Chapter:
Dishes of the Kremlin cuisine
2nd page

BROWS and SOUPS

Kremlin chefs not only use culinary recipes from many sources, but also create them themselves. Their exquisite dishes are truly works of art, and the chefs themselves are simply culinary artists.
The Kremlin kitchen provides both the organization of ceremonial banquet tables and the usual daily meals for employees, children's and individual dietary meals.
All dishes on the Kremlin table are the fruit of long analysis, discussions and endless tastings of the highest class culinary specialists, health doctors and nutritionists.

The Kremlin chef talks about the menu of heads of state - Galkin

Presidential Kitchen – Galkin

Chef Anatoly Galkin – working day

Kremlin chef: photo with worm is fake
Jérôme Rigaud – Kremlin chef

The Kremlin is fed up! – Anatoly Galkin and Barack Obama (Galkin’s story)

Master class from the Kremlin chef – Viktor Belyaev

Kremlin chef shared his kitchen secrets

Government kitchen! Victor Belyaev

Meat broth

Ingredients :
500 g of meat, 2.5-3 liters of water, salt to taste.

Preparation

Rinse the meat under running cold water, add to the pan, and add cold water. Cover the pan with a lid and put on high heat so that the water boils faster, and then reduce it, avoiding rapid boiling.
Remove any foam and fat that appears during boiling.
1-1.5 hours after the start of cooking, add salt. When the meat is ready (after 2.5-3 hours; check the readiness of the meat with a fork: if it pierces the meat freely, then it is ready), it must be removed from the broth and put in another bowl, and the broth must be strained.
Meat broth is used to prepare various soups, cabbage soup, borscht, etc.
The meat is served with soup or used to prepare various dishes.
Meat broth can be cooked with roots: after the foam has been removed from it, add peeled and washed carrots, turnips, parsley and onions.

Fish broth

Ingredients :
500 g fish, 1 onion, 1 parsley root, 1 bay leaf, 3-4 black peppercorns, salt to taste, 2-3 liters of water.

Preparation

A good fish broth is made from small fish (pike perch, perch), as well as from scap, mackerel, sablefish and catfish.
Clean the fish from scales, cut the belly, remove the entrails, rinse, cut into portions, remove the gills from the heads.
Place the fish prepared in this way in a pan, add cold water, add salt, roots and onions. Then cover the pan with a lid, bring to a boil, remove the foam and cook over low heat for 25-30 minutes.
After this, remove the pieces of fish, and continue to cook the head and fins for another 15-20 minutes.
When cooking fish with a specific smell and taste, you can add cucumber brine (200-800 g per 1 liter of water), or pickled cucumber peels, or vinegar.
Strain the finished fish broth and use it for making soups and hodgepodges.

Mushroom broth

Ingredients :
50 g dried mushrooms, 2-3 liters of water, 1 onion, salt to taste.

Preparation

Thoroughly rinse the dry mushrooms in warm water, put them in a saucepan, add the peeled and halved onion, add cold water and cook at low boil for 2-2.5 hours.
Strain the finished broth.
Rinse the mushrooms with cold water, chop finely and add to the soup prepared with mushroom broth.

Hunter's Kulesh

Ingredients :
For 4 servings: 1 chicken, 100 g lard, 1 liter of water, 1 onion, 10 tomatoes, 10 eggs, salt, 10 g parsley, 10 g dill, ground black pepper to taste.

Preparation

Cut the chicken into small pieces and simmer. Finely chop the lard and fry in a roasting pan, adding finely chopped onion. Mix the chicken pieces with lard, onions and fry it all with constant stirring so as not to burn.
Then place in a saucepan with water (about 2 liters of water per chicken) and bring to a boil. When the water boils, throw in a glass of already sorted, washed rice and cook for 15-20 minutes.
After this, grate 10 fresh tomatoes and add to the kulesh. Then take 10 eggs, beat them and pour them through a sieve. Let the dish simmer for 5 minutes and add salt to taste.
Then add greens to the kulesh. Do not boil, just cover the dish with a lid and let it brew.

Broth "Muscat"

Ingredients :
1 liter of chicken broth.
For the dumplings: 100 g semolina, 1 egg, 1 egg yolk, 1 tablespoon water, 2 tablespoons olive oil, salt, nutmeg, 1 teaspoon finely chopped parsley.

Preparation

Beat eggs, add water, olive oil, grated nutmeg, salt, semolina, herbs. Mix everything thoroughly, use a spoon to separate the oblong dumplings, place them in lightly salted boiling water and cook over low heat until they float.
Remove the dumplings with a slotted spoon and place in the prepared chicken broth.

Milk vegetable puree soup

Ingredients :
500 g of lettuce or spinach, 50 g of carrots, 2 glasses of milk, 2.5 glasses of water, 2 tablespoons of butter, 2 tablespoons of wheat flour, 2 yolks, salt to taste.

Preparation

Wash the lettuce and spinach in several waters, place it in a sieve, then chop it, put it in a saucepan, add chopped carrots and butter. Simmer everything in its own juice, covering the pan with a lid.
Then dilute lightly toasted wheat flour in milk, half diluted with water, and add vegetables to it. Boil them for 30 minutes, then rub through a sieve, add salt to taste, and steam.
Before serving, add yolks diluted with a small amount of warm soup to the prepared soup.

Borscht with sea cucumbers

Ingredients :
150 g dried sea cucumbers, 100 g beets, 80 g cabbage, 50 g carrots, 20 g parsley, 50 g onions, 80 g potatoes, 25 g tomato paste, 20 g melted butter, 20 g sour cream, 5 g sugar, 5 g of 3% vinegar, bay leaf, black peppercorns, parsley, salt to taste.

Preparation

Rinse dried sea cucumbers in warm water, pour cold water for 24-30 hours to swell (change water 2-3 times). Then cut along the belly, remove any remaining entrails and cook for 2-3 hours. Cut the boiled sea cucumbers into strips.
Cut beets, carrots, parsley root, onions into strips, add tomato paste, melted butter, a little water and simmer until tender.
After 20-30 minutes, add white cabbage and continue to simmer. In the boiling broth left over from cooking the sea cucumbers, put potatoes cut into cubes, 10-15 minutes before readiness - stewed vegetables, bay leaf, black peppercorns.
Season the borscht with salt, vinegar and sugar.
At the end of cooking, add boiled sea cucumbers to the borscht.
When serving, add sour cream and finely chopped parsley to a plate with borscht.

Ukrainian borscht

Ingredients :
500 g of meat, 400 g of cabbage and potatoes, 250 g of beets, 1/2 cup of sour cream and tomato puree, 1 pc. roots, 1 onion, 20 g lard, 1 tablespoon butter, garlic, vinegar, bay leaf, allspice and hot pepper, salt to taste.

