I was born in Moscow in the family of the military. He was a difficult child, in childhood terribly hooliganil: changed two kindergartens and five schools.
I was interested to experience my own opportunities and opportunities for other people. When I did not like something, I was talking about it. And, probably, since childhood I understood what you need to spend energy, and what not. I was told: "Go and do, like everyone else." I watched, I did in my own way and twice as fast. All the nurse brought, so my grandmother raised me. And she did not ceremony with me. And every morning I fed me very tasty and simple: an apple and carrot on a grater with sugar, sandwiches, a millet porridge with a pumpkin and potatoes. Probably, it is thanks to the grandmother already in childhood it came to me a clear understanding that I want to work in the kitchen. Mom initially did not perceive my words seriously, joking. And then when I realized that I really want to work in the kitchen, I started to worry. Most of all she was worried that "Zhenya snifflele, all the cooks drink."
At 18, I got into the "national". I was put to cook food for staff. There was a serious dining room: every day five hot, five garnings, two soups, desserts, compotes, sandwiches. Stood in the harvesting on bread, in meat and fish shops. Then he got into the confectionery, where after the shift for half a year soaps from above DONAZE 50 squares every day. And then began to help the French chief Andre Martin. Because I know two languages, English and French, I translated into him recipes, and I myself delve into the technological language.
Then I switched to the hot shop, began to study the structure of the kitchen from the inside. He worked under the leadership of Brigadier Vasily Sergeevich Seleznev - one of the best cooks, which I have ever met. He taught me through my mistakes. By the way, here, being a 20-year-old guy, I first got my first tea as a cook: 17 thousand rubles, 200 dollars and some brands. And the salary was then about 25 thousand rubles. Separating waiters received in the hall then honestly divided with the kitchen. I then thought that he threw Kush.
I must say, this work broke me very much, because before that I lived on my parental money and did not worry about anything. And here I was crushed by discipline, hierarchy. I could not refuse, because I was interested. There were a lot of laughter and a lot of pain.
Then I got into the kitchen of the Paris restaurant Taillevent, who at that time was two stars "Michelin". There I first saw how working with fish: quickly and delicately, constantly through water or through ice, while maintaining a temperature of 3-4 degrees. I thought I already know everything, but it was not there. I was asked to cook rice. I did not calculate the water coefficient on the mass of the dry body and spoiled everything. So I met the most expensive rice in the world - Akito Komachi. I had to pay for him, so so that there was almost no money left. I was sent to the sink, where I soap from a thousand to two thousand plates per day. Then, as it turned out, it was a check: in the neighboring workshop there was a dome dishwasher. The old man who worked on the car was perfectly knew how the kitchen was arranged. He felt his back that and at what point did each of the chefs.
The team in the main kitchen was international, because there are coming there. And such wild competition, like there, I have not seen anywhere else. Every day she walked like a war. It was necessary to be always as attentive as possible. Laugh on the table for a few seconds cutting could fly into a bucket, because the table should be clean. The knife could not be put beyond the boundaries of your place, because it violated the space of another chef. They fought daily, during lunch, but God forbid to see the chef. And in the evening they drove together and forgot what was the day.
When I returned to Moscow, I decided not to get a hotel, but to a restaurant. I remember, came and saw how the cook was sitting on the back, and no one looks behind the stove. I turned around and left. And so it was with a dozen restaurants. Fell in love with "Coffeeman" in Nikitskaya. When it got a job there, I realized that I got into my house. There worked under the leadership of the invited Chef Aaron Stott. He opened a new door for me - Panazyia. And he became a true friend. Then I worked with Glen Ballis in the "Unfortunate East", was a Su-Chef in VaniLi at Camel Benmamar. Later were Bed Cafe, River Palace, La Ferme, restaurants in Rostov, Siberia Moscow, St. Petersburg "block" and "Beluga" in his native "National".
But careers in large restaurants does not happen, it is unreal. A person who wants to create cannot work under someone. First, yes, but then - no. I left the podium into my little workshop, where she quietly south, cut and I do what I want. And I do not care about the ratings and opinions of this podium. Because I myself dictate the conditions, what to use tomatoes, which marginality is to install how to risk. I feel the audience, I communicate with her, I use tools that are in my head, in your pocket.
You want to change something, start with yourself - so parents have told me since childhood. In order to change something in yourself, I needed 15 years, and I still break myself from the inside. Better small and their own, rather than soap and nothing. For me, mass market is not important, business, empire or that newcomers or rappoport will think about me. It is important for me to create a place that will be special. At the moment there are three such places. And the problem with which I encountered is not the rate of growth and development, but the problems of the quality standard that I need to give people daily, without increasing the price tag.
Working in your own cafe taught me to restrain the emotions, I never knew that before. I learned to be more far from being built my plans not for a day or a year ahead, but five years ahead. The main thing for me is not to lose the human face. For all the time in this business and work with people, I see more bad than good. It is envy, and anger, and a caring, and deception, and dishonesty. In order not to get lost in all this, you need to be honest, direct, fast and correct. I better frankly everything will tell a man in my eyes, as I was told in my time, or I will give a second chance.
I have not yet had the right to dictate to people that there is, as it is, how correctly, as wrong. I took such a position that I was 32, and I myself had not yet figured out how the world was arranged. Therefore, I will listen, see, clarify. And I will do in my own way. I will find the one who will appreciate it and give him more attention. And the rest will recommend to go to my friends to other restaurants. So that a person compare and returned to me. So today an alternative business is built in my presentation, not only a purely restaurant. This means that I give you the opportunity to participate in the process. Involvement is the most important thing. And I still need to remember five n: no one should never anything. There are hospitality, communication, respect ... All of this must be remembered.
For each day of your work, I come from scratch. And I explain to my team: Guys, this is a difficult job and Titanically hellish work just because every day you do the same since scratch. When you start from scratch - everything turns out. As soon as you start thinking that you are growing - you are starting to doubt and destroy yourself from the inside. Why did I choose the kitchen? Because it is such a universe that cannot be appreciated, measure, touch. Just taste! And expand! Only move towards the unexplored can bring something new.
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Photo: from the personal archive of Evgeny Meshcheryakova