Ksenia Chilikina is the first Belarusian woman to win the popular culinary TV show Chef’s Battle. We learned how a girl with a degree as a music teacher who had loved playing the dulcimer since childhood discovered her true calling among pots and pans. We also asked her about the dishes that impressed gastronomy masters Renat Agzamov and Konstantin Ivlev.
After school, Ksenia enrolled at Lida State Music College. After graduating, she worked for a year as a music teacher at school. Then, as she jokes, she headed off to conquer the capital. She admits that she appeared in the kitchen completely by accident.
“As a child, I could cook lunch, but only to make up for my misbehavior so my parents would let me go for a walk. I was skeptical about the chef profession. And to be honest, there were no good places around, no restaurants or cafes that could serve as a good example. Plus, school food was bad. By the way, I always had a good understanding of food and never ate anything I did not like,” she said.
While looking for a job, Ksenia came across a fateful newspaper advert: a pizzeria was looking for a cold kitchen cook.
“When I was in college, I worked part-time as a kitchen hand, so I had a general idea of the tasks: cutting salad, slicing sausage. So I boldly dialed the number and assured them that I had the relevant experience. In the end, they hired me,” she said proudly.
Ksenia worked at the pizzeria for several years and gained tremendous experience making pizzas and sushi. She learned all the intricacies of the hot and cold kitchens. She admitted, however, that she saw nothing romantic about the profession. It was just a way to earn money.
For several years, Ksenia worked abroad. One of her last countries was Croatia, where she worked as a chef in a seasonal restaurant. The schedule was extremely demanding: six days a week, ten or more hours a day.
Ksenia considers her participation in the popular TV show a pure coincidence. She received an invitation on social from the program's editor media to take part in the casting. Then came three competitive stages. Perhaps the most interesting for both contestants and viewers was the third round: the cooks had to come up with a dish based on peppers. And here, our Ksenia had no equal!
“I decided to surprise them with a play on textures. I presented a bruschetta with creamy pesto sauce made from peppers, a sweet-spicy pepper confiture, and crispy jalapeno chips,” Ksenia rattled off her exotic dishes. “After degustation, both chefs started praising my dish. And I won!”
Ksenia Chilikina is a guest of our project Belarusians in Focus. She told us how music helps her cook, what dishes surprised the celebrity chefs on Chef’s Battle, and what her signature dish is.
After school, Ksenia enrolled at Lida State Music College. After graduating, she worked for a year as a music teacher at school. Then, as she jokes, she headed off to conquer the capital. She admits that she appeared in the kitchen completely by accident.“As a child, I could cook lunch, but only to make up for my misbehavior so my parents would let me go for a walk. I was skeptical about the chef profession. And to be honest, there were no good places around, no restaurants or cafes that could serve as a good example. Plus, school food was bad. By the way, I always had a good understanding of food and never ate anything I did not like,” she said.While looking for a job, Ksenia came across a fateful newspaper advert: a pizzeria was looking for a cold kitchen cook.
“When I was in college, I worked part-time as a kitchen hand, so I had a general idea of the tasks: cutting salad, slicing sausage. So I boldly dialed the number and assured them that I had the relevant experience. In the end, they hired me,” she said proudly.
Ksenia worked at the pizzeria for several years and gained tremendous experience making pizzas and sushi. She learned all the intricacies of the hot and cold kitchens. She admitted, however, that she saw nothing romantic about the profession. It was just a way to earn money.
For several years, Ksenia worked abroad. One of her last countries was Croatia, where she worked as a chef in a seasonal restaurant. The schedule was extremely demanding: six days a week, ten or more hours a day.
Ksenia considers her participation in the popular TV show a pure coincidence. She received an invitation on social from the program's editor media to take part in the casting. Then came three competitive stages. Perhaps the most interesting for both contestants and viewers was the third round: the cooks had to come up with a dish based on peppers. And here, our Ksenia had no equal!“I decided to surprise them with a play on textures. I presented a bruschetta with creamy pesto sauce made from peppers, a sweet-spicy pepper confiture, and crispy jalapeno chips,” Ksenia rattled off her exotic dishes. “After degustation, both chefs started praising my dish. And I won!”Ksenia Chilikina is a guest of our project Belarusians in Focus. She told us how music helps her cook, what dishes surprised the celebrity chefs on Chef’s Battle, and what her signature dish is.
Photos by Andrei Sinyavski
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