Preparation

Boil meat broth and strain. Cut the peeled roots, onions and beets into strips. Lightly fry chopped roots and onions in oil, mix with toasted flour, dilute with broth and bring to a boil. Simmer the beets for 20-30 minutes, adding fat, tomato puree, vinegar and broth (you can also add bread kvass).
In the broth prepared for borscht, add potatoes, cut into large cubes, coarsely chopped cabbage, stewed beets, salt and cook for 10-15 minutes, then add roots, bay leaves, allspice and hot peppers fried with flour, cook until the potatoes and the cabbage will not be ready.
Season the finished borscht with lard, mashed with garlic, add tomatoes, cut into slices, quickly bring to a boil, then let the borscht brew for 10-15 minutes.
Pour the borscht into plates, add sour cream and sprinkle with finely chopped parsley.

Fresh cabbage soup

Ingredients :
500 g meat, 500 g fresh cabbage, 200 g roots and onions, 2 tablespoons butter, 200 g tomatoes, 200 g potatoes, 1 bay leaf, salt and pepper to taste.

Preparation

Let the meat broth cook. After 1.5-2 hours, remove the meat, strain the broth into a soup pot and add cabbage. Bring to a boil, add pre-fried roots and onions, then add meat and cook for another 25-30 minutes.
5-10 minutes before the end of cooking, add peppercorns, bay leaf, and salt to the cabbage soup.
During cooking, you can put potatoes and tomatoes in the cabbage soup. In this case, the potatoes should be added 15-20 minutes after the cabbage is added, and the tomatoes, cut into slices, should be added at the end of cooking, along with the seasonings.
Before serving, place a piece of meat, sour cream, finely chopped parsley and dill into each plate.

Pearl barley soup with mushrooms

Ingredients :
50 g onions, 40 g carrots, 20 g parsley root, 40 g vegetable oil, 200 g potatoes, 50 g pearl barley, 700 g mushroom broth, 40 g dried white mushrooms, salt and spices to taste.

Preparation

Cut the onion and carrots into small cubes and sauté. Cut potatoes and parsley into cubes.
Place prepared pearl barley, potatoes, sautéed vegetables into boiling mushroom broth and cook until tender.
5-10 minutes before the end of cooking, add boiled chopped mushrooms, salt, and spices.

Meat okroshka

Ingredients :
For 4 servings: 100 g each of beef, ham and tongue, 1 liter of bread kvass, 3 cucumbers, 10-12 onions, 2 eggs, 100 g of sour cream, salt, sugar, mustard to taste, dill.

Preparation

Hard boil the eggs and cool. Grind the yolks with salt, sugar, sour cream, mustard and dilute with cold bread kvass.
Cut boiled beef, ham, tongue and fresh peeled cucumbers into cubes. Finely chop the green onions and grind with salt. Chop the whites.
Place the prepared products into a saucepan with kvass.
When serving, sprinkle with finely chopped dill.

Meat rassolnik

Ingredients :
For 300 g of kidneys: 3 pickled cucumbers, 1/2 cup cucumber brine, 2-3 potatoes, 1 carrot, 1 onion, 2 tablespoons pearl barley, 1 tablespoon dill, 1 parsley (root and greens), 1 celery (root and herbs), 3 bay leaves, 6 black peppercorns, 2 allspice peas, 100 g sour cream.

Preparation

Kidney preparation. Trim the buds from membranes and fat, soak in water for 6-8 hours, changing the water, boil for 20-30 minutes in boiling water, remove with a slotted spoon and cut into small slices..
Preparation of cereals. Rinse the cereal with cold water, pour boiling water in a saucepan and let it steam for 30-45 minutes, changing the boiling water.
Preparing cucumbers. Cut the skin off the cucumbers, pour 1-1.5 cups of boiling water over it and simmer over low heat for 10-15 minutes, then remove the boiled skin, and dip the pulp of the cucumbers into the brine, cut lengthwise into 4 parts, and then crosswise into small slices; simmer for another 10 minutes.
Cooking pickle. Dip the prepared kidneys in 1.5 liters of boiling water, cook for about 30 minutes, add chopped roots (carrots, parsley, celery), prepared cereals, after 10-15 minutes - potatoes, finely chopped onions and cook until the potatoes are ready over moderate heat.
Then add the prepared cucumbers, taste, if necessary, add brine or salt, add and continue cooking for another 10-15 minutes, then season with spicy herbs and cook for another 3 minutes.
Before serving, season the pickle with sour cream.

Kharcho

Ingredients :
500 g meat. 2 onions, 2-3 cloves of garlic, 2 tablespoons of tomato puree or 100 g of fresh tomatoes, 1/2 cup rice, 1/2 cup sour plums, 1 tablespoon butter, cilantro, parsley, dill, salt and ground black pepper to taste.

Preparation

Kharcho is made primarily from beef brisket, but it can be replaced with lamb brisket.
Wash the meat, cut into small pieces at the rate of 3-4 pieces per serving, put in a pan, add cold water and cook. Remove any foam that appears on the surface with a slotted spoon.
After 1.5-2 hours, add finely chopped onion, crushed garlic, rice, sour plums, salt, pepper and continue cooking for another 30 minutes.
Lightly fry tomato puree or tomatoes in oil or fat skimmed from the broth, and add to the soup 5-10 minutes before the end of cooking.
Before serving, sprinkle the kharcho with finely chopped cilantro, parsley or dill.

Bazbash

Ingredients :
300 g peas, 200 g apples, 1 g tomato puree, 800 g boiled lamb, 1 capsicum, salt, herbs to taste.

Preparation

Boil peas in meat broth, add slices of apples, tomato puree, red pepper, pieces of boiled lamb and cook for another 10 minutes.

Sea fish soup

Ingredients :
For 1.5 kg of fish or 1.25 kg of fillet (about 0.5 kg of cod, halibut, sea bass): 1.75 liters of water, 2 onions, 1/2 carrots, 3 potatoes, 4 bay leaves, 10- 12 black peppercorns, 1 leek, 1 parsley, 2 tablespoons dill, 4-5 saffron stamens, 2 teaspoons salt, 4 lemon slices.

Preparation

Put diced potatoes, chopped carrots and parsley, finely chopped onions into salted boiling water, boil for 10-15 minutes over moderate heat until the potatoes are half cooked, then add all the spices except dill, and a little leek, and after 3 minutes - cut into large pieces fish and continue cooking for another 8 minutes over moderate heat. Add salt if necessary.
A minute before it’s ready, add dill and leeks.
Let it brew and add lemon slices.

