Sergey Neboga has worked at Pomodoro in Odesa since it was founded, after about seven years at the chain's other restaurants. His dream is to create a unique dish that has never existed before.
I'm 31. For 13 years I have been cooking tasty food for my friends and restaurant guests, and I enjoy it a lot. Destiny chose this path for me for good reason, and I'm happy to follow it, proudly wearing my cook's hat.
I have been working at Pomodoro since it was founded and watched it being born and growing. Before that, I worked for about seven years at other restaurants in the chain.
We have become a real “Italian family”: I'm glad to spend time with them and share my ideas, and we can go through hard times together. I'm happy with my relationships with my colleagues, and the owners' care can compete with that of parents.
I might never have become a cook, because it was pure chance that I became a student at the Food Industry Technical College. But I knew what I wanted when I went on to the Academy of Food, and at that point I understood it was my destiny. I got involved in cooking and liked it. When people are happy, pleased and want more, I realize this is really mine and that I'm good at it.
What do I dream about? I dream of creating a new, unique dish that has never existed before.
What's my favorite cuisine? I like cuisines from all over the world, and each of them is interesting, original and distinctive in its own way. Today we can try any cuisine: we can fly to any country to taste the local food and then come back home.
Or we can go to a restaurant or café in our own city that offers the atmosphere and taste of a national cuisine, since such places invite chefs and order products from abroad. So there's no need to fly anywhere too often, which is very convenient! I'm glad I live in these wonderful times that offer so many opportunities.
What are my hobbies apart from cooking? I watch football, and I used to play it too, but now I don't have enough time for it. Cooking is my real hobby, though that may sound like a cliché.
I also collect recipes and grow houseplants. I may sound like an old man, but for me there is something cozy, intimate and family-like about it. I even managed to grow an avocado at Pomodoro, and the tree is quite big now.
Now it's time to build a house and raise a son. Those are the plans I've got.
