Chef Alena Solodovichenko discusses overcoming gender preconceptions in the culinary industry, utilizing feminine power to create compassionate, avant-garde dishes, and the latest culinary fads in the city.
Chef Alena Solodovichenko, who was born in Kyiv, Ukraine, entered the restaurant industry in her late teens. There was no turning back once her childhood dream—which had only been a dream—became her life’s vocation. Her journey into the kitchen has taken her to places she never imagined calling home, the most recent of which is the United Arab Emirates, where she is currently employed as an Executive Chef for Sfumato, a local gastro atelier, and Soirée DXB.
Prior to her relocation to Dubai, Chef Alena was stationed in Moscow and employed by Doctor Zhivago, one of the most well-known restaurants in the country. The chef proudly claims that the foundation of her culinary comes from her multiracial heritage. Living in many nations has undoubtedly changed the way I view food, according to Chef Alena. “After relocating to Dubai, I saw how diverse ingredients can be. This knowledge broadens our perspectives and demonstrates how much broader the world is than we previously thought.
She recalls her formative years and states, “I know it sounds cliche, but it all comes from my childhood.” Due to the fact that Alena was raised in Ukraine, she has many food-related family customs. When I received poor grades at school, I would occasionally prepare a meal for my mother to cheer her up, says the chef. “Everyone in my family was a great cook — my mom, my grandmothers, and my aunt — and I always enjoyed assisting them, especially during holiday gatherings.”
Chef Alena secured her first restaurant position at the age of 19 as a result of her childhood observations and significant interest in pursuing the culinary arts. “I went to the chef a year later and told him that my goal is to work as a sous chef someday. Being a female chef in a field that is predominately male has been challenging, she recalls. “He laughed at me and said no girl could ever attain that position. Despite all the jeers, she continues, “but after two years, I actually was hired as sous chef and proved him wrong. In the future, Chef Alena won numerous prestigious prizes, including Super Woman of the Year from GQ Russia.
“At the start of my trip, I experienced a lot of male derision and mockery. Some of them even placed wagers on how long I would last. Even though it wasn’t easy, I’m happy for the experience since it has helped me become more resilient and strong. I become who I am because of it, the chef says.
The cook had to put up with a number of offensive remarks made callously by her male colleagues, but she didn’t let them deter her from her goals. Let’s face it, the kitchen is a tough place, she continues. But on the other hand, unpleasant feelings have no place in the kitchen. You have no time to mope around and cry.
You can either choose this career and advance in it gradually, or you can quit and look for something else, the speaker says. “I’ve made my decisions, accepted the restrictions, and shown that women are capable of being excellent managers and cooks and that we should be taken seriously. We are all chefs in the kitchen; there are no males and women there.
In order to change how people around the world view cuisine, Chef Alena’s main objective at Sfumato is to provide a very honest, sensuous, and graceful dining experience while highlighting her own feminine touch. The chef states that paying consideration to the original ingredients is our guiding principle.
Without overpowering it with sauces and spices, “my goal is to highlight the original taste, make it brighter, and make it more interesting.”
Chef Alena places a keen emphasis on using ingredients that are sourced sustainably since she is of the opinion that “Sustainability is crucial for every chef in every country. The quality of the local cuisine astounded me when I first arrived in Dubai. I’ve experimented with a variety of components, and the impact was so strong that I knew I had to put it to use in some way, she continues. “I want to demonstrate that vegetables can be the star of the show, a luxury, and the centerpiece of the dish.”
The chef claims that the city’s newly introduced culinary innovations have established standards of the highest caliber. The bar has been raised significantly by concepts that are debuting in renowned locations like Atlantis The Royal or One & Only One, Za’abeel. The chef will debut a whole new cuisine at Sfumato, which is housed in The Opus Tower.