Ilya Lazerson - his personal life, wife and children

Childhood and student years

The famous chef was born in a small Ukrainian town. His mother worked as a mathematics teacher at school and was often absent from work. The head of the family also spent a lot of time outside the home.

Therefore, the boy was often left at home alone and was forced to learn independence in his early years. In the evenings, Ilya returned home from school and began preparing dinner. He learned culinary tricks from his grandmother, who often visited the family.

Note: As a child, Ilya Lazerson was attracted not by fairy tales, but by colorful cookbooks with recipes.

Ilya is Jewish by nationality

The parents' choice of their son's profession was not new. Back in the 6th grade, he wrote in a school essay that he dreams of connecting his life with a career as a cook. After graduating from school, Ilya entered culinary school.

When he turned 18, he was drafted into the army. After finishing his service, Lazerson continued his studies and in 1991 he graduated from the Leningrad Institute of Refrigeration Industry and Food Technologies with honors.

Note: Lazerson was fond of fencing during his school years. The man has the title of master of sports.

Ilya Lazerson - biography

Ilya was born on March 8, 1964 in the city of Rivne (Western Ukraine). From an early age, he not only loved to eat well, but also showed interest in cooking, and after graduating from school, he entered the Rivne College of Soviet Trade, which he graduated in 1983, with honors. For the next two years, he served in the army, where he acted as a cook, and upon returning to civilian life, he entered the Leningrad Technological Institute of the Refrigeration Industry. In 1991, Ilya graduated from the university with honors and decided to finally settle in the Northern capital. First, he gets a job at the Grand Hotel Europe, where he is hired as a chef, and then for several years he works in various prestigious St. Petersburg restaurants, gaining the reputation of an excellent cook. Therefore, it is not surprising that when the St. Petersburg Chefs Club was looking for a president, the choice fell on Ilya Lazerson.

But the famous chef is not limited to just this position. In 2008, he opened a studio school where he teaches cooking classes for both professionals and housewives who want to expand their culinary capabilities.

Naturally, having plunged headlong into cooking, Ilya Isaakovich not only studied it thoroughly, but also learned a lot of new things about food products and their combinations. In addition, vast theoretical and practical experience gave him the opportunity to look at the cooking process with completely different eyes. It is not surprising that the great chef reflected all his knowledge and experience in many books on cooking, which are in incredible demand among a wide audience.

Ilya Lazerson’s books and projects are a real treasure trove of culinary secrets, and the chef himself is a remarkable personality. It is not for nothing that he is invited to various popular television shows and radio programs, and is also trusted to host many culinary programs on the Eda TV channel, which are extremely popular among television viewers.

Chef's profession

Ilya Isaakovich’s career began with a restaurant at the Grand Hotel Europe. He took the position of chef there. Ilya went abroad several times to improve his skills. He has trained in the United States and Thailand. His main specialization is Russian cuisine. He is its popularizer abroad.

During a trip to Paris, an interesting incident happened to the chef. He argued with a group of Frenchmen that a Russian dish like buckwheat could be very tasty and unusual if prepared correctly. For his colleagues, he prepared croissants, which he stuffed with boiled cereal. The French appreciated the cook's dish.

Among the celebrity guests of the culinary specialist were Maya Plisetskaya, Tim Rice and Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin

Ilya Isaakovich writes books and participates in television shows and radio broadcasts. He can often be seen on the Eda TV channel. In addition, the chef has his own channel on YouTube, where he often cooks and shares with the audience secrets related to cooking and serving food.

Cookery books are widely popular. One cannot help but highlight their catchy headlines, such as “Celibacy Lunch” or “FSB, or Brand Secrets of Grandmothers.” In 2008, Lazerson opened his own culinary studio in St. Petersburg, and a little later branches were launched in the Russian capital and the resort city of Sochi.

Ilya Lazerson: “The chef is the eminence grise of the restaurant!”

Ilya Lazerson, president of the College of Chefs of St. Petersburg, hardly needs any introduction. He is a famous person not only in St. Petersburg, but also far beyond its borders, the author of many books on cooking (I counted 16!) and the host of the radio program “Culinary Emergency”. Today is a time of great changes in the lives of all Russian chefs. Maybe not every one of them is thinking about it yet, but anyone who fate leads on the thorny path of a chef will definitely be faced with the need to “play big”: create a team, organize work in the kitchen, become a “chef manager” restaurant. The attitude towards this profession is changing among guests, and among the managers of establishments, and, finally, among the chefs themselves.