River fish soup

Ingredients :
For 1.5 kg of fish: 1.75 liters of water, 2 onions, 1/2 carrots (small), 1 parsley (root and greens), 1 parsnip root, 2 potatoes, 1 tablespoon of dill, 3 bay leaves, 8 peas black pepper, 1 tablespoon tarragon, 2 teaspoons salt.

Preparation

Place potatoes cut into quarters, fish heads and tails, finely chopped onions, chopped carrots and parsley into salted boiling water and cook over low heat for 20 minutes, then skim off the foam, and strain if desired.
Then put the bay leaf and pepper, boil for another 5 minutes, increase the heat and put the fish, cleaned and cut into large pieces (4-5 cm wide), into the prepared broth, which is cooked over moderate heat for 15-17 minutes, without letting it boil too much.
At the end, if necessary, add more salt, add parsley, dill and tarragon, remove from heat, close with a lid and let steep for 7-8 minutes.

Eel soup

Ingredients :
500 g eel meat, 1 onion, 1 clove of garlic, 2 pods of sweet pepper, 1/3 cup of vegetable oil, 2 teaspoons of tomato paste, 1/4 liter of tart white wine, 1/4 liter of water, 1 bunch of dill and parsley, 1 teaspoon salt, pepper.

Preparation

Peel the eel and cut into pieces 5 cm long.
Finely chopped onions and crushed garlic, as well as sweet peppers cut into rings, simmer in vegetable oil. Add tomato paste, wine and a bunch of herbs.
Place eel cut into pieces into the soup, season the soup with salt and pepper, and simmer for 30 minutes over low heat.
Before serving, remove a bunch of greens from the soup, and pour the soup into bowls with fresh dill. Separately, boil the remaining apricots in water, peel them and add them to the puree. Add sugar, lemon juice, boil.
Serve hot or cold. You can add 1 tablespoon of boiled vermicelli to each plate.

Nut soup

Ingredients :
1 potato, 2 onions, 1 carrot, 1 parsley root, 300 g cabbage, approximately 200 g beets without white veins, 6 any nuts, 1 teaspoon lemon juice or 1 tablespoon white wine.

Preparation

Peel the potatoes, chop the onion, cut the carrots and parsley into slices. Cut out rough cores from cabbage leaves and boil them along with the root vegetables. Cut a thin part of the leaf and after a few minutes put it in the pan.
Boil the soup until the potatoes are ready (about 5-6 minutes after adding). Remove from heat and leave covered.
Prepare nut crumbs, grate the beets on a fine grater, season them with lemon juice or wine, put them in a saucepan and stir everything.

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Chef Victor Belyaev He worked in the Kremlin’s special kitchen for 30 years. During this time, he made a career from a simple cook to the general director of the Kremlevsky food factory. Belyaev fed the Council of Ministers, served banquets for foreign delegations and served government mansions on Sparrow Hills.

Victor told the Free Time journalist about how Kremlin feasts were held in Soviet times and how they receive guests now, what world leaders like to eat, and what culinary secrets Joseph Stalin’s personal chef told the chef.

CAREER. Viktor Belyaev became a chef on the advice of his grandfather. At the age of 14, he himself planned to enter the historical and archival technical school, but his grandfather did not like his grandson’s choice, saying that he would have nothing to feed his family with such a profession.

“I was the eldest son in the family - there was no father, and I understood that help was expected from me,” recalls Belyaev. “When my grandfather suggested that I go to culinary school, I agreed.”

After graduating from college with honors and passing all the workshops - hot and cold, Victor became a fifth-class cook. Only sixth was higher than him, but it was obtained with experience. Then, by assignment, as the best student, he ended up in the kitchen of the Prague restaurant. It was a great success. But he did not work there for long - it was time to join the army. True, before her, Victor managed to get to the Kremlin to serve a banquet to mark the 30th anniversary of the Victory. He worked there for four days, and after that the chef of the special kitchen offered him a place at his place.

It was not possible to accept the offer; Victor joined the army, where he also worked as a cook. After the service, he returned to the Prague restaurant. A year later, an offer was again received from the Kremlin, and in 1978 Belyaev came to the special kitchen. He worked there for 30 years, and left of his own free will in 2008 as general director of the Kremlevsky food plant. Now the chef holds the post of president of the National Culinary Association of Russia.

SHIP TABLES. Before perestroika, all feasts in the Kremlin were magnificent. The tables were set along the walls in the shape of a “p”; each table seated 200 people. The chefs called such huge tables “ships.” They were bursting with treats that were sometimes impossible to eat.

Products were brought from all republics: lard and sausages from Ukraine, milk and sprats from the Baltics, fruits and wine from Transcaucasia. Before transferring the products to the kitchen, they were examined in the laboratory for various parameters: heavy metals, toxic substances and other indicators. The finished dishes were also checked visually and by taste. There were also stop products in the special kitchen. For example, these are mushrooms and canned food. But the game was brought from nurseries.

“I remember the times when they served whole black grouse and wood grouse with feathers,” says Viktor Belyaev. - To cook such a bird, you had to pluck it, disinfect the feathers in vinegar essence, boil them, and dry them. Then the carcasses were cooked. After this, the feathers were stuck back. But during processing, the feathers lost their color, so we also tinted them with paint. It was very hard work.

They also served whole roasted pigs, sturgeon, and stretched tongue. All this was ready-made and could be eaten, but often these dishes remained untouched and were simply table decoration. But Victor especially remembered the ice-cold caviar bowls, on which various caviar were served. To make it, you had to freeze a piece of ice in a two-liter saucepan. Then use a jigsaw to cut out the letters “m” along the edges of the ice, like on the Kremlin walls.

The cooks wore gloves, but their hands were still very cold. The ice melted and flowed, so after working a little, it was necessary to put it in the freezer, and so on constantly. But that was not the end, after the caviar was ready, it was dipped into a vigorous beetroot broth so that the ice acquired the color of the ruby ​​stars of the Kremlin.

“We once calculated how much food there was per person during a banquet,” recalls the chef. - It turns out that everyone should eat three kilograms of food. So there was a lot left. Whole foods, such as fruits, were collected and then used in other dishes. Caviar was also collected from caviar pits. The rest was eaten by the servants, and we set the table with them.”

Alcohol they usually drank was vodka and cognac, much less often wine or champagne.

