Volodymyr Yaroslavskyi

Volodymyr Yaroslavskyi (born April 22, 1979, Slutsk, Byelorussian SSR, USSR) is a Ukrainian chef, manager, and co-owner of the restaurants "Lucky" and "Shef's table", co-founder of the international franchise of restaurants "Nai", brand chef of the "Good Wine"https://goodwine.com.ua/ua/ store, co-author of the culinary book "100 recipes for every day", and a judge on the project "MasterChef Ukraine". He is one of the top 25 chefs in Ukraine according to the Focus listing in 2011. He is a regular participant of the Chef's Week festival and a speaker at international congresses of chefs such as the Creative Chef's Summit, Chef Congress Fontegro, and InRestFest. Since 2022, he has been actively involved in charity work and strives to promote modern Ukrainian cuisine and culture worldwide.</blockquote>
==Biography==
Born in the Belarusian SSR into a family of a Ukrainian military officer, Volodymyr developed an interest in culinary arts at a young age, starting to experiment with cooking at the age of 11. His father was the first to notice his son's passion and supported him in choosing a culinary school.
Volodymyr began his professional training at the Poltava Commercial College, specializing in food technology, and graduated with honors. He continued his education at the Poltava Cooperative University. In 2004, he started his career as a chef at the "Belogorye" restaurant in Belgorod. In 2005, he interned at the "Nostalgie" restaurant in Moscow with Patrick Pages. In 2007, he worked at the "Onegin" Russian cuisine restaurant. In 2010, he joined the Italian restaurant "Under Wonder" (ranked 23rd in the list of the best restaurants in Ukraine). He was recognized as one of the top 25 chefs in Ukraine by the Focus magazine in 2011. Since January 2012, he has been the executive chef at the Fairmont Grand Hotel Kiev, completing internships at hotels in Dubai and Abu Dhabi. Since mid-October 2012, he has been the brand chef of the "Probka" restaurant chain owned by Aram Mnatsakanov. He has participated as a sous chef in Ukrainian TV projects such as "Hell's Kitchen," "Knife Fight," and "World War: Inspector vs. Chef." In 2014, he received a high-level culinary education at the Paul Bocuse Institute in France.
He has interned at restaurants listed in the Michelin Guide (Tickets in Barcelona) and The World's 50 Best Restaurants (Ledbury in London), as well as in the UAE, USA, Spain, UK, Italy, and with renowned chefs, including Albert Adria.
He is actively involved in public and volunteer activities and shares his recipes. In 2014, he became the brand chef of the Good Wine store in Kyiv.
Since 2015, he has been the chef, manager, and co-owner of the Lucky Restaurant Vinoteque.
Since 2021, he has been the chef, manager, and co-owner of CHEF's TABLE restaurant.
In 2021, together with Olga Martynovska, he presented the book "100 Recipes for Every Day."
In 2022, he became a co-founder of the charity project "1 Million for OXMDITA."
Since 2022, he has founded and developed the international franchise of Nai restaurants together with partners Dmitry and Elena Tovstolyak.
In 2023, he opened the first Nai restaurants in Wroclaw and Prague.
==Culinary style==
Volodymyr Yaroslavskyi's culinary concept is based on combining French classics with Italian temperament and modern trends. The foundation of his dishes is local products, which he selects from all corners of Ukraine and presents at international congresses of chefs.
==Television projects==
2011 — expert on the show "Hell's Kitchen"
2012 — expert on the show "Knife Fight"
2013 — expert on the show "Hell's Kitchen," REN-TV
2013 — expert on the show "World War: Inspector vs. Chef"
2017 — expert on the show "Vse bude dobre," STB
Since 2019 — judge on the show "MasterChef. Professionals"
Since 2019 — judge on the show "MasterChef. Amateurs"
2019 — expert on the show "Passion for the Inspector"
2024 — played the lead role in the film "Tisto" with Olga Martynovska.
==Restaurants==
===Lucky Restaurant Vinoteque ===
Lucky is a restaurant and wine bar, a joint project of Volodymyr Yaroslavskyi and the Good Wine store, which they opened on November 10, 2015. The restaurant features the author's cuisine of Volodymyr Yaroslavskyi, combining classic Italian and French recipes with local Ukrainian products sold in the Good Wine store.
The restaurant's philosophy is that food should be not only tasty but also healthy.
Since 2017, the restaurant has received awards three times from the influential American publication Winespectator and has been recognized with the "Two Glasses" award.
The key feature of Lucky is working with the best products, honesty, and naturalness in all its manifestations.
====Awards:====
2016 — Top 100 restaurants according to the restaurant award "Salt."
2017 — finalist of the National Restaurant Award SALT®. Nomination "Restaurants with the best wine list."
2019 — Top 100 restaurants according to the magazine Novyi Chas.
2019 — finalist of the National Restaurant Award SALT®. Nomination "Restaurants with the best wine list."
2021 — Top 10 best restaurants in Kyiv, according to the magazine Novyi Chas.
2023 — Top 5 taxpayers among restaurants in Ukraine.
===CHEF's TABLE===
Volodymyr Yaroslavskyi is also the co-owner of CHEF's TABLE, an open kitchen restaurant he opened in collaboration with chef Eleonora Baranova on May 19, 2021. The restaurant is located on the second floor of the Lucky restaurant, on the territory of the Good Wine store. The main feature of the establishment is working with a set menu that changes from time to time.
====Awards:====
2022 — The restaurant Chef's Table was included in the world guide 50 Best Discovery.
===NAI===
NAI is an international franchise of modern cuisine restaurants originating from Ukraine.
The uniqueness of the establishments lies in combining stylish, relaxed interiors with modern cuisine. The Ukrainian origin of the business is reflected in the decor, staff uniforms, presentation of dishes, and the level of service. However, it is done without excessive ethnic motifs or clichés. All furniture, decor, and tableware are imported from Ukraine, while vases and lamps are custom-made by Ukrainian craftsmen.
The menu includes shrimp-stuffed cabbage rolls, tartare with fermented elderberry, green gazpacho with stracciatella, lazy potato dumplings with mushrooms and mozzarella, Kyiv-style cutlet, and other modern dishes by Volodymyr Yaroslavskyi. The unique menu and presentation were specially developed for the Nai franchise. The dishes and flavors are adapted for both Ukrainians and local residents.
In 2023, restaurants opened their doors in Wroclaw and Prague, and in May 2024, the launch of an establishment in New York is planned. Overall, the opening of 30 franchise restaurants in different countries around the world is announced.
====Nai Restaurants====
=====Nai Wroclaw (Poland)=====
On October 23, the first restaurant of modern cuisine under the Nai franchise opened in the Polish city of Wroclaw at plac Jana Pawła II 16.
The restaurant in Wroclaw was opened by 22-year-old Ukrainians Mark and Vitaliy. They also serve as the manager and chef of the establishment.
=====Nai Prague (Czech Republic)=====
At the end of December 2023, a Nai modern cuisine restaurant opened in Prague at Kobrova 3354/5, 150 00 Praha 5-Smíchov. This is the second establishment under the Ukrainian franchise of Volodymyr Yaroslavskyi. The chef in Prague is a chef who previously worked in a Michelin-starred restaurant.
=====Nai New York (USA)=====
In May 2024, the opening of a Nai restaurant in New York was announced at 192 Lexington Ave.
Category:1979 births
Category:Belarusian people
Category:Ukrainian chefs
Category:Managers