Young Bulgarian chef Viktor Zhechev spent eighteen months in the Royal kitchen where he prepared meals for Prince Charles. He was part of the kitchen team of the Swiss Chef Anton Mosimann who cooked for the Royal family for official dinners and family gatherings.

Prince Charles liked to eat the same dishes every time. Even during full-course dinners we always served on his table deer on a silver platter, chef Viktor Zhechev told Radio Bulgaria. He liked the meat well done even if it was very dry. He also liked roasted beets and a simple green salad consisting of lettuce, green beans, cherry tomatoes and a sour dressing made of Crème fraîche, tarragon and plenty of vinegar. Sometimes he ordered fruit salad, but usually had the desert included in the dinner menu.

Viktor studied at the Professional High School of Tourism in Sofia and the Culinary Academy in the town of Dobrich (Northeast Bulgaria). In 2014 the young Bulgarian joined Anton Mosimann’s catering company. Anton Mosimann brought the first Michelin star to a British restaurant. At the first job interview Viktor’s future employers asked him whether he knew Russian. Later, he was sent to the Olympic Games in Sochi where he joined the House of Switzerland and cooked for nearly one thousand people. In Sochi Viktor had to deal with a very difficult situation. One day a whole truck filled with cheese disappeared and Viktor had to buy immediately all available products in the area needed for the preparation of fondue and raclette. When Viktor was part of the Swiss team he participated in the preparation for a charity dinner against cancer. He served beef risotto with mushroom sauce to Hollywood celebrities including Ryan Reynolds and Samuel Jackson.

I worked in Mosimann’s company for eighteen months. His two sons ran the business, Chef Zhechev recalls. However, I met Mr. Mosimann every time I visited his private club, although he was over seventy. He was a very energetic person and often visited our kitchen to taste with his small spoon all meals and sauces. Later, he told us what was missing in a certain dish and how to make things better. Some meals were made under his own recipe. The Caesar sauce for instance was heavier, because it contained more egg yolks and anchovies, while his risotto was more watery and the quantity of the double cream exceeded the quantity of the Arborio rice in that meal.

Although Chef Zhechev was part of a celebrity team, he knew he had to learn more and asked his culinary idol Bulgarian Chef Emil Minev who is part of the first Shangri-La hotel in London for help. Later, Viktor Zhechev’s decided to return to his home country and use traditional products such as the Bulgarian tomatoes and the Green Cheese from the village of Cherni Vit which cannot be found abroad.

I hope to open my own restaurant soon and show what I learnt from many celebrity chefs, Viktor Zhechev says. It is very important to respect the products we use in the kitchen, because the content of the dish and the presentation of the meal depend on the product. Let us take the edible Boletus for example. Even if these mushrooms are used in simple dishes they are still very important, because when you have high-quality products you do not need complicated Mise and Place and cooking techniques to make the perfect meal. I will accentuate on the author’s cuisine in my restaurant. I am happy that chefs with non-traditional cooking style have a chance to show their skills in Sofia and other Bulgarian cities.

English version: Kostadin Atanasov