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I was born and grew up in the city of Alma-Ata, Kazakhstan. I spent my childhood in a sunny, high mountain city, surrounded by apple gardens of Zailiyskiy Alatau. Smell of apple blossom, taste of melt water from mountain springs and roaring wind in mountain gorges made me strive for beauty my whole life. Combination of traditions and cuisines of the multinational region have been attracting me since I was a child. The brightest memories from my childhood are smell of my mother’s baking and cooking national pilaf and unique manti together with my father.
Latest 16 years of my life I’ve spent doing with tenderness what I really like. I started my career as a simple kitchen helper. Life gave me an opportunity to meet with people who were really enthusiastic of what they were doing, with people, who were not afraid of experiments both in the kitchen and in their life. Having opportunity to work with those people I observed creation of new fresh mindset in the culinary world. And I’m glad I’ve contributed to this difficult process.
After repatriation to Israel I was called up for military service. Luckily, I served in one squad with repatriate from France Jean-Luc, whose family owned small bakeries in Paris. We spent a lot of time speaking about cooking during our military conscription. Jean-Luc wrote a lot to his relatives in France, telling them about a guy from a distant Kazakhstan he met, who so reverently and with such love discussed culinary culture. At the end of our service we got an invitation to work in one of the bakeries of Jean-Luc’s father in France. After I had worked there for a year, I earned enough money to enter Le Cordon Bleu Culinary School. This was the best investment of my youth.
Likings of my youth have taken an important place in my attitude to food. I have great respect to Asian cuisine, but I by no means underestimate European one. Each of them has its own advantages. I prefer meat courses. I love cooking national Uzbek pilaf, manti and Beshbarmak.
My culinary career is inspired by art. Because cookery specialist is a creator and an artist in its area. I never miss an opportunity to visit the best theatrical performances. I transfer the energy received from actors playing on stage to my fine cuisine.
I would like to wish the readers to get inspiration, to do what they love and not to be afraid of experimenting. Try something new, be surprised with the results and give pleasure to people surrounding you. Kitchen is the territory of yours!!!
Gugelhupf is a southern German, Austrian, Swiss and Alsatian term for a marble cake, cooked of yeast. Combination of eggs, butter and sugar creates rich taste. In Jewish culinary, Gugelhupfhas has its analogue named «babka».
