i. Biography
I began to cook because I was often sick when I was small and would stay home. That domestic starting point still sits under Andrey Shmakov’s work at SAVVA restaurant in Moscow: not as anecdote, but as a working instinct shaped by repetition, attention, and care. Born in Saint Petersburg in 1973, he has become one of the city’s defining kitchen leaders, with a style of Modern Russian cuisine that stays tied to season, produce, vegetables, herbs, and the farmers who feed the pace of the kitchen.
The Path
Training at Tallinn Maritime School gave Andrey Shmakov a foundation built on discipline and structure, the kind of preparation that teaches order before display. From there, his career moved through roles that required consistency as much as range, building experience across hotel service, fine dining, bar dining, and street food. Today, Andrey is Executive Chef of Metropol Hotel (since 2013), Executive Chef of SAVVA restaurant (Novikov Group), Executive Chef of Chaliapin Bar, and founder of Shmak street food café. Those positions show a career organized around different service formats, each with its own tempo and standards. The through-line is practical command: enough flexibility to work across rooms, and enough discipline to keep the work coherent. The training at Tallinn Maritime School reads here as an early lesson in professional order, while the later appointments mark the kind of breadth that comes from running kitchens at a high level in Moscow.
The Work Today
At SAVVA restaurant in Moscow, Shmakov’s cooking is identified with Modern Russian cuisine. In his case, that label is made concrete through a clear dependence on seasonality. Seasonal produce drives the menu. Vegetables and herbs are treated as central material rather than side notes. Farmers are part of the method, part of the daily work that keeps the cuisine grounded in supply and timing. That approach keeps the cuisine direct. Modern Russian cuisine, as Shmakov practices it, is not presented as a slogan or a borrowed style. It is a practical way of deciding what belongs on the plate now: what is fresh, what is in season, what can be handled with restraint, and what should be allowed to stand on its own. The result is cooking that is composed without being static, precise without losing its connection to the produce that defines it.
Signature
Andrey's signature dishes include My Summer and Autumn Marathon.
In Their Words “Today, chefs are the new rock stars, but in 1986, at Tallinn, where I was growing up, it wasn’t a profession.”
Acclaim
Andrey Shmakov received 1 MICHELIN star (2022).
Profile updated July 2026
FAQ
Asked of Andrey
What is Andrey Shmakov's current role?
As of 2026, Andrey Shmakov is Executive Chef.
Where did Andrey Shmakov train or study?
Andrey Shmakov trained at Tallinn Maritime School.
What recognition has Andrey Shmakov received?
1 MICHELIN star (2022).
