When cooking is love – interview with chef Stanimir Radichev

When did you first become a chef?

When I was 24 – years – old I was invited become a head of “Hunters Meeting” `s kitchen. Most of the meals, put on the menu, were standard, but there were some that were different. I often traveled abroad and have seen many interesting dishes, unknown for the public of Veliko Tarnovo.

It was an absolute honour for me when I was chosen as the Executive Chef at the “Rachev Hotel Bolyaurski” hotel. The choice was between me and other well – known chefs of Veliko Tarnovo with much more years of experience. I had to monitor the work of all the kitchens at the hotel, so I had to put much more efforts than anyone else. I had to prove myself to others, show that I know, can do and can handle more than them.

How did you decide to study Theology?

While working, I studied Theology. Perhaps, there is some hereditary connection. My great – grandmother rang the church`s bells in the village of Sushitsa, where I grew up. I enrolled in a Theology university major and it was very interesting and useful. I became acquainted with the mindset of people with different religious beliefs. That made it easier for me to communicate with people of different faiths and beliefs. Everything you do and everything you learn, you do it with someone, you can do anything by yourself, no matter how good you are.

You like experimenting.

Yes, I like to create something new, to modify traditional recipes, to refract them through my own prism, to convert them into brand new ones, that have never been tried before.

What are your specialties?

While cooking, recipes constantly come to my mind, so when I have to write a new menu, I write them down. To create something new, that hasn`t been done before, is not very easy. I draw inspiration from everything. Sometimes I even dream of a recipe.

The chef`s job is like an artist`s job.

You can compare them. The same landscape painted by a different artist will be interpreted differently by people. It is the same with cooking. Different cooks execute the same recipe, but the outcome is different and which will be the most liked – the customer will decide that.

What are your culinary preferences?

I like everything. I love all kinds of seafood delicacies and fish. However, I like to cook everything. I eat a variety of foods, more precisely, I try a variety of foods. Because eating is a little more complicated when you are working all the time.

Who does the cooking at your house?

When I am at home, I cook. But this occurs very rarely – it is usually on Sunday, but not every Sunday.

What is the recipe – execution ratio in a recipe?

Maybe they are equal, I can`t tell. A recipe is a recipe, but if you are not feeling it… For me cooking is love. It happened many times that the same dish, cooked at the same conditions, with the same ingredients and appliances, but by different people, is executed differently. There is some kind of magic, but I don`t know exactly what…

You talk about your job with so much love. It is not just a job to you, but something so much more.

This is my whole life. I love what I do and that is why my viewpoint on cooking is so special. I have to give my all. For me it is not all about money. At first place, I have to do it in the best possible way and to do it totally different.

Do you consider yourself successful?

At some extent, but there is so much more that I can do better. There are still many mountaintops to climb. I feel like I accomplished something, but there is always much more to be desired. Today I am glad that I could achieve anything I set my mind to. And I know that is the result of my previous mistakes and years of experience.

And you had chosen Bulgaria.

We should never forget our roots, as they say.