“At receptions, a decoction of rose hips and lemon was often poured into a cognac bottle; this was what the “Kremlin elders” drank,” continues the chef. - So, for example, they did Leonid Brezhnev, because for health reasons he could not drink alcohol. But he loved to eat simple Russian and Ukrainian food, for example, borscht. As for other leaders, for example, Mikhail Gorbachev was under the supervision of his wife Raisa Maksimovna, and was always on diets. I didn't drink. Boris Yeltsin loved to eat and drink well. Lamb, dumplings, all with a glass of vodka.”

Foreign leaders also had their favorite dishes in Russia. So, Fidel Castro could eat a lot of tobacco chickens, Indira Gandhi I loved Russian pancakes with gooseberry jam, Richard Nixon was a fan of fried fish.

By the way, Belyaev developed friendly relations with the latter. The former US President personally came into the kitchen and thanked the cook for the delicious food, giving him his portrait and a pen. And for many years I sent cards wishing Merry Christmas. All this is kept at the chef's home as a relic.

The chefs spent days preparing for such banquets. In Soviet times, a shift could start at 6 in the morning and end at 3 in the morning, so they stayed overnight at work - they slept in St. George's Hall on carpets. Now this is no longer the case, says Victor.

NEW ERA. With the arrival of the team Vladimir Putin Much has changed at Kremlin banquets. Firstly, we purchased round tables instead of long ones. Secondly, we got away from putting all the dishes on the table. Only flowers, pastries and cutlery remained on the tablecloths. Food is served individually on plates. The menu has also changed. All whole foods and fruits went away, berries were introduced. But the cuisine remains Russian: they serve pancakes, dumplings, pies, cabbage soup, caviar, Kiev cutlets, etc.

Beluga caviar and baked goods are of great interest to foreign guests. Preferences in alcoholic beverages have changed; now the basis is wine, and only a small part is strong alcohol. They also began serving Russian wine from the Krasnodar Territory and Crimea.

Products for banquets, both in Soviet times and now, are mainly used in Russia. “What’s the point in giving pork knuckle Angela Merkel, if she can eat it in Germany too? - says Belyaev. “We need to feed her something Russian, for example, white fish from the northern seas.”

SECRETS. If you're not in the mood, it's better not to cook. “During my forty years of experience as a cook, I realized this,” explains Victor. - When a person is upset, he is absent-minded, so he may over-salt or forget about something on the stove.

This is especially true for a test that senses hands and human feedback. At one time I was generally afraid of the test in case it didn’t work. But personal chef Stalin- Vitaly Alekseevich, taught me one thing. To make the dough work, you need to sing a good song. I sing Russian folk songs, for example, “Oh, the viburnum is blooming.” With the song, things will become more soulful, and the mood will become better. This method always helps."

Victor met Stalin's cook while serving one of Vorobyov's dachas. In addition to the recipe for an excellent dough, Vitaly Alekseevich shared other chef secrets with Victor. For example, cutting salted herring without a knife - with just your fingers, and also chopping greens with two knives in both hands, this makes it faster and smaller. He taught me how to make proper minced meat and other recipes that you won’t find in books.

“There is an interesting story connected with Vitaly Alekseevich, which he himself told me,” recalls Belyaev. - After Stalin’s death, his personal staff began to be shot on behalf of Lavrentiy Beria. And on March 5, it was Vitaly Alekseevich’s shift in the kitchen. When he arrived at work, Valentina Istomina, the hostess sister in Stalin’s house warned him that the owner had died, the staff was being shot, leave. He quickly gathered his family, got into a car and left Moscow. He returned to the capital only when Beria himself was shot.”

Viktor Belyaev remembers his teacher with warmth and always uses his advice. He shared some of them with our readers.

ABOUT CUTLETS. Housewives often add eggs, onions, milk, cream, etc. to the cutlet mass, says the chef. But the minced meat for cutlets should be different. Mix 300 grams of pork with 700 grams of beef or veal, mince. Soak a piece of regular white bread in water.

Mix the bread with the minced meat and process again, add salt and pepper. Then you need to bring the minced meat with water to the desired consistency. When the minced meat begins to easily come away from your hands, it means there is enough water in it and it is ready. After this, stick the cutlets, roll them in breading and fry in a frying pan.

ABOUT SOLYANKA. The basis of a delicious solyanka is a strong, rich broth. To do this, you need to boil a piece of beef or veal with a bone and strengthen it with chicken (whole or fillet). Cook the meat for 1.5-2 hours. Then peel the pickles and cut into small slices. Let them cook for 50 minutes.

Chop the onion and fry in butter until tender. Then add tomato paste to the onion in the pan and sauté for another 10 minutes. Remove the cooked meat, cool and cut into slices. Then you need to cut any sausages and ham into slices, cook them separately for 15 minutes.

Put all the ingredients into the prepared broth; when it boils, add capers, olives, salt, pepper and bay leaf. Boil for another 15 minutes. And now a secret from the chef: add a little brine from capers and olives to the hodgepodge. Then the broth will become truly rich. When serving, put olives on a plate (if you add them during cooking, the broth will darken), herbs, peeled lemon and sour cream.

President of the National Culinary Association of Russia
Belyaev Viktor Borisovich

A tenth generation Muscovite, he was born on June 30, 1957 at a Komsomol construction site in the city of Norilsk, where his parents came from different cities on Komsomol vouchers to build a mining and processing plant.

Viktor Borisovich’s mother was a milling machine operator, and at the age of 20 she received a referral from the Moscow City Komsomol Committee to a northern construction site. And my father was a mason and came from Leningrad. Soon after the birth of their son, mother and little Victor returned to Moscow.

He spent his childhood and youth in the working-class district of Izmailovo (at that time this district of Moscow was called Stalinsky, then it was renamed Pervomaisky). Young Victor was raised mainly by his grandfather and grandmother, who worked as a milling machine operator and stamper at the Salyut plant.

Despite the fact that Viktor Borisovich’s great-grandfather was a wealthy Moscow merchant and philanthropist, after the revolution no one left Russia, his great-grandfather was dispossessed, and all of the merchant children had to retrain into the working class.

Mom raised three children alone, and worked three jobs to feed the family. Victor was the eldest and helped his mother from the age of 12. That’s why I didn’t shine at school, studied with solid C’s or B’s, and didn’t think about higher education - I had to master a profession and help my family.

After graduating from an eight-year school, he entered the Moscow Professional Culinary School, a Moscow vocational culinary school, graduated with honors and was assigned to the then best Moscow restaurant “Prague”.

He immediately proved himself in the restaurant and was included in the group of cooks who worked during large state receptions in the Kremlin. The first time I came to the Kremlin was on the 30th anniversary of Victory in the Great Patriotic War in May 1975.

From 1975 to 1977 he served in the border troops in the Arctic, near Vorkuta.

