Roman ZAŠTŠERINSKI

Roman Zaštšerinski’s dedication to promoting the food of his country has led to the supreme accolade – the White Star V Bade of Merit from the President for promoting Estonian food.

He has cooked it for a Japanese emperor, various kings and queens and Prime Ministers who visited the country, but he’s never happier than cooking with a handful of ingredients.

When he created his first restaurant. Moon, he went back to his roots.

“Over time I made more and more simpler dishes using the principles of Italian cuisine, just three to four components,” he said.

Roman’s original plan was to go to university and study sculpture but he then felt he might not be up to the course so looked at other career options – including the possibility of becoming a welder.

Luckily welding’s lost became cookery’s gain and he decided to study as a chef.

Three years in and he decided to try again to study art at university, which made him realise that the two careers were not so far apart.

‘’As a chef, I can make art not only in three, but in five dimensions,” he said.

“ There is temperature, smell, taste and everything else, I can quench my so-called hunger for art.”

Roman opened a second fusion restaurant – Kolm Sibulat – with his brother and wife, combining international flavours in unique ways.

Creating an Asian ramen dish which has a taste of a French onion soup is just one of the original and playful offerings that he loves to create.

Roman’s wife is vegetarian so not surprisingly, that side of the menu is constantly evolving.

“15-17 years ago, when my wife was just starting with it, the so-called vegetarian food was carrot salad, but now we have come a long way from there,” he said.

Regardless of whether it’s his wife’s influence or not, it’s a vegetable that is one of Roman’s favourite

ingredients to cook with – eggplant (aubergine).

“I like the texture of it and it’s very versatile,” he said.

“ Eggplant tartar, roasted eggplant, eggplant lasagna, eggplant tempura, stuffed eggplant, eggplant with goat cheese, and eggplant goes well with lamb or sometimes I also add it to fish. It’s a very versatile vegetable that’s exciting to play with.”

Roman admits to not being in his restaurant on a daily basis, happy to hand over the reins to his trusted team.

“I’m a bit old for this already,” he said, adding that he’s currently enjoying the role of a restaurant owner and the development that’s happening outside the kitchen.

‘’I give my restaurant head chefs the opportunity to grow and I help them to develop. “Let the youth

take over. The modern generation is very fierce. They already know how to do things that I personally can’t even imagine how they do.’’