Andrey BalakhnovCommunity profile

Andrey Balakhnov was born on September 18, 1997, in the city of Khmelnytsky. Andrey's culinary career began in school. When he was 14 years old, he got a job as a kitchen assistant in a large restaurant in Krasnodar called "Lilia." He worked there for 3 years, gradually mastering the profession. It was then that he realized that this was the field he enjoyed and wanted to pursue, developing and improving his skills. At the age of 17, Andrey decided to move to St. Petersburg, where he enrolled in a culinary college. In 2016, while studying at the college, Andrey worked at the cafe "Mechtaтели" (Dreamers). He started as an intern and was later promoted to line cook. After that, Andrey worked as a sous chef at the Georgian restaurant "Khochu Kharcho" (part of the Ginza Project restaurant group). Since 2017, Andrey Balakhnov has been a cook at the restaurant in the "Hermitage" hotel in St. Petersburg. It was there that he learned the basics of French, Russian, and Italian cuisine, as well as how to create pastries, and various techniques, ranging from the fundamentals of fermentation to more complex culinary methods. In 2019, Andrey moved to Moscow, where he joined the Cutfish project by Alexander Oganezov and Glen Ballis. He started as a line cook, but within a year, he was promoted to head chef. In November 2020, Andrey joined the Pan-Asian restaurant Lila Asia, owned by Galaktion and Elina Tabidze, as a sous chef. After leaving Lila Asia, Andrey Balakhnov held the position of head chef at the seafood restaurant "Nakhodka" in Moscow. In addition, Andrey Balakhnov completed courses at the Gräs/Madbaren restaurant in St. Petersburg, under the guidance of chef and co-owner of the Commons restaurant, Anton Abrezov. Since January 2022, Andrey Balakhnov has been the brand chef at the seafood restaurant "Okhotka," owned by Anna and Nikolai Akulich. Working in Pan-Asian restaurants instilled in Andrey a love for "pure ingredients" and minimalism in their preparation. This is what he wants to reflect in the new menu of the "Okhotka" restaurant. Andrey also approaches plans for the project's sustainable development with great responsibility and wants to bring all his plans and ambitions to life.