Taras Shevchenko

During a career spanning some 40 years, Taras Shevchenko has accumulated countless awards and honours, taking part in numerous festivals and contests.

His heart is undoubtedly in his kitchen, which these days is his acclaimed Avalon restaurant in the heart of Kyiv.

Avalon is the name of a mythical island which features in Arthurian legend, a place where magic occurs – so it’s a fitting name for a restaurant where culinary sorcery takes place on a daily basis.

As a young man Taras had no idea what he wanted to so decided to train as a pastry chef, where the response from his mother was “at least you won’t go hungry.”

Not satisfied at college, Taras decided to leave and got a job at Caravel restaurant,

despite the fact “at the time, all I could do was fry potatoes, and not always successfully.”

Through sheer tenacity he rose through the ranks to become a senior cook, then moving to Avalon to work in their meat and fish section.

His skill led to his eventual promotion to executive chef, stamping his own style and methods on the restaurant.

It’s a role that he’s now held for over ten years and one which has led Avalon at the forefront of culinary creativity.

Taras has collaborated with many other chefs throughout his career, but he admits a particular high spot was working with two Michelin star, French chef Christophe Roure who runs Le Neuvieme Art in Lyon. Taras says that working with him as an intern was an amazing learning experience and that Christophe “taught me a lot.”

It’s that knowledge which has helped inspire Taras and the creativity that is there for everyone to see on every plate at Avalon. “All ingredients—especially those employed by chefs using methods from various traditions—are essential components of a good dish,” he said.

His words of advice? “Learn from others and do not shy away from your own mistakes.”