Profile of the chef: Evgeniy Tsyganov

I agree, it’s not really fair that everyone knows about good restaurants, but only a few know about the chefs who cook there and create the menu. We at The Fashion Vibes decided to correct this situation and created the “Chef Profile” section, where we will introduce you to the main chefs not only in Moscow, but all over Russia.

This time we talk with Evgeny Tsyganov, the brand chef of the quietest luxury restaurant Eno Bistro. In 2019, he received an award in the category “Opening Chef of the Year” according to the Palme d’Or of the restaurant business, and in 2021, as a chef, he opened the “first fine restaurant in Patriki” – Alexander Rappoport’s “Pavilion”.

Before searching on Google for his other achievements, we recommend that you study the biography of Eugene in our material.

Let’s get started, shall we?

Evgeny Tsyganov.

33 years.

People’s Team – Eno Bistro, Padron (expecting March 2024).

Because I had to leave the ninth grade, or rather I was asked to leave. And I chose vocational school. There were several outstanding professions there – welder, bricklayer and something else… And it seemed to me that the most promising of these professions was cooking, so that’s why I went to study.

It doesn’t have a specific dish, but if we were to talk about food, I’d probably say something big like roast duck or leg of lamb.

Every cuisine has its own flavors, but if we talk about the general perception, for me it is Spanish cuisine. This is one of the coolest kitchens I’ve ever tried. I finally fell in love with it during a trip to the Iberian Peninsula last year, when preparations began for the opening of the Padron restaurant. First of all, it is necessary to note their attitude towards the product. They think about how to convey the taste and purity, not the spectacular presentation. The real discovery for me on this journey was Portuguese cuisine. Now our concept chef Adrian Ketglas and I are working on these recipes for Padron and we feel this particularly vividly.

I don’t have this. On the contrary, any complexity is even more attractive.

The first thing that comes to mind is Japanese quince. It is very rare and almost no one grows it. I tried it by chance in a park in Skolkovo near Eno Bistro and was very pleased. Now I want them to plant it next year so I can use it for dishes.

The most ridiculous thing for me was learning the security measures. Our kitchen had an island with a deep fryer in the corner, and as I walked past it, I slipped and dipped my hand into the hot oil. I survived the burns with a lot of shock, but I learned once again to make sure the floors in the kitchen are always dry.

One hundred percent – fried potatoes, but not only, with salad, or rather with sauce. My mother would buy pickled tomatoes from the barn and season everything with Grandma’s fragrant oil and freshly chopped onions. This is just confusing.

All our work consists of creativity and we are all very creative individuals. But no, alas and ah. Creativity is just the beginning of a chef’s job. It all starts with the menu, you can create it with a creative flow, but in reality it is all a big work of craft. Not to mention economics and management, which a boss must know. Therefore, creativity is only the beginning of the path, and its basis is craft.

There is no hateful content; most likely the hatred comes from not being able to work with them. There used to be many of these. For example, eggplant. But when you understand that you can cook differently, learn more techniques, you choose a unique one for this product and everything falls into place – the product acquires an incredible taste that you could not even dream of.

Because I can create incredible things. In these moments of creativity, when you first come up with an idea and then execute it, the food is not only beautiful, you can smell it, taste it, photograph it and capture it forever. And people will enjoy whatever you put into them.

Now it’s time for the cod, which we cook with mushrooms, juniper, black truffle and fermented lacto-apple sauce. But tomorrow maybe I’ll name it something else. Ask me tomorrow.

Create a product or formula to create a meal that everyone will enjoy, without exception.