The cook decides everything

— Ilya, the attitude towards the profession of a cook today is clearly changing. More recently, it was believed that such a person in the kitchen could be easily replaced: if one left, three more came. They won't come! The chef is the one who “runs” the restaurant, the one who, when leaving, “takes” the guests with him. One can and should be proud of the profession of a cook - and today this is finally starting to happen...

“This attitude is changing only here; all over the world they have been proud of it for a long time.” For 80 years we were separated from the world not only in the political sense, but also in the culinary sense, and entered the world culinary culture later than other countries. Therefore, we are not following any new path, only the one that has already been taken by other countries. There are chefs - yes, public figures who attract attention. Because they know how to cook delicious food! But people today understand what delicious food means, and, obviously, they value someone who knows how to cook it. Of course, the chef is now becoming a significant figure - a person who is not ashamed to go out in public. Because earlier, in Soviet times, the cook was assigned the role of a certain thief who takes sausages from work, doesn’t deliver meat to people, and so on. Unfortunately, there is some truth in these words - but not because the cooks themselves were such bad people, but because the state provoked them to steal by not paying them money for their work. And when the business became private and the cooks began to receive a decent salary, the need for theft disappeared by itself. Moreover, as soon as they realized that without good cuisine the guest would leave and the restaurant would close, they began to cook well. And then they began to love them! And now they can openly go into the hall and look people in the eyes, asking how they liked what was prepared today.

— The relationship between the restaurant owner and the chef is also changing: today the latter’s opinion is increasingly being listened to...

— I must say that the owner does not always take an active part in the life of the restaurant. Although, of course, today the chef in many restaurants receives a higher salary than the director. Because the chef is the eminence grise of the restaurant! He must decide everything.

- Ilya, you yourself worked in several establishments - the restaurant of the Grand Hotel Europe, St. Petersburg, Flora, now Kashtany - did you take part in the management?

— No, I only manage the Culinary Studio. At Kashtany, I only set the menu at their request - I was a guest chef. I don't work there. I worked on the menu with the chef at Kashtanov, and now he is reproducing it.

Russian cuisine and English literature

— During your life as a chef, you have created many menus, prepared dishes from many cuisines - American, French, in London you staged Russian cuisine, and, as far as I understand, you have your own vision of our cuisine...

- Yes! The fact is that each national cuisine has its own value only outside its own country. If there were no other countries, there would be only Russia on the entire globe, no one would need its cuisine. It is valuable from the outside - from there. And if this is so, then it is obvious that it must be presented in such a way that it is understandable to others. Because you can’t just feed people the cabbage soup that we’re used to—they won’t understand its taste. Yes, there are ethical standards, and if I come to visit, no matter what they serve me and no matter how much I like it or dislike it, I will still be grateful. How has our cuisine always been presented in the West? For example, the Exhibition of National Economic Achievements in France. A team of cooks from the Moscow Metropol restaurant came there from the Soviet Union and set up a tent where they fed people Russian cuisine - the way it should be: thick cabbage soup, buckwheat porridge and so on. People came out of the tent and slowly, so that no one would see, poured it all out. Not because the food is bad - because it is incomprehensible to them! And they said to the cooks, “Thank you very much!” And then they spat it out. Because they can’t eat fatty cabbage soup and dessert in the form of a thick pie with thick apple filling, they can’t!

- But how do you know this?

— And I worked with a lot of foreign chefs who told me the truth: it’s impossible to eat! They don’t understand many things - for example, sour cream in soup: what is it?.. And I decided for myself: since I know the truth, I can present them with Russian cuisine that will be understandable to them. For example, I read books - I love Dickens. And since I speak English fluently, I read it in the original. And one day I suddenly realized who the translator is for the reader’s perception of the author - what a huge, invaluable role he plays in our understanding of world literature! Or misunderstanding. And I realized that I needed to become such a translator: to translate our national cuisine into normal human culinary language. And he started a project: he showed Russian cuisine to the French - in the restaurant of the 5-star aristocratic hotel Crillon (Crillon) in Paris. Then I showed it in England - there was already a different Russian cuisine. In Chicago - the third, in New Orleans - the fourth, and in Bangkok - the fifth. Because I was aware of who I would show it to. This is not an adaptation - I don’t like this word - it’s just a kind of game with Russian cuisine: the form changes, but its essence remains Russian! But understandable to these people. To do this, you just needed to know the traditions of the countries in which this cuisine is prepared and presented.

