Sergey Savenko

Do you know, who is the most honest gastronomic critic in the world? A newborn baby who has been just fed with milk. This baby is happy with life and has got colossal emotional and physical power-up and is ready to tell the world about its pleasant mood. I think, I took in the desire to cook tasty and delicious dishes in my early childhood. Perhaps, it explains why I can’t recall when exactly I felt that desire for the first time. It’s a part of me, which never vanishes and just becomes stronger when I create a new dish or serve a well-known one. My name is Sergey Savenko, I’m a chef of Marokana restaurant and I love cooking.

I was born in 1979. There was a lot of Soviet mentality during my growing-up. But I don’t think it’s bad. Yes, there were difficult times. Yes, we had to invent lunch for a family of 5 having only potatoes, a glass of flour and eggs. But that lack of product choice made us  create and open something new in culinary world.

I have a clear understanding that it’s more pleasant for me to cook for others than for myself. I will be honest – I’m an ambitious person. Sincere admiration, pleased smile and stealthy smacking of lips motivate me for new culinary deeds.

I began my culinary career far back in 1999. At those times, I was learning in one of Kyiv cafés about teamwork, discipline and a range of important details which are a must to become a professional chef. It was later when I started working in restaurants that are still well-known. Tokyo and Hokkaido marked a new turn in my career. I understood the East was not only a delicate but also an extremely interesting matter. I lived in Japan for a year, absorbing its culture and studying its cuisine. I learnt a lot from Japanese. Apart from culture of communication, behaviour and perception they taught me that tender attitude to the products. To become ideal ingredients, the products must be of high quality, fresh and combine colour, aroma and texture.

Now I’m a chef at Marokana and I’m really proud of this. It’s not just cooking of food. It’s creation of pleasure for my guests. I don’t like questions about my favourite dish or cuisine. It sets a lot of limits. Puffy French baguettes, head-spinning paella of Spanish cooks, homemade Italian pasta and astonishing combination of exotic fish in Japanese cuisine – I love culinary masterpieces from all over the world. I’m nothing but gastronomic  cosmopolite.