Aleksey ChigakCommunity profile

Alexei is originally from Belarus. He began his culinary career with an internship in Syria, working in a family-owned restaurant. After working in restaurants in Minsk for a while, he moved to St. Petersburg. There, while studying international standards and strong management, and learning about kitchen management in Market Place restaurants, Alexei honed his French cuisine skills at top establishments – the miX restaurant by Alain Ducasse at the W Hotel and the Kempinski Hotel kitchen. At the age of 23, he became a head chef. He also managed a culinary studio called "Yes, Chef!" Simultaneously. His career continued to progress in Yalta, where he led the kitchen of an Italian restaurant and the banquet service of the Mriya Resort. Alexei has gained experience in various culinary fields: Asian, European, French, Italian, American, English, and Indian. However, he specializes in Russian cuisine, skillfully combining traditional recipes with modern techniques and the flavors of national dishes from other countries. After moving to Moscow, he began to study the local tastes and trends, working with foreign chefs, including Glen Ballis and Tom Colicchio. He completed internships at Novikov Group restaurants, and in 2019, he became the head chef of the "Cafe Tchaikovsky" restaurant. Alexei streamlined all business processes, improved kitchen operations, and revised the menu. Currently, the restaurant's menu is updated every few months with 8-10 new items. Alexei pays great attention to the quality of ingredients and cooking techniques. For example, the fish for the Yakut pike cutlets – one of the restaurant's signature dishes – is directly sourced from Yakutia, and the chefs carefully remove every bone from the fillet, adding only leeks and cream to the mixture. The éclair with rabbit pâté and sea buckthorn glaze is disguised as a dessert. And the most popular salad at the "Cafe Tchaikovsky" restaurant, the crispy eggplant, is the result of reinterpreting Italian and French techniques and adding Asian spices. Each new dish created by Alexei is the result of careful and thoughtful exploration of flavors and textures. Alexei participates in professional events as a speaker and has been a head instructor at the Novikov Space culinary school since 2022. He represented Russia and Russian cuisine at a forum in Saudi Arabia, where he was recognized as an ambassador of Russian cuisine in the country. He also represented "Petmol" at Gastreet 2024. Alexei is constantly striving for improvement and professional growth, and he keeps up with the latest trends. His plans include becoming a brand chef at Novikov Group. In his work, Alexei follows the principle of "Many hands make light work" and pays great attention to his team and sous chefs.