I'm always learning and... I know how to spy!

— What kind of cuisine do you like?

- And I am fickle! Today I’m interested in one product, tomorrow - in another cuisine, the day after tomorrow - in women!.. - he smiles. — Then again with a product or some style of cooking. I can, for example, deep fry all day to understand how to make this style of cooking healthier, and the next day I get carried away with some alcoholic drink - either drinking it or integrating it into food - he smiles again.

- Due to your duty, you probably understand alcohol, wines - which wine goes with which dish, and so on?

- Most likely, yes - in any case, we should know who to go to, who to ask if there are any doubts. Because a specialist is not someone who has a large stock of factual knowledge: it is impossible to know everything! A specialist is someone who knows where to go in what situation, what book to consult.

— Ilya, you are a recognized master. Do you continue to study now?

- Yes, I'm always learning. I may not be aware of it, although sometimes I am. It’s impossible to know everything! There are so many new things happening in the world - cooking is developing, some new trends are emerging. Yes, in the end, there are old trends too - God willing, we can recognize them all.

- You publish books, conduct training in your Culinary Studio and, although you have a higher education - then it was still the Leningrad Refrigeration Institute, you probably had a vocational school, your own teachers in the profession?

— I was one of the first Russian chefs who came under the influence of foreign professionals. Since I speak good English, I communicated with them in the same language, asked questions and received answers. Now I give the answers myself. I never feel sorry for revealing my secrets because I know that tomorrow I will come up with others. This encourages you to develop.

— Do you often manage to spot some unusual “tricks” from other chefs?

- Often! I know how to spy,” he smiles.

— Are there any venerable world-class chefs from whom you would like to learn?

- Of course have! Spanish chef Pedro Subijana, for example. I would like to work with the American Charlie Trotter, with the Englishman Marco Pierre White. But I don’t have such an opportunity yet!

The problem is not youth, but the combination of creativity with the organization of the process

— Ilya, do you see culinary potential among our “young guard” - a cohort of young chefs? It's no secret that the position of chef is getting younger now, and this is not always right...

- How can I evaluate them? Normal youth! Ambitious, aggressive - and in the good sense of the word. I see them at exhibitions, at cooking competitions, I see the desire to know something...

— Now everyone around says the opposite - young chefs don’t want to cook, don’t want to work!..

- No, of course they don’t want to work. They want everything at once! All 120 thousand rubles a month is nothing at all. But this has always been the case! There is nothing new in this world... But, of course, there are smart guys. Chefs are certainly getting younger. And that's good too! But to become a good chef, you need not only to be able to cook delicious food. You need to be a leader - and it is always difficult for a chef to combine creative direction and the ability to lead people. As a rule, it happens either one thing or the other: either you are a good organizer, everyone walks in line, but it is impossible for you to do so; or you have good food, but you cannot manage people - organize all processes so that it is always of good quality! This is a scourge, this is a problem. I sometimes give seminars - showing how to combine creativity and the ability to manage people and processes in the kitchen. There are such methods.

— Management training for chefs?

- Yes! Of course, there is a specific topic - “Kitchen Management: How to Run a Kitchen.” Because if a chef is able to teach people to control themselves, he can be calm. He can go home on time, go on vacation, have days off, and most importantly, work like a chef creating new dishes! Because the team controls itself. And if you couldn’t achieve this, you will write papers, watch every cook, dip your finger in every sauce, because you don’t know “what he screwed up there”! And constantly face the fact that this is not there, and that is over, and no one ordered anything. And only the chef himself is to blame for this - he is the one who does not know how to manage the processes that ensure the smooth operation of the kitchen! But first of all, you need to learn to control yourself, and then start controlling people.

— But we should probably start teaching this in cooking schools...

“When someone from a school asks me to come and tell the children something, I do it for free. Now I want to reach an agreement with orphanages and show their graduates what the profession of a cook is. Because there are two people in my life whom I respect very much - one is a St. Petersburg chef, the other is a Vologda chef, they came from orphanages. And since it is very difficult for such children to enter into a “free life,” I want to show them that there is such a profession - a cook. A profession that will not only allow you to always be well-fed - and this is quite important for them! - she will allow you to express yourself, show off, and achieve a lot! And let them think - and maybe this will be my small contribution to the profession...

