Odessa, Ukraine

One can think that Pizza&Grill has only pizza and grill food – similar to famous world Burger & Lobster chain, where you can eat everything provided it is burger or lobster. But despite its simple name, I work at Pizza&Grill in Odessa, and I specialise in a completely different food. My name is Ruslan Vycherov. I’m a Pastry Chef in the above mentioned chain in the city, where people still dry their clothes on ropes in yards of the central streets. And they shall be definitely multicoloured. This is Odessa!

Victoria: I was born in May 1987 in my beloved Odessa. Since childhood food has been meant a lot for me. My dad was an excellent cook, and my mother always liked to “invent” something delicious, and surprise us. I have never had any problems like «fried onions», «fish», «greens», and so on, which are usually children have. I ate everything that was cooked deliciously. The food was not just a meal in our family. It was with sense; it was varied and beautiful. Anna: I was born in winter, January 1, 1988, here, in Odessa. I spent my childhood in a beautiful house with a large shady garden. My grandmother always had the goal «To feed Anna the best and healthy everything,» and I carefully hid meatballs from my soup, hoping not been exposed. I loved my mom’s adventures in cooking much more: rose-shape cookies with rose jam topping; three-layer ice cream cake, decorated with mulberries, we have gathered together, coming back from the beach; crunchy mini-toasts with colored herring butter. My mother always had unusual game approach to cooking and eating.

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’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 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.

White bunches of acacia blossom, hot dirty sand, dazzling summer sun and a crowd of grubby boys running and jumping into green waves of the endless Black Sea. There's me, Lyosha Shvets, among them. I'm 5, and I'm happy. Today, I've jumped from the pier and cooked lunch for the first time. It was a real lunch, just like mother cooked. Like an expert, I pierced puffy sides of extremely hot potato with a tiny, partially burnt match, and I was happy. Potato steamed and smelled extremely tempting. I couldn't even imagine then, how many magnificent aromas, tastes and textures I would discover in the future. I was 5 and that was the first time I cooked on my own.

I was born and grew up in the most magnificent city in the world, which I could have never left. And I’m happy about this. I’m Viktor Prodanov, Odessa resident by birth, professional navigator and chef at the restaurant with a European name. When I look back, I can see adventures, different events, loud parties and friendly holidays. I grew up in a big family. I’ve got two brothers and two sisters - and it’s almost a football team. But our mother managed to bring us up obedient and honest. Support and mutual trust are very important. When I decided not to be a ship captain, not to waste my life to earn huge income spending half of the year at sea, my family was really surprised. But they didn’t condemn or reprimand me. They supported my decision. It was hard. It was reckless. But they are proud of me now. And I’m proud of my family in return. I was 7 when I cooked my first dish. I wanted to make a surprise and to try myself. I’ve got curiosity and passion in my blood. I cooked Kharcho soup then and can still remember that flavorous hot red mixture glowing in plates. I was triumphant.

I’m 31. I’ve been a cook for 13 years, and I enjoy it a lot. Destiny has chosen this path for me and I’m happy to follow it. I’ve been working in Pomodoro since it was founded. Previously, I worked for about 6 or 7 years in other places of this chain. I like the attitude to the staff, the owners of the restaurant are attentive and understanding. They are always involved. And I like to have a free hand for creative work. This is inspiring. Initially it was a mere accident that I became a student at the Food Industry Technical College, and later at the Academy of Food. At that period I understood that it was my destiny. I got involved in cooking and I liked that. And I also liked making people happy.

It doesn't matter, how old you are, if you're not satisfied with your life. I'm glad I live grateful and smiling. I live with what I do and fill it with love. I'm sure, my guests can feel it, and they eagerly rely on my culinary experiments again. My name is Nikolay Truba. I'm a real Odessan, cheerful and young. Don't ask me about my age. I'm proud of my Soviet childhood, perestroika-era formation and amazing opportunities of the present time.