He returned from the army to the Prague restaurant, and a year later received an offer to work permanently as a cook in the special kitchen of the Council of Ministers of the USSR in the Kremlin.

In the special kitchen they cooked for the top officials of the state, served state receptions at the highest level and in residences on the Lenin Hills: they fed and served leaders of foreign countries coming on official visits to the USSR.

In the Kremlin Belyaev V.B. worked for 30 years and went from a cook to the General Director of the Kremlevsky food plant

In addition to culinary vocational school, he studied at the Economic and Technological College of Public Catering, and in 1998 he graduated from the evening department of the Plekhanov Institute of National Economy with a specialization in “Food Preparation Technology”.

In 2004, he defended his thesis on the topic “Development of small public catering enterprises” and received the title of Candidate of Economic Sciences.

Honored Trade Worker of the Russian Federation, Honorary Professor of the State Ural Economic University.

Recipient of the medal of the Order “For Services to the Fatherland”, holder of the Golden Badge “For long-term work in the Administration of the President of the Russian Federation”, the orders of St. Sergius of Radonezh and the Holy Blessed Grand Duke Dimitri Donskoy from Patriarch Alexy.

Cooking is a job in demand and often very, very well paid; What’s more important is that, due to their duty, chefs have to create for people whom ordinary mortals are often afraid to even approach. Viktor Borisovich Belyaev worked as a cook in the Kremlin for more than 30 years, providing tasty and healthy food to the highest ranks of the Russian land. Belyaev knows well how receptions are organized in the Kremlin and can tell a lot of interesting things about the gastronomic preferences of the powerful.

Many are sincerely convinced that meals in the Kremlin are held in the style of a feast from “Ivan Vasilyevich changes his profession” - endless tables, expensive dishes, huge portions, overseas caviar by the barrel... In fact, there is little truth in this.

Yes, the Kremlin often hosts quite large-scale receptions - for 1000-2000 people; Of course, there are expensive dishes at these receptions. Often, however, quite trivial dishes are served on the table - like the well-known herring under a fur coat or jellied meat. Local chefs do not shy away from more complex recipes, such as main courses of meat, fish or crabs.

Organizing the New Year is not an easy task even for a family circle, where usually no more than a dozen people gather around the table; hosting more than 1000 guests is a task several orders of magnitude more serious. Of course, Kremlin chefs don’t put everything off until the last day and don’t run to the supermarket for shopping on December 30th - in fact, the preparation process begins back in September. In three months, the team has time to think through the menu in detail, work out the process of changing dishes (literally with a stopwatch in hand) and take care of other aspects of the protocol.

A menu for large-scale receptions is a rather unusual task. If turkey or chicken “doesn’t work” at home, you can always put it in the refrigerator and eat it after the holiday; If, after taking it, 500 kilograms of fish remain unclaimed, there will be much more problems. That is why the main emphasis is not on large dishes (a la “meter-long pig with an apple in its mouth”), but on relatively small, individual-level snacks.

According to Viktor Belyaev, he did not have to endure any special whims from government leaders. Of course, there were always subtleties; Thus, alcohol was contraindicated for Brezhnev in the second half of the 70s. Instead of cognac at receptions, the Secretary General drank a special decoction of rose hips with lemon juice - outwardly almost indistinguishable from cognac.

Our current rulers have no health problems yet, and no one prohibits them from drinking alcohol. Belyaev says that Vladimir Vladimirovich prefers good wines - mainly American, French, Chilean and South African. Wine is now generally relevant in the Kremlin - the times of whiskey and vodka are gradually becoming a thing of the past. The president (as, by the way, the prime minister) prefers classic cuisine; During his career, he had the opportunity to travel around the world and get acquainted with a wide variety of national dishes.

Belyaev also cooked for foreign rulers - it just so happened that they often visited the Kremlin (and still do). The guests were served mainly dishes of traditional Russian cuisine; Many frequent guests at Kremlin receptions even had their own favorites - for example, Fidel Castro had a weakness for tobacco chicken, Indira Gandhi loved home-made Russian noodles. Of course, at gala receptions there is too much time left for tasting the works of local chefs; However, this still does not mean that Kremlin chefs are allowed to treat their work negligently - who knows what a poorly fed politician is capable of?

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Viktor Belyaev is one of the most famous Kremlin chefs. For more than thirty years this man has been cooking for the top officials of the state. Belyaev's signature dishes were tasted by the entire Soviet elite - Leonid Brezhnev, Vladimir Shcherbitsky, as well as the presidents of America and France, and Indian Prime Minister Indira Gandhi. In the 2000s, Vladimir Putin raved about his cold soup, and Leonid Kuchma himself came into the kitchen to shake his hand.

Born into a family of a mason and a milling woman, he never dreamed of a big career. After graduating from culinary school, he was assigned to the best Moscow restaurant “Prague” in the Union, and from there to the Kremlin kitchen, where he worked his way up from a simple errand cook to the general director of the Kremlevsky food processing plant. But in 2012, at the age of 55, due to denunciations and intrigues, he retired of his own free will: his colleagues gave him a heart attack and he did not risk his health.

In an interview with GORDON, Viktor Belyaev told how he managed to get three service apartments while working in the Kremlin, while his colleagues stole meat and sold it on Arbat, and about what secret papers were signed by the cooks in a special kitchen.

My working day ended at one in the morning. I can’t count how many separate calls there were! Every day is like a knife edge...

Viktor Borisovich, you worked in the government kitchen in the Kremlin for more than 30 years. What time did your working day start and end?

It started at five in the morning and ended at one in the morning. In the morning a car came to pick me up and took me to work. I can’t count how many separate calls there were! They could call at any time of the day or night. The discipline is serious: every day is like a knife edge... The responsibility is great, God forbid someone gets poisoned!

The only perk that the cook had was that we came to work early, at half past four, and were still asleep. If it was summer, then I made myself some good coffee, they brought me fresh bread, I cut off a piece of hot smoked sevruga, made myself a sandwich, sat on the balcony and listened to the nightingales sing. And then he took a good Philip Morris cigarette from a plastic pack (there are no such cigarettes now) and lit it. I got high! There was a certain merit in this, but then it could not be said.

- Were there any cases when one of the top officials was poisoned in the Kremlin kitchen?

Thank God, no, but in order for them not to exist, everyone understood perfectly well how to select people and build a leadership system, so that there was strict discipline and understanding of where they work. It required a lot of dedication.

Viktor Belyaev teaches chefs how to decorate ready-made dishes Photo: pk25.ru

All Kremlin chefs still sign a non-disclosure document. What secrets are implied by this in the document?

