisine, endless curving vineyards and fluffy sheep-walks... I am so inspired by my native town that I can keep on talking and talking about it. But this is not the point.

A woman in the kitchen, a woman and a kitchen - these notions are very comfortable and familiar for everyone. Creation of food has been always something magical and ritual. But at the same time, technique, accuracy and calculation are parts of multilayered gastronomic puzzle. Could I imagine that selection of products and creation of dishes will become the business of my life? No and yes. I will tell you, how I - Daria Grositskaya - became a chef at Under Wonder.

My meadow is endless! And I keep discovering new wonderful horizons, flavours and accept new challenges. Can't help being so curious. I just can't get enough: knowledge, experience, emotions. I love to learn and love to teach. Or even rather share myself than teach. It is so cool, when you see how your colleges, friends, finally children grow. And you don’t just stand nearby – you help them, direct and contribute. This is how I see my mission. My name is Yuriy Chernous. And despite my age specified in the passport, I'm a boy who has dedicated all his life to the art of cooking.

You are what you eat. This is a well-known axiom. Eating fresh food prepared with high-quality products and proper techniques is a valuable donation to a healthy life. But you can do even more for your wellness. Dishes made with love and knowledge are trendy in our restaurants today. That is why I am spreading a raw food philosophy, with its ancient roots and modern interpretation. I am Vladimir Stukotin, a raw chef. I would not say I am unique. But still a rare sample!

My name is Yan Nguyen. I’m happy to live and create in a city of chestnuts and endless quays of the blue-grey Dnipro River. Did I dream about becoming a chef in a cap? Of course, not! I was an ordinary mischievous guy full of brilliant ideas. I was as mischievous as a monkey. But I always knew what I wanted. I wanted to dance. And my life was for a long time connected with the art of movement. This is definitely my element. And thoughts about food and its creation were mainly shaped in my crazy head by bright images from my childhood.

I was born on 26 May 1980 in Kyiv. And although 34 years have passed, I can still clearly remember, when I decided to become a Chef. I was always amazed with how my father cooked, and although cook profession was considered women’s one at that time, in the 7th grade I was 100% sure that I would learn to become the best chef. My parents say my first attempts to cook something were quite successful, but perhaps they, like all other parents, wanted to support and inspire me.

My name is Olga Martynovskaya. I teach culinary arts at the Culinary Academy of Hector Jimenez Bravo, but I’m better known as the winner of the third season of the Ukrainian version of the Master Chef. I was born on September 2, 1989 in the small village Yuryevka, Ukraine, in a family of teacher and beekeeper. My childhood was very happy: fun, carefree, with lots of sun, air and games with the other kids. I enjoyed tree climbing and running. Mother used to call me «windy» — the fidget one… One of my mother’s favorite memories from my childhood is when I was 4.5 years old, and some guys from high school asked me, mocking: «Olga, do you know where babies come from?» — «I’ve learned where they come from for long time ago” – I said, — “but where did the very first person came from is still a mystery for me!». From an early age and till now my disadvantage and advantage in the meantime is curiosity, which I feel absolutely always and about everything that surrounds me. Parents never forced me to do something that I didn’t want. I was a freedom-loving child, and remained the same now. I wanted to become a doctor, but later changed my mind and confused in choosing a profession.

At school wanted to be an actress, a stuardess, a pilot… I ended up as the student of Kiev’s Hotel management College in 1991, Public Catering Department. I got my first job as waitress in 1993 in Casino Club First (Intourist Hotel – these days – President Hotel Kievskiy). From that time I understood for myself – I like serving people. To serve people! Not to be their servant! Any way I do prefer the verb – “to take care of guest”. It was bar there, I had started to help bartenders, and fell in love with it. I had great teacher mentors like John Siao, Peter Norton, Steve Kelly who inspired me to become a bartender at first place.

’ve been cooking since I was about 8, I remember I was already in the second grade and my parents began to go on tour with the theatre very often, and I stayed at home with friends of my mum, babysitters and relatives. But my main friends were neighbours in a communal flat, in the very old area of Kiev — Podol. I enjoyed meeting them in the shared kitchen. There I realized that domestic work and food could cheer me up. I’m 35 now, and I enjoy washing my floor, doing hand washing and spreading condensed milk and raspberry jam on waffle cakes. When I was in drama school in the UK, I couldn’t afford lunches in a canteen and I cooked pasta with herbs, thai rice and soup. During lunchtime I took out my lunch box and ate what I cooked — it was funny, but everyone thought I was posh, cool and had very picky eating habits. My path to the professional kitchen led through the kitchen sink.

I’m 30. I’ve been working in a restaurant business for 11 years, 7 of which as a chef. Now I work at SEREBRO (Silver) Restaurant & Music Bar. This place is dear to me, because here I can bring into life my most outstanding culinary fantasies, and our guests like it. The first time I got to the kitchen, when my father worked at one of the metropolitan restaurants. He wanted to occupy me with something and offered to work at one of the simplest processes. I was responsible for peeling and cutting vegetables. That’s how it all started… With time, I started taking interest in products, technology of cooking and combination of taste. For 4 years I worked in «my» first restaurant, I was involved in all the processes and I made my way from a person dealing with vegetables to sous chef. It was a really huge experience…