Fakhriddin Shodiev

Fakhriddin Shodiev grew up in the Kashkadarya region, in the ancient city of Shakhrisabz. He learned to cook at home — his mother baked pirozhki, and little Fakhriddin watched, remembered, tried to repeat. Third grade — fried eggs, fifth grade — dough for pastries. In 2001, at 18, he officially stepped behind a stove — and never stopped.

His first years were spent on Uzbek cuisine in his home region. In 2005 he moved to Moscow: he had seen European chefs plating dishes on television and wanted to learn. About a year on Uzbek cuisine, where he quickly rose to head chef. But that was no longer enough — he wanted more. And so it began: Italian, Norwegian, European cuisines, 6–7 restaurants over several years.
In 2011 he joined Novikov Group — and stayed for ten years. He worked at Mr. Li among 15 Chinese chefs, at Wok Café, at the White Rabbit Group Italian restaurant. He deliberately chose the position of cook rather than chef — to learn alongside foreign chefs, to absorb technique from the inside. Then came restaurant Aiz with the renowned Italian Mirko Dzalbot: he arrived as a student, became sous chef. Together they opened new projects, pizzerias, pasta concepts.

In 2021 he returned to Tashkent. After a stint at one of the city's top restaurants, in 2022 he took the helm at Syrovarnya. He is now 41, leading a team of over 50 chefs. His conviction: you can become a good cook in a year. A good leader — not everyone can.