"Our food never gets boring!" - co-owner of "Author's delicacies" Irina Puchenkova

– How did the idea of ​​creating your business come about, when did it become a reality, and how many Author's Delicacies stores operate in Novosibirsk?

– My husband Dmitry Puchenkov is a professional chef. He has always had a special approach to products, he constantly offers interesting solutions. And seven years ago, a desire arose to try my hand at cooking farm food. Our first product was pates made from various types of meat, including game, from classic farmer's to unusual solutions, as well as a range of stewed meats . We started supplying it to stores, then other requests appeared - for other meat products, fish, semi-finished products. And every day we generated new ideas for preparing and decorating beautiful high-quality semi-finished products.

Now we have one store in Novosibirsk, which we recently opened on Lenina Street, 10, building 1. But for seven years we have been working throughout Russia, organizing the delivery of our author's food to different parts of the country - to the same small shops.

– What makes your company unique, how do you differ from others? Indeed, at first glance, this can be seen on a variety of trading platforms.

– A few years ago we set out to create an unusual line of fish products. Because the fish itself is a very complex raw material, from which it is difficult for an ordinary person to cook something beautiful and really tasty.

Everyone is used to the traditional fish semi-finished products that can be found in every store. But we wanted to add unusualness in addition to beauty and taste, while maintaining the convenience of cooking. So that a tired person, coming home, could provide himself with dinner in 15 minutes - guaranteed to be tasty, balanced and attractive. Such a dish should be suitable for both everyday and festive tables.

And we succeeded! We have developed and launched the production of products, not only fish, that delight customers with their aesthetic appearance, taste solutions, and an unusual combination of ingredients. In addition, we have significantly diversified the very limited world of convenience foods. Just look at the shelves of our store to be convinced of this. Today we have more than 600 items of products, which are based on meat, fish, poultry, and game. But the fish still dominates, because it turned out to be the most beautiful.

One of our top offers is a fish spit. This is a completely unusual serving of fish that can decorate any holiday table . Such a braid is woven from a fillet of chum salmon, like an ordinary braid, and decorated with seafood - king prawns, squid, scallops, mussels, as well as nuts, berries and cheese balls. The end result was not only delicious, but also very beautiful.

– Are there any other products in your line, besides semi-finished products?

– In our assortment there is also ready-made food that you can eat, as they say, here and now. This, for example, stewed meat in jars of various tastes. It languishes in a special Russian oven without adding any preservatives, only using natural cooking technology. There are pâtés, delicious vegetable and mushroom snacks, cured and smoked meat and fish.

We smoke only on natural wood chips of three types - cherry, alder and apple, combining them in different combinations and proportions. This gives each product its own individual taste. Particularly successful is the duck breast, lightly smoked on cherry chips - it's insanely delicious. Another bestseller is dry-cured sliced ​​carpaccio.

We perform all procedures in our own workshop, divided into separate zones. We prepare the dough ourselves, into which we then roll incredibly appetizing salmon rolls. We make crispy fish sticks stuffed with pike. And so on - you can continue indefinitely.

– Do you have special offers for grilling?

– Of course, we offer more than 50 items. Among them are author's and classic sausages made from meat, poultry, game, fish, marvelous marinated langoustines in various sauces, excellent steaks. There are also grill sets consisting of assorted shrimp, tuna, sturgeon and chinook salmon. Lamb, beef or turkey kebabs are in demand, suitable for both adults and children. There are many ready-made solutions.

Where do you get raw materials for your products?

– We work mainly with Russian manufacturers. Foreign raw materials come to us in extremely limited quantities.

If we talk about seafood, then first of all it is, of course, the Far East . 80% of fish comes to us from Vladivostok and Kamchatka. And we really appreciate it, because it is very high quality. Even from such a simple fish as pollock, you can cook a fantastically tasty dish - a Russian pie with stewed mushrooms and cream. Our customers appreciate them very much.

Another important plus of Russian fish is a more affordable price. In terms of price/quality ratio, imported raw materials noticeably lose.

How are your suppliers selected?

“The vast experience gained over the years of work helps here. Initially, everything was more or less clear with meat, but with the supply of fish, things are more complicated. We screened suppliers based on product quality, tried to follow recommendations, tracked processing steps, and studied their manufacturing processes.

It is important for us that the raw materials be frozen no more than once; repeated freezing does not suit us. Our products must feel primordial freshness. We are also interested in the most accurate cutting, since we do not buy whole fish, but its loin parts.

Over time, there were factories that produce what we need. As, for example, the plant named after Lenin in Kamchatka, which produces delicious canned fish. Comparing different manufacturers, we eventually finally decided on the suppliers.

These manufacturers have been in business for decades. And newcomers trying to enter the market are not able to compete with them. Lack of experience affects, and Russian seafood is quite difficult to process.

Who is your product intended for? What is your customer profile?

– First of all, our products are bought by people who love themselves and care about their health . We honestly reflect the entire composition on the label. And there you will not find any thinners, thickeners, preservatives and flavor enhancers. On the contrary, everything we offer is as natural, fresh and tasty as possible.

Among the buyers are many who play sports. We mainly have high-protein products without, for example, adding carbohydrates to minced meat. That is, we do not mix bread into the meat to increase the mass. In addition, we use fresh vegetables, herbs and nuts everywhere.

Also, our food is designed for people who want to eat deliciously, but do not have time to cook. Today, everyone really works a lot, and there is absolutely no time to fully prepare dinners, lunches and breakfasts. We offer a way out - a huge collection of food, high quality and varied.

- I heard that among your services there is delivery and VIP service. Tell us more about them.

– We carry out delivery both in Novosibirsk and outside the city, at any time. Everything happens in consultation with our clients.

In addition, we can organize a festive table, choose dishes from our menu or cook according to an individual order. I am always ready to come and tell you what and how we are going to cook, so that it turns out as tasty and interesting as possible.

There is also such a service, when our most important employee, Dmitry Puchenkov, personally comes to the place, helping to organize a beautiful and tasty festive table.

Does your business experience seasonality?

– Yes, there are certain changes in demand due to the change of seasons. From April we begin to focus on grilled products. By autumn, from August-September, we bring more hearty and traditional food - dumplings, ravioli, meatballs, dumplings, tubules, various pies.

By the New Year comes the time for elegant spectacular sets. We respond to religious fasts with an increased offer of Lenten dishes.

Thus, we are characterized by a constant focus on our customers so that they can get what they want at various periods of their lives. And we do it quite successfully - our customers never get bored of our food!