From pian-se with carrots to trout carpaccio: how gastronomic master classes were held in Vladivostok schools

In December 2023, the Tourist Information Center of the Primorsky Territory (Visit Primorye) together with the Department for Work with Municipal Education Institutions of Vladivostok launched a project to conduct gastronomic master classes for schoolchildren of the city. In the 2023-2024 academic year, 35 master classes were held, 15 restaurants of Vladivostok and about 1,000 schoolchildren from grades 2 to 9 took part in them. In October 2024, the project continued its work, but this time the program was strengthened by the cultural component: specialists from museums and representatives of the city's travel companies are invited to gastro lessons, who introduce students to the history of the formation and development of Primorye, with interesting places of the region for travel and recreation.

One of the last master classes of the outgoing year was held in the MBEU CO "Vector". 24 students from the 8B class together with the chef of the restaurant “Millionka” Evgeny Kabankov prepared carpaccio from trout and shrimp in breaded sauce with aioli-vasabi. And this is also a great opportunity to attract the younger generation to the profession of cook, as now among the chefs “staff starvation”. All the guys were great, asked a lot of interesting questions and were as involved as possible in the process. I personally knew from childhood that I wanted to become a cook, but the realization and understanding of the profession itself came only when I myself found myself in a professional kitchen

“Everything is very beautiful, cool and deliciously organized! We didn’t have such events in school before – we want to have such lessons more often. I have never heard of Far Eastern cuisine before, but I know how to cook and love, I have been cooking since I was 4 years old and can even bake a cake. Today's dishes will definitely try to cook at home, the main thing is to find all the ingredients.

For the cultural component this time was the Museum-Reserve of the History of the Far East named after V.K. Arsenyev. Leading methodologist of the department of museum and educational programs Daria Romanova held a thematic lesson for students on the topic “What is a Millionaire?”. Millionka Quarter is one of the most interesting and mysterious areas of Vladivostok, and once - one of the cereal corners of the city. 

The format of an off-site class is an interesting experience for me, since I usually take excursions live around the block itself. The Millionaire Quarter is an exciting topic to discuss. In general, my lecture is adapted for a street walk, but this time I just translated it into a playful form: I used photo and video materials. I could see the kids were really listening to me. Many did not know that the restaurant "Millionka" is named after the quarter, in honor of the place in which it is located. Therefore, both the gastro lesson and the lecture on the theme of the historical quarter were remembered as a kind of tandem of useful information, Daria Romanova shared her emotions with us.

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All in October-December 2024, 6 new gastronomic master classes were held, about 200 students and 6 restaurants of Vladivostok took part in them: "Supra", "Cantina", "Sisters Kim", "Crust", "Laffion" and "Laffion". In February 2025, the work will continue: schoolchildren and cooks are waiting for new lessons and interesting events. See you next year!

Tourist Information Center 
Visit Primorye, info@visit-primorye.ru