Latest news with #Ferrandi
LeMonde
29-07-2025
- General
- LeMonde
Nika Lozovska, chef: 'I work in a London restaurant called Brat. In Ukrainian, that means brother'
On the eve of the Russian offensive in 2022, my restaurant in Odesa had been open for six years. Despite the conflict that loomed over the country at the time, I had a good life, with my bistro, my kitchen, my family, who have lived there for four generations. Then the war broke out. We went through a winter without electricity, people began to flee and the Russians were preparing to invade us. Every night, we had to take shelter in the basement. I would go and get my mother so she could hide as well. I lost sleep, lost my lust for life, lost sight of the light at the end of the tunnel. After two years, I decided to leave the country to try to rebuild my life and career elsewhere. I left my mother and my restaurant behind. I know my mother will never want to leave her country – it's her language, her culture, her friends, her market. She wouldn't be happy anywhere else. But I needed to go. I first went back to France, where I had learned to cook at the Ferrandi hospitality school, when I was 18. I spent a little time in Paris, then in Nice. But I didn't have the strength to start over or settle down for good. I couldn't do anything lasting or permanent; first, I needed to heal, to take care of myself. It was the third year of the war in Ukraine. I did a little catering, charity events and took part in the Refugee Food Festival, which was very symbolic and powerful for me. Then I moved to London. Russia has been shelling my country for four years. I work as a sous-chef in a London restaurant called Brat. In Welsh, it means "flounder." In Ukrainian, it means "brother." Sometimes, I take part in charity dinners to raise funds for Ukraine. I hope I can do more. Talking about the fields and the sea One thing the war has taught us is that predicting things, making plans is a bit ridiculous. I have projects, but it's more of a direction I'm trending toward. I do know one thing: Nothing makes me happier than cooking. I love doing it at the restaurant and at home, for others and for myself, making seasonal dishes that remind me of my region. Like this summer salad with juicy heirloom tomatoes and samphire – which grows abundantly around Odesa, on the Black Sea coast – on a bed of corn purée, a sweet and comforting symbol of Ukraine.
Daily Mirror
29-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Mirror
Carême stars trained under 'tough' gourmet chef for two months to perfect 'intimate' drama
Apple TV+ is back with a bang as they're set to drop a new period drama series later this week The stars of Carême underwent a rigorous two-month culinary training to prepare for Apple TV+'s new gripping gastro drama. Set in 19th Century Paris, French actor Benjamin Voisin portrays Antonin Carême, a rebellious cooking prodigy who finds himself cooking for Napoleon Bonaparte (played by Frank Molinaro). Once he steps into the opulent kitchen of Tuileries Palace, he forms an alliance with accomplished chef Agathe (Alice Da Luz) and quickly carves out a reputation for himself, becoming one of the world's first celebrity chefs due to his unruly approach to cooking. In a chat with Express Online, when asked about the most challenging part of the series, Voisin admitted: "For me it was cooking! "I spent two months in a school of cuisine, the Ferrandi School, it's a hospitality school where you learn about all the trades", reports the Express. Voisin and Da Luz not only had to master the art of cooking, but they also trained under one of the school's top chefs to learn how to manage a bustling and noisy kitchen. "I worked separately with a chef and he introduced me to his team," the actor added. "I was able to learn the body language, all the antics of cooking and then I could see how he ran his team, sometimes with an iron fist, but also sometimes very benevolent. "That was really exciting. That's what I really had to learn and re-train and see Carême's legacy through this 60-year-old chef, and see that Carême himself, throughout the series, learns to become a chef himself and learns how to go from A to B." Voisin didn't embark on his culinary adventure solo; Da Luz was right there with him, honing her kitchen prowess to match - and even outshine - her esteemed partner. "It was really incredible to spend so much time in such prestigious kitchens," she enthused. "We would go very early in the morning, take lessons, and then we would go back in the evening and serve dishes with the students who were studying in Ferrandi." During those two months, Da Luz insisted, "there was no difference between us and the students", as they underwent training just as rigorous as that of Ferrandi's aspiring restaurateurs. "We were just like any other student in that school, we had to do things seriously," she asserted. Da Luz also shed light on the importance of mastering more than just ingredient prep and cooking, emphasising skills like kitchen communication and ensuring each station runs without a hitch. "What was interesting was also to be able to actually work on this choreography," she continued. "This dance that goes on in the kitchen when everything is a rush and this is something we tried to work on with Benjamin. "We had to work on non-verbal communication, how to manage stress in a kitchen and all these unsaid, untold messages. [It was] very intimate." For all you food lovers and history enthusiasts out there - don't miss out on Carême this streaming season.
