The chef about what dishes the stars order in the famous restaurant car of the signature train No. 1

Most of all in kindergarten, Pavel Makovka liked going to the catering department. The kids in those days were happy to help the nannies deliver bread, buns and salads into groups. The journey to the kitchen seemed especially interesting to the curious child: people in white clothes and caps, delicious smells, the sound of scoops and spoons. The boy was ready even then to happily stand behind the stove, but for this he at least needed to grow up, and as a maximum - to get an education. Today Pavel Makovka is the chairman of the Federation of Chefs and Confectioners of Belarus, a certified WACS judge, an international category judge according to worldskills standards.

Pavel Makovka set up his first culinary experiment in his school years. Left alone at home, he pulled out his mother's notebook with recipes from the nightstand and began to "conjure". He really wanted to surprise his parents with his fragrant pastries.

- I completed the task, however, my mother had to wash the kitchen for a long time, - the chef smiles. - Of course, my cookies were far from ideal, but quite edible. Since the third grade, I clearly knew who I wanted to become. True, I had no idea that the path of a confectioner was not as sweet as it seemed.

To learn how to create fabulous cakes, incredible cheesecakes, the most delicate petit fours and airy mousses, an ambitious young man entered the MINSK Trade College. The competition for the specialty "technician-technologist", which he chose, was eight people per place! And chemistry, which was listed in the entrance exams, was not given to Pavel at school. But by some miracle, he scored 75 points in an unloved subject and successfully passed all the tests.

- In college, with great pleasure and zeal, I comprehended the organization of production, the introduction of advanced technologies, the development of new recipes, the execution of regulatory documents, - recalls Pavel Makovka. - But I especially liked to communicate with experienced teachers who shared professional secrets. I got to practice not in a restaurant, as many wanted, but in a dining room. I had to peel hundreds of kilograms of potatoes, chop mountains of onions, fry pancakes endlessly. But this did not cause rejection from the profession. I was not afraid of large volumes of work, physical exertion and a wide range of responsibilities. Gained practical skills and discovered new opportunities.

After the distribution, the young specialist was sent to feed the passengers of our "chigunka". He dreamed of romance, interesting impressions - and he got it all in full. He was even lucky to work in the famous restaurant car of the branded train No. 1, which connects the capitals of Belarus and RUSSIA. Whom you just didn’t have to meet there: the stars of the stage, and athletes, and writers, and politicians!

“When it comes to food, our elites tend to have very mundane tastes,” he notes. - I can't remember any serious excesses or conflicts. Or maybe I was just lucky to have friendly, cheerful and courteous fellow travelers.

Quite quickly, our hero has grown to the DIRECTOR of the dining car. It was an interesting but difficult job . I even had to take exams that were not related to cooking. For example, in a new position, Pavel had to know the width of the railway track, the height of the contact wire, the power of the firebox ... He diligently memorized all this and now jokes that thanks to his "universities" he also received a second education as a railway worker.

Pavel Makovka also had a chance to work in Oktyabrsky - this is an enterprise of the Administration of the President of the Republic of Belarus, which organizes state special events at the highest level. Serving foreign guests, including top officials of the state, is a big responsibility. Many important nuances had to be taken into account - cultural traditions, culinary preferences and personal requests.

- Of course, I wanted to show our native flavor. They presented a variety of Belarusian national cuisine in a modern way - from the famous potato pancakes to such exotic dishes as bison MEAT stewed in herbs with cornflower sauce, - the interlocutor recalls. - Without false modesty, I will say that more than once our team managed to demonstrate how delicious, diverse and completely exclusive Belarusian cuisine is.

Before the II European Games, Pavel Makovka had the honor of heading the catering service of the Chizhovka-Arena sports complex. Every day, the team of cooks had to feed about eight thousand people! And it was necessary to please everyone - athletes, volunteers, VIP guests, service personnel. Judging by the enthusiastic responses of the participants of the Games, the cooks coped with this task perfectly well.

After graduating from the Mogilev State University of Food and Beverage, Vice-Rector Olga Matsikova offered the gifted graduate to become an expert judge in the WorldSkills Young Professionals project.

“The delegation went to international competitions, where professionals presented their dish and spoke so loudly about their country,” says Pavel Makovka. - At first it was the United Arab Emirates, then Ukraine , Russia , Macedonia. While traveling, I noticed that my colleagues abroad are united in Federations and guilds. And I wanted to invite everyone in Belarus who is not indifferent to the development of culinary arts in the country. Before registering a new vocational education with the Ministry of Justice, we did painstaking work, collected a lot of documents, and spent a lot of time getting them approved. But in the end, the Federation of Chefs and Confectioners of Belarus was created. Today it unites about 200 people. And we can already boast of cups and medals of prestigious competitions.

