Serhiy Shpyakin, head chef of Rokka in Odesa, cooked beef sous vide at the age of eight without knowing the term. His favorite cuisine is Pan-Asian, a love that began with his mom's cooking.
My life doesn't resemble many of those “…and then I woke up famous” success stories. I wasn't the top student in my class, nor the most diligent one. I never dreamed of global fame or stardom, I didn't inherit wealth, and I didn't burn through sleepless nights amid sudden strokes of luck.
I cut, tore, got my hands dirty, broke things apart and put them back together. In the end, I gained more than satisfaction from what I did: I earned the highest praise from myself, the joyful emotions of those who truly cared, and a unique experience worth more than any amount of money. I am Serhiy Shpyakin, the head chef of Rokka.
I love my mom. She was my first ally on this challenging culinary journey, and she's simply amazing. Just imagine an eight-year-old boy who decided to cook beef at home by himself. She bought the meat and then didn't interfere with what I had planned.
It was a colossal success! I seasoned the steak generously with spices and garlic, wrapped it up, sucked the air out with a cocktail straw and lowered it into gently simmering water for a couple of hours. At first everyone ate it with skepticism, and then they couldn't get enough of it.
That's when I got my first dose of motivation: “Go ahead, Serhiy, don't be afraid, you've got this!” Of course, as a third-grader living in a typical apartment block, I had no idea that I had just cooked beef using the sous vide technique.
Back then I understood two important truths that still guide me in life. First, more than anything, I wanted to become a chef, to treat people to delicious food and to invent new, even tastier and more unique dishes that only I could create. Second, while theory and intuition are great for kitchen chats, to go further I needed practical experience, lots of it and all at once. That's how I ended up at my first job in Kyiv, working at Arena City.
I learned a lot, tried a lot and taught a lot. It's good to have a strong foundation. Novelty is wonderful in its freshness, uniqueness and spirit of freedom, but without the right skills and knowledge it's impossible to bring to life. That's why I keep learning from the best, trying new things and never hesitating to discard what doesn't work.
You see, my favorite cuisine, Pan-Asian, is one huge experiment in itself. I've never come across such combinations of flavors and aromas anywhere else. Perhaps that's my Korean heritage speaking. Yes, I'm a cosmopolitan down to my cells.
I love fiery soups, creamy aftertastes and crispy crusts hiding spicy, juicy fillings. All of this comes from a childhood rich in flavor, rather than one of bland mashed potatoes and lumpy semolina. My mom often cooked Pan-Asian dishes expertly, and that's when I fell in love with their taste.
Our childhood interests and thoughts give us the best start in life. It's important to listen to yourself, recognize what drives you and follow that path. Even now I love sports and collecting antique coins and badges, and I'm not afraid of experiments.
I know that my joy in life is richly seasoned with the happy faces of my guests, the sincere praise of my family and my own taste for life! And “Go ahead, Serhiy, don't be afraid, you've got this!”