This is a “secret”; it exists not only for chefs and not only in our country - wherever people are connected with the work of top officials. This is a document that states that you undertake not to tell what and how is happening in these units. All personnel who worked for the protected person - cooks, security - all people liable for military service, were questioned, checked. I myself did not sign such a paper. I, as the head of a food processing plant, also had a “secret”, but it was related to other articles.

Today, even in the Kremlin, there is a shortage of real products. There are a few subsidiary farms left, but they work for themselves

The quality of food for the higher ranks, who were fed in a special kitchen, was always carefully monitored. In which era were the products of better quality?

Today, even in the Kremlin, there is a shortage of real products. Before the sanctions, Russia had a large number of foreign cheeses, fish, and meat delicacies, but after the sanctions they disappeared. It’s probably even better, let our producers start working themselves. It’s easier to buy abroad and do nothing, but it’s shameful when Russia buys garlic from China.

Previously, food for the Kremlin table was supplied from subsidiary farms in the Moscow region, there were farms where calves were raised, they had their own milk, vegetables, fruits, berries - raspberries, currants, gooseberries, we always made large preparations for the winter. And today there are almost no subsidiary farms, a few remain, but they work for themselves and supply little product.

- I always thought that such people eat, if not the food of the gods, then certainly the best...

Of course, there is a special service that checks the quality of products coming to state receptions; it was, is and will be. They take tests and check for heavy metals and other harmful substances. If this product does not meet the standards, it is removed. But even if it passes the test, there is still no meat, fish, and dairy products that were there before.

“I spoke with Brezhnev only twice” Photo: forum.for-ua.com

- Do modern politicians differ from Soviet general secretaries in their gastronomic preferences?

Our old people, as we called them, didn’t get anything in their younger years - the Stalinist regime, then the war... Naturally, you can’t travel abroad: if you went somewhere, it was on official visits. And the new generation of leaders differs from the previous one in that they have traveled around Europe, Asia, tried different cuisines: shrimp, arugula, foie gras... But in my memory, it has never happened that the Kremlin kitchen invented any special dishes for them recipes.

- What do they feed you now?

Russian cuisine is always present. Especially when foreign representatives come. Jellied meat, herring under a fur coat... Pizza was never made, but there was a rack of lamb. Fish dishes: sea bass is coming now, and we used our sturgeon.

Gone are the days when a whole stretched tongue, a pig, vases of fruit were served... Imagine: there is a large vase, and there are apples, pears, grapes, plums, tangerines... You can still eat a tangerine, but how can you get a whole apple at a reception? ? Naturally, they were not eaten, they were taken into pockets. And now we’ve switched to small individual two-story fruit bowls, where they put different berries on skewers. They began to serve everything individually to each guest. A person sits down at the table, and on his plate there is a cold fish appetizer, then the waiter takes it away and brings meat dishes, after that - a hot dish, dessert.

I ran into the buffet and asked the manager: “How are you?” I haven’t even seen Putin, suddenly he answers: “Yes, everything is fine.”

"To Vladimir Vladimirovich I liked my soup. It was hot outside, about 35 degrees. In the evening it was necessary to serve something tasty, but cool. And we made tomato soup" Photo: news.qip.ru

What did you prepare for the current Russian President Vladimir Putin? There are legends that he loves some of your famous red soup...

Yes, he liked my cold soup. We prepared it at the summit in Sochi in 2006. We looked at it with the technologists, with the management, and agreed with the protocol. Why soup? It was hot outside, about 35 degrees. In the evening it was necessary to serve something tasty, but cool. And we made tomato soup. After that, when the meeting ended, Putin called the people who were involved in the protocol and asked them to thank him, saying that it was very tasty. It was a holiday for us. As a rule, everyone ate, talked and went on to work; in this bustle, you rarely hear gratitude to the cooks.

-Have you ever crossed paths with Putin again?

He came up repeatedly at similar events in other cities. My first acquaintance with Putin was six months after my work in the Kremlin. He was sitting in the buffet drinking coffee, and I ran in and asked the manager: “How are you?” I haven’t even seen Putin, suddenly he answers: “Yes, everything is fine.” I turn around and he’s drinking coffee. He always knew everything about the main people who served him.

- Do the current president of Russia have any other food preferences?

He really loves ice cream. And the usual: ice cream or fruit. When we had receptions, we always tried to include at least a scoop of ice cream in any dessert.

You once admitted that with the arrival of Putin, the level of alcohol in the Kremlin fell. Have you started drinking less? Or do they drink, but different drinks?

This is age related! In Soviet times, except for Alexei Kosygin (he was not only a non-drinker, but also a non-smoker), everyone in the Kremlin drank. Brezhnev loved vodka. If the doctors had not forbidden Leonid Ilyich after his stroke, perhaps he would have had a glass, but otherwise he would have abstained. Nikita Khrushchev, according to the stories of the cooks, was also partial to strong drinks. With the arrival of Vladimir Putin in 2000, the strength of alcohol changed. If, for example, in Soviet times there was 60% vodka and 40% wine, then with the advent of Vladimir Vladimirovich there came good wines - French, Chilean, Spanish, South African. From Russian brands - "Abrau-Durso". I remember when we coordinated the Kremlin menu with the protocol department, we even invited a good sommelier who presented this or that wine at receptions. Until now, good wines prevail in the Kremlin. True, now they also put Crimean ones on the tables. Although it is not right for Russia, with its space and capabilities, to do this, we had wonderful wines that won Grand Prix at various exhibitions.

At state receptions, per person there were 70 g of vodka, 50 g of cognac and 150 g of white and red wine. But, of course, a small reserve was also taken

Official receptions in the Kremlin Photo: eto-omsk.ru

- I wonder how much alcohol per person was allowed to drink at major Kremlin events?

At state receptions, per person there were 70 g of vodka, 50 g of cognac and 150 g of white and red wine. Everything was calculated, multiplied by the number of guests, but, of course, a small reserve was also taken in case someone ran out of drinks. Alcohol is never served at executive receptions. There is also such a form of service - a “glass of champagne”: when the first person of the state congratulates and rewards respected persons, a glass of champagne is served. Or signing some important documents. But this is a protocol thing. As for lunches and dinners, they have personal chefs and have their own calculations. But I think they also have a box of good wine in stock - you never know, guests will come - it’s a common thing.

Leonid Brezhnev had four personal chefs. I think Putin has no more

- How many chefs cook for Vladimir Putin?

