Vladimir Chistyakov: A Clean Slate, Again

Last year's record-holder for number of projects opened, Vladimir Chistyakov finished the season as if he'd returned to square one. He lay low for a while and then suddenly came back, loudly, the way he likes — in Moscow and Dubai at once. New geography, new partners, and entirely new concepts — we talked to Chistyakov about how to start over from scratch and stay cheerful and a little punk about it.

— I usually start with the most important question: who is Vladimir Chistyakov? You've been changing your roles in leaps and bounds. Journalist, PR person, e-commerce. For the last seven years, a chef, and since last year, a restaurateur too. Who do you want to be now? And are you sure this is the final answer?

— The main thing I've come to understand through all of last year's upheavals is that first and foremost, I'm Vladimir Chistyakov. Someone who isn't afraid to change things in his life. I don't want to keep slapping labels on myself and boxing myself in anymore. I love the kitchen, I love restaurants. To some, I'm a restaurateur. To others, a brand chef — whatever. I'm Volodya Chistyakov. And I don't think this is the final answer. Recently I've started discovering myself for myself. I started drawing again, working out, giving myself time. So I think there will be something else in the future, something interesting and grand.

— At the end of last year, it felt like you'd stepped away from everything and gone quiet somehow. What was that about? 

Probably that was karma-cleansing — that's the first thing. And second — over the last couple of years, I didn't really understand what I was doing or why. A lot of things happened on instinct. Lately I started thinking about what I'm doing, why, whether I genuinely like it. I've always told everyone that you should only ever do what you actually enjoy, otherwise it's all for nothing. And now I've come back to my truest self. I needed that period to understand something about myself.

— A year after the main Russian wave in Dubai, you're still opening two restaurants there at once. Did you let yourself get talked into it, or did you believe in the prospects?

— This happened two years after we started looking for a location. And, I guess, yes — I believed in the prospects. I just decided I needed another shake-up, a level up, something interesting. What's more, my partners in all this — Anya and Lyosha — together we're called MetaFoodies. It's a unique connection, mental rather than even physical, that worked a kind of magic, so we decided not to hold back, not to overthink it, and to dive headfirst into the process.

— At the same time, you're launching ReFresh in Moscow — a future chain built around healthy eating. Do you genuinely believe there's a business to be made on "healthy eating" in Moscow?

— ReFresh is a unique thing, one of those projects I never would have gotten into if Ira and I hadn't managed to properly connect. Besides me, besides her, there needed to be a few more important puzzle pieces. People like Zhenya Weber. Once we managed to hear each other properly and agree on things, I made the decision to get into the project and start making it happen. These are super interesting people and a landmark project for me. The first restaurant with vegan food I ever set foot in, and it was incredibly cool. And the unique Ira Azarova, with her cosmic energy. Sasha Markina is our operations person, Zhenya — everyone inside this thing is somehow fantastic. And the Green Menu, which first came to me as a menu during some diets I was on back at BURO. TSUM — it all lined up and came together right at this moment. And I'm confident there's a future in this, it could be an interesting, great business that could be scaled beyond just one city.

— Am I right that in any new project, your zone of responsibility is delicious food? When you open new projects, don't you at some point start copying yourself? 

— Every project I'm involved in is about me, my cooking, my vision. I gather talented people around me, teach them, learn something from them. With that approach, new ideas keep coming, so the problem of possibly copying myself disappears on its own. I think guests at my restaurants understand exactly what "Chistyakov's cooking" means.

— You're one of the most media-visible chefs — does all the attention ever go to your head?

— I already went through main character syndrome once. Thank God it happened right at the start of my career. I was leaving restaurant Lavkalavka, and pretty much everyone wrote about it. At the time I felt like a superstar, but as it turned out, nobody actually needed me. After that experience, I never let myself get arrogant and I try to stay humble.

— Still, everyone joked for a long time that chefs are the new rock stars. And it seems you took that joke a little too far. What's it like being a subject of society gossip? And are there any boundaries between the personal and the public that someone as active on social media as you can still set for their followers?

— The rock star thing is an exaggeration, a made-up story. I've always tried to be a little careful within my own social media, even though I never held back on certain statements. And no new boundaries are appearing there now either. My personal life, my kid, have always been there — I just took a vow of silence for a while and didn't post anything for a long time. But those aren't new rules. I'll be who I've always been. A little punk, cheerful, and unrestrained.

— How do you choose people you're willing to go into business with these days?

— I'm an open person, I believe in everyone, I believe in goodness, and I choose people intuitively. Experience shows there are certain trigger points in how people communicate that tell you not to do business with them. I try to look at everything strategically, but even so, I choose people based on gut feelings that things are right, on mentality and shared ideals.

— Are there any other cities or countries you'd still like to try?

— I've already picked the cities and countries where I definitely plan to do something. And I'll be able to talk about it very soon, but for now it's still in negotiations. Something's coming soon, though.

— What do you regret?

— I don't regret anything. F—k it, honestly. It's all experience and a life lesson. Let it be what it'll be.