Daria Grositskaya

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.

I spent my childhood in Kharkiv. This is a big industrial city. But for me it will be always a native piece of land, which allowed my ambitious fantasies to grow and gave me an opportunity to become a personality.

It might be hard to believe, but when I was 10, I already cooked by myself. It was not because, there was nobody else to do it. I just really enjoyed selecting and combining tastes, aromas and textures. My so-called masterpieces were edible, all other characteristics, of course, can be assessed taking into consideration maximalism and lack of knowledge.

That’s how unwittingly I managed to learn, idle to a certain extent and cook.

When it was time to choose my profession, I didn’t even think about cooking. I was sure that everyone could cook. Do you remember Marshak’s rhyme: “my mother is a cook, so what’s the  big deal?” And as every serious and modern girl I was planning to become a student of “brides’” faculty – to learn foreign languages in the Teacher’s University.

But I’m sure there are creators of our fate somewhere. And those of mine decided to interfere immediately. Almost on the eve of my entrance exams, one friendly telephone conversation made me change my mind. When I put the phone down, I was 100% sure I would learn culinary skills, take notes about techniques of creating dishes and chop kilos of onion. And know what? I’ve never regretted about this.

The degree with honours, my heart full of enthusiasm and greedy fire in my eyes. Only in one month after I had finish my studying I became a chef assistant. I was very surprised to find out that my studying didn’t stop. On the contrary, that very moment, my true universities started.  It was hard, but interesting and cool!

I’m persistent, but not stubborn. Perhaps, this is what helped me to plunge into a vortex of TV adventures. Hellish Kitchen Show was a test of a spirit, stamina, firmness, and only then of professional skills. And I passed it. Am I proud? Sure I am! I deserved that victory.

I don’t think I would like to be a host of a culinary TV show or to have a blog, which is a modern trend now. Real-life relations are very important for me. And I like to get critics and not only praise from my guests. At home and in the restaurant I’m both a chief director and an actress on a kitchen stage. This artistic adrenaline can’t be compared with anything else and it motivates me to make discoveries, inventions and experiments.

Yes, I keep trying something new. Italy, Georgia and, of course, Ukraine are countries with unique and stylish gastronomic history. I cook their dishes with great pleasure. I like combination of colours, smells and mixture of tastes, which cuisines of these countries have so many of. But in general I can cook everything. I’m a very loyal and brave chef.

For our shooting, we will cook ravioli nero with salmon in cheese sauce and truffle paste, risotto with white mushrooms and scallop and dorado with vegetable tagliatelle. All dishes are favourite of the Under Wonder customers.