For twins Ivan and Sergey Berezutskiy, the sky’s the limit. They recently placed 72nd in the XVI edition of The World’s 50 Best Restaurants with their newest restaurant, Twins Garden. The venue only opened in December 2017, but it continues to thrive – and was recently awarded the Laurel Leaf Best Restaurant award in April of this year.
Showcasing the best of Russian ingredients in a contemporary manner, as well as their commitment to infallible hospitality, the twins treat guests to a double action delight. We caught up with Ivan and Sergey to find out more about their culinary career path so far…
What inspired you to become chefs?
We loved to help our mother when we were children, and our mother cooks incredibly delicious food. We liked that process. We got interested in cooking back then. We have spent all our time in the kitchen since we were children.
What keeps you inspired?
We believe that it is necessary to avoid being inspired by other chefs. First of all, we are inspired by products. We have had an interest in Russian products since childhood. When you travel around the country, you communicate with people who represent their culture, and in Russia there are a lot of different nationalities and a lot of climatic zones. You communicate with people who love these products and who know how to cook them, and communication with such people inspires us.
These are Russian people who know how to work with their products, who live in this or that region and have shared secrets long before it became fashionable. Once we were on a trip to the Altai, and we had ventured far into the mountains where there is no civilization, and people live in small villages, and they do not know about TVs etc. a woman there taught us how to cook dumplings (pelmeni in Russian).
They put potatoes in it, but they don’t use onions. It is amazing to us how she showed us a recipe that is a part of their tradition. It is the traditions of our people, and the products which can be found only in Russia, – endemics, that inspire us, as well as communication with these people.
What’s been your favourite career highlight so far?
We are very different. We have already become quite successful in our country as separate chefs, working in different restaurants. And the fact that we were able to open our first project together was perhaps the most striking moment for us. Working together has been, and remains, an unforgettable experience.
Do you have a favourite summer ingredient?
Chanterelles in the beginning of summer, and watermelons in the end of it.
Are you competitive with each other in the kitchen?
No, we’ve learned to share responsibilities. Twins are always considered as one, but we are two completely different chefs with different views. We’ve learned not to compete, but to use each other’s strengths to create a successful restaurant.
What can guests expect from the menu at Twins Garden?
To describe it briefly, when they try the food at Twins Garden, they will form an opinion about Russian cuisine without its stereotypes and patterns. They will try Russian products in all their glory.
Name three of your favourite restaurants
Honest Cuisine (Chestnaya Kukhnya), Savva, Boston Seafood & Bar.
What’s next on the cards?
We don’t like to talk about the future. We like to get it done before we talk about it. Stay tuned!
Find out more by clicking here.