Alex and Tateyana both have a deep passion for food and wine and share their own cooking studio in the city center. The roots of Tateyana’s incredible cuisine can be traced back to her grandfather who taught her most of what she knows. Her family is a family with great culinary tradition. In 1890s her grand-grandfather ran a restaurant in Siberia. She even knows how to make her own jam, her grandfather taught her from a young age how to pick fresh berries to make jam! He also taught her how to make rasstegai and belyashi (traditional pies) and her grandmother taught her special recipe for forschmak (appetizer made of salted herring). From the age of 5, Tateyana was allowed to make dumplings for family dinners; she was always in charge of filling the dumplings (her favorite childhood food memory!). Like Tateyana, Alex also learned to cook from his grandparents, and also comes from a family with culinary history. His great-grandfather ran a pastry house in south Russia. Given their early start their passion for food has only grown stronger and over the years they have collected old Russian recipes and recreated authentic Russian cuisine.
“We are very dedicated to our cooking, since we are passionate about food and meeting interesting people.” - Alex and Tateyana
Please note menu might vary. If there are particular dishes you are interested in trying, please include your request in the booking form.
In-home meal: (1-4 guests) Alex and Tateyana live in a studio apartment decorated with Tateyana’s beautiful paintings. All the rooms are open to each other which makes it feel extra homely. You will be welcomed with starters - rye bread with a sweet and savory dip of fish paste mixed with apples and a warm smile. Alex and Tateyana work as a team, while he explains more about the dish and its origin, she will be adding finishing touches to the meal in the kitchen. All the herbs used in the cooking come from their beautiful herb garden in the balcony. It is here (in the balcony) that you will also see a rack of Tateyana’s famous homemade jams (taught by her grandfather). A few dishes that you might try at the dinning table are salo (lard), okroshka or borscht (soup) and bacon wrapped roasted quail served with salad. Your meal will end with a sweet dessert, such as homemade baked cake with homemade jams or pryaniki (Russian ginger bread cookies), served with kvass (beverage commonly made from rye bread) or Russian tea.
Cooking experience: (1-4 guests) Join Alex and Tateyana in their home kitchen to learn to make three traditional Russian dishes from scratch, in your 2 hour cooking class. Begin with chopping ingredients for the quail stuffing and wrap the quail with some beautiful bacon before putting it in the oven. While the quail bakes, you will start to chop up vegetables and ham for the okroshka soup and then knead dough to prepare pryaniki (Russian ginger bread cookies). At the end of the cooking class you will learn a lot about Russian culture and cuisine and even what the great Russian writers Pushkin and Dostoevsky preferred to eat!
Market visit: (1-4 guests) Meet Alex and Tateyana at their home before driving to the local market for about 15 minutes. They will introduce you to various types of foods on sale in the bustling market, from farm-fresh produce, to regional specialties and seasonal delicacies. After exploring the market, and perhaps doing a bit of shopping for your cooking class, you will return to their home kitchen to start cooking.
Notes: Alex and Tateyana can cook vegetarian meals on request.
Languages spoken: English, Russian
Alex and Tateyana were stellar hosts. We felt like a part of their family throughout the entire experience. The food we had with Alex and Tateyana was the most delicious overall meal we’ve experienced through Traveling Spoon. If you’re seeking the perfect Russian food experience through a youthful couple’s guidance, look no further; Alex and Tateyana are the answer. The duo worked so well together. Alex hosted and explained to us as Tateyana directed us and controlled the kitchen. I was in Russia for three weeks, and this was my favorite bite of food. Tateyana is a queen in the kitchen! Everyone ate in silence and as the bounty of food cleared away, our conversation started up again. This was an unforgettable lunch. They are both masters at their passion for showing people Russian food, hands on and off. You’ll be booking a plane ticket to Moscow just to visit them again!
Marc and Bavly, Traveling Spoon Ambassador
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