I do not know this. Leonid Ilyich had four people. I think Putin has no more either. I have never worked with so-called private individuals. We knew them and communicated. But they were subscribed and tried not to show up too much. It was taboo, we walked past such people so as not to be exposed ourselves, and not to expose them. Of the current chefs who feed the top officials, I don’t know anyone. And I talked with the Brezhnevites. These were the most ordinary people from the people who accidentally ended up there.

" They called me to a special kitchen, I worked there for six years, and then they called me to the KGB, they say, would you like to work with the top officials? But I refused - I knew what kind of work it was."Photo: viktor-belyaev.livejournal.com

- Over the years, haven’t they tried to entice you to become a personal chef for one of the rulers?

First they called me from the special kitchen to the special kitchen, I worked there for six years, and then they called me to the KGB, they say, would you like to work with the top officials? But I refused - I knew what kind of work it was. There is more tension. I already had two children then, and I didn’t want to, I was afraid.

- Is it true that now in the Kremlin not only the furniture has changed, but also the dishes?

This happened back in the 2000s, when tablecloths and tables were changed, and then glass and porcelain. Previously, only USSR official plates were eaten at receptions. Under Yeltsin, they made the coat of arms of Russia; it was even on the glass. Then we moved away from this and began to use it very rarely. From that time the crystal remained, we exhibited it only on New Year's Eve. It looks much more beautiful and richer than any glass.

An estimate was drawn up for each deputy chairman. If lunch was supposed to be around 1 rub. or 1 rub. 50 kopecks, then they invested in this amount, they did not go for it

- Was there any kind of monthly budget in the Kremlin kitchen that could be spent per month?

I worked in a special kitchen that provided food for the Council of Ministers of the USSR and the entire apparatus of ministers; in that kitchen, a certain estimate for lunch per day was drawn up for entertainment expenses for each deputy chairman, and they worked strictly according to this calculation. If lunch was supposed to be around 1 rub. or 1 rub. 50 kopecks, then they invested in this amount, they did not go for it. It was very strict with this. I remember how at the end of the month it turned out that someone didn’t get the amount, and it was transferred to the next month, and someone went overboard - maybe they bought cigarettes or a bottle of cognac. If, for example, a person had business meetings, then even at them it was written down how many glasses of tea with lemon, crackers and sandwiches were spent. This 1967 decree appears to still be in effect today.

- I’ve always wondered where the excess food that remains after parties goes...

Today they count on every guest, so there is practically nothing left. In Soviet times, there was a lot left over, and after the receptions were over, we carefully removed everything that was untouched from the plates, set a separate table and fed the cadets and soldiers. Receptions are served by many services. People have always been grateful. Of course, the unscrupulous could turn it into their pocket, not without this. Now this is impossible.

- Didn’t you eat from the master’s table?

Waiters and cooks were fed in the workers' canteen an hour before the start of the reception. By the way, all the cooks were assigned to a separate clinic and underwent a medical examination every three months. And before the start of government receptions, doctors came into the kitchen, examined the nails and fingers of all the staff so that there were no pustular diseases.

"Waiters at receptions were forced to wear gloves." Photo: spbtep.ru

Waiters were forced to wear gloves. Firstly, it’s beautiful, and secondly, girls, of course, have a manicure, but guys’ nails can be different, some get a manicure, some don’t.

- And the cooks?

For example, it was very difficult for me to do slicing with gloves on, my hand sweats, the knife slips, so the gastronomic part was done without gloves, and everything related to raw materials was done with gloves.

The waiters were not given tips, but they were given gifts. From Indira Gandhi, women were given cuts for dresses, men - watches

For every waiter, less often a cook, tips are a good help. Is there such a way to reward employees in the Kremlin?

No, they never gave me any money. The only thing is that foreign delegations who came gave souvenirs. For example, Indira Gandhi gave women cuts for dresses, and men - watches. Others handed the men a bottle of whiskey, and the women some small items.

"I fed Richard Nixon ve weeks. We talked a lot with him, one evening - almost an hour" Photo: surfingbird.ru

- You have cooked for many politicians. Whom do you remember with special respect?

I spoke with Brezhnev twice. Once, when there was a meeting with the then President of France Valerie Giscard d'Estaing, I cooked fish soup for them on the island - in the Moscow region there was a separate island where they caught fish. After lunch, Brezhnev and Giscard d’Estaing came to thank me personally.

I remember how I served former US President Richard Nixon. He came to Moscow for two weeks, before the meeting between Gorbachev and Reagan, these were serious negotiations on arms reduction. He acted as an intermediary and lived in a mansion on Leninsky Hills. I fed him for two weeks. We talked a lot, one evening for almost an hour. He was interested in everything: where I studied, who my parents were, how life was. He gave me a photo of himself in the White House, then we took a photo on the steps of the mansion and he signed the photo: “From President Nixon to a real Russian boss.” When he left, something turned upside down in my head: it seemed that we were doing something wrong, after all, I was a Soviet man, a member of the party, I was brought up at that time...

"Leonid Kuchma himselfcame to the kitchen and shook hands with the cooks and sister-hostess" Photo: polittech.org

- Were any of the Ukrainian rulers fed in the Kremlin?

I remember Leonid Kuchma well from individual meetings in the mansion and evening receptions. I really liked that he came into the kitchen and began thanking everyone. He could have told the assistant: “Go and tell it from me.” But no, he came and shook hands with the cooks and the sister-hostess. I remember the first secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Ukraine, Vladimir Shcherbitsky. When joint receptions took place, he often visited Moscow, always available, without any ostentatious poses. Just like the deceased first secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Belarus Pyotr Masherov. They were somehow real.

Nowadays people get jobs in the Kremlin through acquaintances, although they periodically go to restaurants and are selected, but this is rare

You came to work in the Kremlin when you were just a boy. Really without protection? In general, without cronyism, is it possible to get to such a bread-and-butter place?

I came to the Kremlin for the first time in 1975, on the thirtieth anniversary of the Victory, I was sent from the Prague restaurant, where I worked then. I was 18 years old. Even before the army. The chef of this restaurant sent young employees there for practice, he believed: let the young people study. And I ended up in the special kitchen. The boss took a closer look at me: “Do you want to work with us?” “I’m leaving for the army,” I say. “Well, when you come back from the army, I’ll see you.” And when I returned, I went to Prague again, and I was again sent to the Kremlin, and the boss came up again with the same offer. “Okay, I’ll think about it and call.” “Why call? Here’s your phone, go to the HR department and talk.” Just at this time we had a meeting with graduates of the culinary school; my culinary teacher Zinaida Vasilievna was alive. “Victor, I heard you got married? Maybe you should go to the Kremlin to work? My uncle is the director of the Kremlin’s catering group.”