Pedro Subijana (Spain, Akelarre restaurant, which has three Michelin stars) is an outstanding chef in Spain who has been involved in the creation of avant-garde Basque cuisine for more than 20 years. Charlie Trotter (USA, Charlie Trotter's restaurant) is a great chef who, according to many, runs the best restaurant in the United States. Marco Pierre White (Britain, Marco Pierre White's Restaurant) is a famous chef who was the youngest owner of three Michelin stars and publicly refused them in 1999, a lover of “haute” cuisine and the author of the book White Heat, which is considered “the most influential cookbook” .

Published in the magazine “Restaurant” No. 11, 2009

Personal life

Currently, Ilya Lazerson is married to a woman named Natalya. The wife gave her beloved husband two children, who continued their father’s career. You can rarely find photos with your family on Lazerson’s Instagram. Most often, fans admire photographs of his students and stars.

The chef does not talk about his personal life

The daughter of a culinary specialist, Sofia, together with a team from her college, won first place in the national bakery competition in 2021. At the end of the autumn of the same year, she received the title “Student Leader of Russia”. My son works in one of the restaurants in St. Petersburg. Many people know him as Zhenya Celery.

How Ilya Lazerson lives now

As of 2021, Ilya’s cooperation with the SPASIBO CHEF project was terminated. Producer Leonid Sheremetyev came into conflict with the cook due to the fact that the necessary utensils and household appliances were often missing during the filming.

The chef had to limit his menu and often do without an oven. Lazerson put forward his own rules, to which Sheremetyev first responded with a warning, removing episodes with his daughter Sonya from the air, and then completely forbade Ilya Isaakovich to manage the project.

In the fall of 2021, the Lazerson Zone channel turned 1 year old

Since 2021, the “Lazerson Zone” channel on the YouTube platform began to develop. Ilya often conducts master classes and teaches culinary skills to everyone. Currently, Ilya lives with his family in the suburb of St. Petersburg - the city of Sertolovo. He loves to travel and spend time with his wife and children.

Notes

1. [dic.academic.ru/dic.nsf/enc_biography/68295/Lazerson Lazerson Ilya Isaakovich // Great Biographical Encyclopedia 2009]
2. [www.retailmagazine.ru/arch10/lazerson.htm Ilya Lazerson in and without a chef’s jacket // Trade Practice Magazine]
3. [www.chef-club.ru/profile.php?id=11 Club of Chefs of St. Petersburg // Profile]
4. [www.lazerson.ru/studio/ Culinary studio / Culinary studio - Ilya Lazerson]
5. [www.lazerson.ru/books/ My books / Culinary studio - Ilya Lazerson]
6. [www.rtr.spb.ru/radio_ru/main/help.htm Radio of Russia - St. Petersburg. Emergency Culinary Help]
7. [www.radiozenit.ru/programs/program/13090 “Man in the kitchen” - List of programs - Programs - Radio "Zenit"]
8. [tonus.tv/index.php/2011-09-12-06-45-16/2011-09-12-07-19-31/2011-09-12-07-04-42 Culinary educational program with Ilya Lazerson / / Tonus TV]
9. [chgk.tvigra.ru/letopis/?2010/2010_win#27nov What? Where? When? :: Tele]
10. ↑ 123456
    [www.tveda.ru/about/ TV channel “Food” / About the TV channel]
11. [www.russianfoodmagazine.com/20101007283/2010-07-07-17-53-27/2010-10-07-06-49-52-283.html Ilya Lazerson: fencing is a great help in shredding // Tyumen Internet newspaper "Vsluh.ru"]

Social media

Ilya Lazerson is an active user of social networks. His career and personal life are watched by many fans from different parts of the world. You can admire photographs of the chef and his culinary achievements using the links below.

• VKontakte: https://vk.com/ilyalazerson.
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/i_lazerson/.
• Facebook: https://ru-ru.facebook.com/ilya.lazerson.
• Studio website: https://www.lazerson.ru/.
• YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCbb-qqGdlVS7laUbUOTOXhg.

Lazerson conducts cooking master classes

Interesting Facts

• Ilya studied at a special school with in-depth study of the English language. Most students dreamed of a career as a linguist, translator or diplomat, but Lazerson chose cooking.
• Among the chef's unusual hobbies is collecting brass teapots.
• Most of the time Natalya does the cooking in the Lazersons' house. Ilya, Sonya and Zhenya usually help her on holidays.
• Ilya Lazerson often eats ready-made fish fingers or instant noodles.