Alexander StakheevCommunity profile

After being denied entry into the tenth grade of a school, the future chef faced a choice between training as an automotive mechanic and attending the Moscow Technological College of Food Service, ultimately opting for the latter. To gain practical experience and learn the nuances of the profession, Alexander joined the kitchen staff of the "Balalaika" tavern in 2000. He ventured beyond preparing classic business lunches and grilled dishes at the "N-Kong" restaurant, under the guidance of the Japanese chef Tom Kurokawa. It was there that he acquired fundamental skills in working with Asian ingredients and recipes. In addition to this project, the chef's resume includes "Forte" and "Sudary," but he gained valuable life experience and professional development at "Tanuki." From 2006 to 2009, alongside a team from the largest restaurant chain of the time, Alexander learned about operational management, opening ten projects per year, and managing eight of them.

His longest collaboration was with the Vasilchuk brothers' company, where he had the opportunity to work in various departments within the holding: Pan-Asian cuisine in the "Pan-Asia" projects, developing special offers for VIP services, and managing his own restaurant. This restaurant was the first "Chayhana No. 1" on Tverskaya Street, featuring four kitchens: Georgian, Pan-Asian, Italian, and a culinary school called Life Kitchen. A transfer to the "354 Restaurant Group" led him to the high-end restaurant Insight.

Since 2020, Alexander has focused on consulting, and over twenty years in the industry, he has been involved in the opening of approximately fifty projects. His skills in working with premium products, extensive operational experience, and proven results led to a collaboration with the renowned Ryotei restaurant in the south, and subsequently, a contract as the corporate brand chef for the "Provintsialy" restaurant group (including the Kissaten coffee shop, the Kappu Cha tea bar, the YiaYia neo-tavern, the Café Krasnodar restaurant, and the Ryotei restaurant, and the "Burger Bar Krasnodar").

He considers his friend and partner, brand chef Sergei Sushchenko, as well as restaurateurs Alexei Vasilchuk and Rach Shamyana, and his former students, Alexander Raylyan and Artem Nedobezhkin, to be significant figures in his professional journey.

About himself, the chef says: "I'm not one to stay in one place for long – more than two or three years in a single restaurant feels like a long time to me; I start to feel lazy and bored."