Andrey KoshkodanCommunity profile

The head chef of the Mamai-Cale restaurant was born in Moldova, then moved to Ukraine, followed by Romania and Russia. His earliest food memories are associated with Odessa, where his grandmother lived. Andrei graduated from a culinary school and, in the restaurants of the legendary Saveliy Libkin, he progressed from a line cook to a sous chef, working at establishments like "Steakhouse. Meat and Wine," "Kompot," and "Basilico." Andrei opened his first restaurant, a pastry shop called "Cupcake Story," also in Odessa. Before that, he spent six months in Bangkok, where, despite not knowing the language, he mastered Thai and Indian cuisine. In 2015, the young chef joined the White Rabbit Family, initially as the head chef of one of their projects in Sochi, and later became the head chef of the Italian restaurant Luciano in Moscow. In February 2017, Andrei completed an internship at the Associazione Verace Pizza Napoletana and took second place in a pizza-making championship in Naples. In 2018, under his leadership, Luciano was included in the top 70 of the "70 Best Restaurants with Pizzeria in the World" ranking, compiled by the Italian professional magazine Ristorazione Italiana. Andrei loves working with flour; since his first pastry shop in Odessa, he has continued to discover new varieties, use different types of malt, and experiment with techniques. In recent years, the chef has been studying French cuisine with great interest and working with game and local produce. Andrei is passionate about sports and enjoys running and boxing.