I came to Anatoly Kabanov, the then director of catering, the chef of the Kremlin kitchen was already sitting there, he gave me my profile and said that this guy was already in the personnel department. And he: “I have my own personnel department, my niece called me, she taught for him.” That’s how I got there, you could say I went in from both sides (laughs). And so... they don’t write on the fence that the Kremlin is looking for cooks - there will be a line. Naturally, they get in through acquaintances, although they periodically go to restaurants, look, select, but this is already rare. Mostly people move on from each other.

Stalin's cook taught me how to make raspberry parfait, chop greens with two knives, cut herring without a knife

- Your teacher was Stalin’s cook. What lessons from him were useful in life?

I will always remember Vitaly Alekseevich. He taught me how to make raspberry parfait, chop greens with two knives, and cut herring without a knife.

"E If the cook is angry and not in the mood, it’s better not to cook, otherwise you will over-salt, under-salt or over-cook.” Photo: lidashealthandbeautyblog.com

- Is it possible?

Easily! First you need to remove the skin from the fish, then tear off the head (he did it so masterfully that all the insides went with it), and then you lift one fillet with two fingers to the tail, the bones remain right on the ridge. And you do exactly the same with the second fillet. I still know how to do it.

I didn't like fiddling with the dough. Once we were ordered to make yeast pancakes, I honestly said: “Vitaly Alekseevich, I can’t! I’m afraid of this dough: it either doesn’t suit me, or it turns sour.” And he: “Do you like to sing songs?” “Of course I do, my mother is a singer.” “Come on, start singing and start kneading, and I’ll cut the appetizer.” He always said that you need a good mood for the test, and I was convinced many times that it senses the person’s aura. In general, if the cook is angry and not in the mood, it is better not to cook any product, otherwise you will over-salt, under-salt or overcook.

Everyone stole: those who stood on the chickens carried the chicken home, those who stood on the meat carried a piece of meat

- Were you ever tempted to bring something home from work?

The temptation is always there... Although when we worked in government mansions, no one really checked us, everyone was in front of us. As a rule, there were 12 people, but if there were 120, there would be more food there, maybe someone would be tempted. And when it's 12, what will you take? Eat a piece, not without it...

There were people who stole, but I was somehow embarrassed and afraid, it was a shame to do it. When I worked at the Prague restaurant, I had a case when the chef threw tenderloin, chicken, and butter into my bag... He was sneaky and said: “Don’t you have a family?” I kept wondering why I didn’t take it. Although they were carried there, it was impossible to live otherwise. Those who stood on the chickens carried the chicken home, those who stood on the meat carried a piece of meat. In the 70s, when things were really bad with this product, a friend worked part-time at Prague... He took out the trash. He throws about five kilograms of meat into a trash can, and tops it with potato peels from the vegetable shop and takes it away, and then other people take it and go to trade on the Arbat, a whole gang works. But this man was quickly caught, fired, and he could not get a job anywhere. Now they also steal, but not meat, but billions. The politicians of that time could not even dream of such a thing even in their worst dreams.

- Are today’s Kremlin chefs mostly young?

Yes. All the senior staff left, only the youth remained. There was a French chef, but he had already left, working to exchange experience.

During my work in the Council of Ministers, from cook to chef, I received three apartments

You said that in Soviet times you received a salary of 130 rubles in the Kremlin kitchen. How were you paid for your work in our time?

As the director of a food processing plant, my salary was 60 thousand rubles. (at the current rate $920.76. - "GORDON". ) But there were also bonuses for good work. For example, the summit was successfully held - the president thanked him, they presented him with a certificate, and also a cash prize - 15-20 thousand rubles.

"At work in the Kremlinthey intrigued, wrote and were afraid that I would take their place, they tried to belittle me. I've swallowed so much, it's not enough to write a three-volume book..." Photo: torrent-muzon.ru

Was it enough or not? The question is rhetorical. But there was an opportunity to get an apartment. During my work in the Council of Ministers, from cook to chef, I received three apartments. The system was like this: after working for three years, you could write an application. If you had poor living conditions or had children, you could get another apartment. Those who were smarter used a trick: they registered their mother and aunt in their apartment... It turned out that we lived with my mother, and then my son was born, there was not enough space, and for two years I was allocated an apartment, first on Leninsky Prospekt. After some time, a daughter was born - they gave me another. And then, for the 50th anniversary, in our time, they gave me an apartment on Mira Avenue. Plus the benefits were good. Now this is not the case, but back then we had our own ateliers where we could inexpensively sew winter boots or a muskrat hat; there was a big shortage. Those who were richer stood in line to buy a domestic car. There were also subordinate kindergartens where you could enroll without queues. At that time there were about forty rest houses and a sanatorium, and we were given two-day vouchers. On Friday evening they took the children, boarded the bus, arrived on Saturday, and rested until Sunday. There was a full three meals a day, and everything for three cost 6-8 rubles.

They don’t leave such places on their own. You said that you decided to take this step because your colleagues were intriguing and gave you a heart attack. Is this something that thrives in these circles?

Yes. What do you think, I was surrounded only by bosses from movies? (Laughs.) I beg you... Of course, there were intrigues, they wrote and were afraid that I would take their places, they tried to belittle them. I’ve swallowed so much, it’s not enough to write a three-volume book...

When I arrived at the Kremlin Palace of Congresses, there were many buffets operating on the sixth floor. The employees brought their own sausage, alcohol... They earned money themselves, and the food plant received a profit. None of the buffets had cash registers. I began to put things in order, I wanted to change and destroy this system. You could say that he tore people away from their daily bread. As a result, they started writing letters to me. When I left, they didn’t call me back, but even if that had happened, I wouldn’t have gone myself - after all, I worked for 32 years, my heart is not the same. Neither health nor morale allows working in the same mode. The social and organizational work that I am now doing as president of the Russian Culinary Association is enough for me to go on vacation with my wife to relax, to feed my family, and most importantly, it’s time to give away my experience and knowledge.

"Nothing to regret. Nostalgia is always there, but to regret and think about going back, no." Photo: torrent-muzon.ru

- But you have no nostalgia for that time? Don't you regret it deep down?

Nothing to regret. Nostalgia is always there, but to regret and think about going back is not. What was done was done honestly and frankly, with dedication. I'm not ashamed of those years. I didn’t expect that I would be able to grow from a cook into a general director, communicate with such people, and work in such a high position. And I try to forget all the bad things, we must remember the good and the present. The rest is to clean up. Then you will remain a kind and sympathetic person. Now there is a lot of evil, it’s so offensive when I see how society has changed! But I hope that it will be better, at least I am still able and will try to contribute.