My first kitchen photos appeared in my phone gallery six years ago. That was the beginning of my professional path. Coming into the kitchen at twenty-five felt late, at least that’s what I thought back then. But I started, driven by passion and curiosity. There were burns, cuts, and long shifts. I couldn’t even hold a knife properly. Yet within a couple of weeks, I felt the pieces falling into place. I knew this was my way, and that I was here to stay.

At the same time, I often felt behind, as if everyone else was already ahead of me. I don’t know where those thoughts came from, but they gave me fuel. Within my first months in the kitchen, I decided to leave Almaty and move to St. Petersburg to learn and grow. I didn’t fully realise at the time how fortunate I was to become part of one of the city’s best kitchen teams. That experience gave me solid ground and laid the foundation of everything that followed. Later, I returned home and took part in opening one of the most significant restaurant projects in the country, already as a sous chef. But career titles were never the priority. What truly drove me was one dream: to work inside a Michelin-starred kitchen.

So I resigned from my sous chef position in Dubai and set off through Asia with one clear goal. I changed cities, countries, time zones, sometimes without even having time to adjust. In Shanghai, at a one-star restaurant, they didn’t want to speak with me. Messages went unanswered. Rejections came quietly. I tried not to lose hope.

By the time I reached Seoul, I was close to giving up. I told my friends I would probably come back with nothing. I circled the restaurant for half an hour, cap pulled low, unable to step inside. The same thought kept repeating: Why is this so hard? All I want is to move forward, to work, to grow. Then everything changed. They gave me the opportunity I had been chasing since my very first days in the kitchen. Walking out after that conversation, I was probably the happiest person in the world. That stage became the brightest and most important chapter of my career so far, the teamwork, the precision, the way the chefs approached every detail. I grew, I learned, I became more confident.

Of course, there were hard times too. Sometimes I didn’t like what I saw, and I left. Sometimes I didn’t get what I expected, and I left. But I always stayed true to myself, my ambitions, and the standard I was chasing. And through it all, I never stopped loving the kitchen. With every passing day, that love only grew stronger.

Kitchen one love. 🖤