Vova Tashaev trained at the Bishulim School of Culinary Arts and rose to head a top Tel Aviv restaurant. Since 2014 he has worked with First Line Group in Ukraine and now oversees six of its projects.
My culinary career began while I was still in school. For several years I worked as a waiter and bartender, sneaking peeks into the kitchen between rushes of customers and watching the chefs work. It dawned on me that the kitchen and the restaurant atmosphere were where I truly belonged, and that this was what I loved.
After serving in the Israeli Army, I enrolled in the Bishulim School of Culinary Arts. After earning my diploma, I worked at various establishments in Haifa, including the renowned French restaurant “1872.” I then returned to Tel Aviv, where I became sous-chef at the “2C” restaurant. While working in restaurants, I constantly sought to learn more and improve my craft, completing courses at the Ramat Hagolan Winery's School of Winemaking and Sommeliers and at the Zman Amiti School.
In 2005, my professional life reached a turning point when I began working at the fine dining restaurant “Catit.” My career advanced rapidly: within five years I went from sous-chef, pastry chef and sommelier to head of one of Tel Aviv's top gastronomic projects. This experience gave me the confidence that I could be a head chef.
Later, I developed the menu for the Israeli cuisine restaurant “Abushdid” while continuing to explore and experiment. In 2012, I launched my VIP catering project, “White Tablecloth,” focused on haute cuisine and collectible wines.
In 2014, I received an invitation to Ukraine from the First Line Group of restaurants and hotels. I was curious to see how my cuisine would be received at their new Kyiv restaurant, “Ulyublenyi Dyadya.” In its first year, the restaurant won the Golden Palm Award and the “Salt” Award for Best New Opening in 2015. In 2016, we launched another project, “The Life of Remarkable People.”
Today I oversee six projects within the First Line Group: “The Life of Remarkable People,” “Ulyublenyi Dyadya,” “Nasha Dacha,” “Chekhov,” “Abazhur” and “16/54.” I split my time between Kyiv and Kharkiv, where I cook, host masterclasses and lead culinary seminars.
I love to cook: a lot, deliciously and anywhere. I cook everything, and the more creative and vibrant, the better. My kitchen features an enormous variety of ingredients, and I think no other restaurant in Ukraine uses as many different products as “Ulyublenyi Dyadya.”
I aspire to become the best restaurateur in the world, and why not? I believe the most important person in a restaurant is the guest, and unfortunately not many places understand this. A good restaurateur must love cooking, know about wine, cherish the guests and understand that they have far more responsibilities than privileges. The better you become, the more responsibilities you carry.