Participation in an international culinary competition, according to an expert judge, is always an unforgettable experience. Once in Macedonia, Khadijat Movlatova, chairman of the Federation of Chefs of Chechnya, cooked amazing pumpkin pies at a master class. The process of their birth took place in front of everyone and literally fascinated - she bathed them in MILK , then baked them, and then dipped them again ... And she did everything so easily, naturally. Although the technology for making pumpkin pie is actually complicated. Khadizhat Movlatova invited our team to visit Chechnya, agreeing to share her rich experience with our guys. Pavel Makovka thinks that they will definitely go there in the near future.

In everyday life, people often do not attach importance to the final look of the dish. They eat on the run, do not waste time serving, unless it is a festive feast. Pavel Makovka believes that this approach is fundamentally wrong.

“The philosophy of proper nutrition is that a beautiful, neatly presented dish brings much more pleasure than just delicious food,” he says. - Effectively serving the same breakfast is not as difficult as it seems. It is enough, for example, to put a sprig of parsley or arugula on a plate. Such a touch will gracefully emphasize even the appearance of a banal scrambled egg. As the great French chef Paul Bocuse said, food is eaten with the eyes first.

The birth of a dish, according to the master, is a real creativity, comparable to writing a book or a picture. Pavel Makovka believes that the best way to see this is to visit the International Culinary Cup in November as part of Prodexpo 2023, one of the topics of which is dedicated to high fashion in the confectionery art.

- The unique compositions of my colleagues are in no way inferior to art objects, artistic compositions. The best Belarusian confectioners and chefs have learned how to create such masterpieces, looking at which people wonder: is it all edible? says the chef.

Good cooks, according to the interlocutor, are worth their weight in gold. In the labor market, they are one of the most sought-after personnel, along with doctors, IT specialists and builders.

- A classy specialist is appreciated in any institution. And the shortage of personnel in the industry is not accidental. I graduated from college in 2010, and then we had three paid and three budget groups, each of which had 30 people. Today, as a permanent member of the college examination committee, I see that two groups are being recruited, and only one is graduating, - the expert argues. - In the course of study, many, apparently, change their plans. No wonder, because our profession is very difficult. She is not as beautiful as she is portrayed in American films. You work all day on your feet, in unbearable heat. It's hard physically and mentally. Yes, and it does not belong to the category of highly paid. Many of my classmates have left the profession. They want to live calmly, measuredly, on holidays and on weekends to be at home. How about the chefs? He left early in the morning - returned well after midnight, sometimes at dawn. In the summer season, when weddings are in succession, we are "at the machine" seven days a week. Believe it or not, sometimes I don’t even have time to eat in a day. Fortunately, not far from home, the shawarma shop works until late at night. Agree, not everyone is suitable for such a harsh mode of work.

Pavel gives advice to young men and women who are going to study to be a cook: work as a waiter in the summer. So you will see the charms and difficulties of the future profession from the inside. When we come to a restaurant and admire the gourmet cuisine, the whiteness of the tablecloths and the beautiful presentation of dishes, we do not always know what is behind this gloss.

The work team in the kitchen, as the interlocutor believes, is no different from a sports team, each player of which has a special value. If one link suddenly falls out - do not wait for victory.

- All of a sudden, tomorrow, say, there will be a need to hold a banquet for a hundred people. You can't say "no, I can't do it," the master says. - Otherwise, the client will no longer come to you, word of mouth will immediately spread the news that difficult tasks are beyond your power. As a result, the reputation of the institution will noticeably suffer. This means that a real, "ideal" cook, in the event of force majeure, will put aside all his pressing affairs and get up to the stove. He knows how to work in a team and does not put pressure on pity. And my brethren are eternal disciples. Even the masters of the profession, who have experience in fashionable restaurants, always have something to learn. In our business, we cannot stop in our development and rest on our laurels. You need to constantly improve your skills, try to gain new knowledge,

Over time, Pavel Makovka would like to open his own culinary school or studio and teach everyone there the art of cooking. In the near future - admission to graduate school and writing a scientific paper, possibly on the topic of the development of the public catering system.

- Some of us perceive life as a series of pleasures, while others perceive it as a series of disappointments. I proceed from the fact that, as one smart person said, quite decent happiness can be put together from small joys, - the master sums up.

Carrot cake from Pavel Makovka

Ingredients:

FLOUR 500 g

Baking powder 20 g

SALT 5 g

SUGAR 500 g

Carrot 500 g

Walnut 250 g

Banana 1 pc.

Egg 200 g

Vegetable oil 500 g

Preparation: grate carrots , chop walnuts. Beat sugar with eggs in a lush foam, add vegetable oil , carrots, banana. Then add flour, salt , baking powder and mix gently. Bake for 20-25 minutes at 160 C.

The birth of a dish, according to the master, is a real creativity, comparable to writing a book or a picture.

Before becoming the chairman of the Federation of Chefs and Confectioners of Belarus, a certified WACS judge and an international category judge according to worldskills standards, Pavel Makovka participated in prestigious competitions and won many of them.

was created at the expense of earmarked funds for the production of national content.

Elena NIKOLAEVA,

photo - Kristina AKSENOVA,

newspaper "7 days".