Denys Komarenko

Denys Komarenko, even at a young age, achieved so much that he is called a “Ukrainian prodigy”. At the age of 21, he managed people 10-15 years older than him, was diligent in his work and confident in his abilities. After graduating from culinary school, he was selected as one of the best students, rewarded by being sent to study in Germany. Then he returned to his homeland, where he took the position of chef, despite the fact that he was still a young man. Since then, he has headed the kitchens of the best restaurants in Kyiv, and for the past ten years he has been working as a chef at the Tarilka gastro- cafe.

Denys attributes his first successes to his teachers and especially mentions one of them: “..the person who taught me to be a chef is Kostas Ralis. He is the dearest person for me.” Denys uses his knowledge and advice to this day, and he is happy to pass this knowledge on to others, always reminding them that: “being a chef is a way of life.” He confidently calls his favourite ingredients “duck and goose with liver and truffle”, but adds his passion for bread, creating his own trademark “Kyiv artisan sourdough bread” for his author’s unique bread, which is not only tasty, but also healthy. The main thing in his business is that he does not stop at what he has achieved, he continues to study various technologies and introduce them into the production process.

Denys has a global dream - the development of a new Ukrainian cuisine. He wants “based on technology and modern trends, to create new trends using local ingredients.” According to Denys, history should be preserved and remembered, but left in the past, and it is time for Ukrainian cuisine to move forward, using knowledge and technology. Innovations are needed for the development of the future of Ukrainian cuisine.