Roman BazhenovCommunity profile

His story began in 2005 in Perm. His father helped him decide on a profession that would become his life's calling: he brought a book listing the professions offered by vocational schools and colleges. Among the dozens of options, from mechanics to auto repairmen, Roman saw two words: "cook-pastry chef." This profession resonated with Bazhenov because, in his opinion, it combined the best of everything: creativity, imagination, and the ability to make people happy with delicious food.

In 2008, after graduating from vocational school No. 39 with a 4th-grade qualification as a cook and a 3rd-grade qualification as a pastry chef, he began his challenging journey in the profession. Initially, it wasn't easy: restaurants were reluctant to hire someone without experience, and a cafeteria job, which required cooking soups in large pots, seemed like it could stifle his development. Fortunately, by the end of the year, he found a job at "Kama," one of the largest beer restaurants in Perm. Long and arduous shifts of 16 hours led the future chef to a thorough understanding of all processes, not just in theory, but also in practice: from basic cleaning and vegetable preparation to the preparation of all dishes, including desserts and pastries. By 2013, Bazhenov was promoted to sous chef.

After the restaurant closed, he went through a period of searching for his place, and in 2015, Roman joined one of the best teams in the Rest Union restaurant chain – Zlata Husa. In 2017, he took a risk and became the head chef at the BUTLER pub. For the first time, he was independently managing a kitchen. After working there for two years, he decided to move, realizing that he had reached his professional limit in Perm.

In 2019, in Moscow, Bazhenov joined the WRF team and became a cook in the hot kitchen of the Benedict cafe on Nikolskaya Street, where he worked until February 2020. When the cafe temporarily closed, Roman moved to the Mama Mia and More Mio Italian corners in the "Around the World" gourmet market, and a year later, he joined the Butch meat corner.

At the end of 2021, Roman said goodbye to the WRF chain and started working at the CHROME Rise Up gastrobar, where he is still the chef. As Bazhenov notes, this opportunity allows him to realize everything he once loved about the profession: to create a creative, vibrant, and unconventional menu of simple and delicious dishes.