Olga Martynovskaya

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.

I’m 25, I graduated from Agrarian University, and my specialization is International Management. I worked as a clerk in a bank, as a tour guide for the students of the university, had different internships in France: the champagne production, viticulture, production and processing of dairy products, floristry, I was the waitress, I studied at the French University at the Faculty of Philology … I had always been in a move. That’s why I don’t have so much of cooking experience. It’s tiny, but shiny.

The official start of my culinary history is October 13, 2013, when I became the winner of the cooking show Master Chef Ukraine. So now I still can not rightfully be called a ‘professional’, I should still grow and grow to reach this status, I have a lot to learn, make mistakes, learn again…. But it does not scare me at all. When I’d came to the Master Chef kitchen for the first time, I felt that I have finally found my place, and that I made the right choice leaving work and study in France. I have not stopped being curious, fast learner and always try to do better. I’m focused on conquering the highest culinary peaks and I will do all my best to set this goal. And my biggest helper in this case for me is my great love to my work and my beloved people. Parents infused me with love and warmth from the early childhood, this love is always in me, with me, and now it’s time to share that love with others. Someone expresses his feelings song or poem, with painting or dance… And I’m doing this with a dish.

My mother cooks simple but very tasty food. I remember I had asked her to teach me to cook soup and bread. But Mom told me that she would teach me everything when I get married, and while I’m young I should enjoy myself! So, the kitchen door was almost closed for me. The desire to get closer to the stove came back to me only when I first came to France. There I fell in love with the food, food culture, and realized that I’d became dependent on it, that it does have meter, what and when to eat. That’s how I began to read, to learn more about this mysterious world of cooking, culinary arts. My circle of contacts changed; there were more and more cooks, chefs, pastry chefs among friends. At some point, and again I felt the confusion and doubt whether it was time for me to come back home, what should I do in this life, how to be… And at this moment «Master Chef» entered in my life. That’s how, by chance, I was trapped into the magical world of cooking.

French cuisine always was and remains today my favourite. As a little child been teaching to walk, so I was tough to cook by French chefs — step by step, little by little. It was love at first meal, and I truly believe that this feeling is mutual. There is no product, which I could say that I do not like. I love everything. I love everything homemade. When the product was originally grown with the care and love, it just can’t not to be good. I also love to cook everything. I’m, by the way, still not sure who’s living in me – chef or pastry-cook. My favorite fruit is passion fruit. One good friend once told me that it’s just like me, and she even calls me like this — Passion Fruit.

My hobby has always been sports. It’s the way I’m having rest, cite my thoughts in order, reboot. I love to read, I prefer novels. I’ve graduated the piano music school. But my favorite hobby is beekeeping. The magical world of tiny creatures that do a great job! If I haven’t became a chef, then I would certainly become the beekeeper.

The most important and most difficult goal to achieve for me is to find my purpose in life. The place where you will feel yourself necessary, where you will always stay comfortable. Like everyone, I was plagued by the question — «What is the meaning of life?». And when I realized that it’s all about just be happy, everything became so clear. I wholeheartedly want to wish everyone just to be happy. And the Happiness is … well everyone has it’s own meaning of it!

It was really hard for me to pick the dish which I want to treat you. I had though about lots of fine dining delights and haute cuisine dishes in my head. But I’ve stopped at the simple one, because I believe that the hardest thing, the force is in the simplicity! Simplicity is the perfect word to describe me. I want to introduce to your attention and aesthetic pleasure «Tomato chess”, Fruit Carpaccio, and Baba with mint syrup. Paul Bocuse said something like: «How difficult it is to be simple!». And such kind of difficulty is very close for me.