USMEF Provides Culinary Training in Central, Eastern Russia

Far Eastern Russia, Siberia and a major city in the Ural Mountains were the venues for USMEF-Russia’s recent series of instructional and promotional activities for U.S. beef and pork.

USMEF culinary training for 300 chefs was held with Beef and Pork Checkoff funding at the sixth annual Primorsky Culinary Festival, organized by the Far East Association of Restaurateurs and Hoteliers in Vladivostok. Vladivostok is Russia’s easternmost major city and most active Pacific port.

This year’s festival concept was based on two major principles: accessibility and experience. A USMEF chef’s competition was held in which 35 chefs were judged in steak cooking and presentation.

USMEF’s Galina Kochubeeva (left) and chef Sergei Anikin conduct culinary training
at the Primorsky Culinary Festival in Vladivostok, Russia

On the first day, chefs attempted to qualify as finalists by preparing traditional cuts such as New York strips, T-bones and pork loins. The next day, they took a break from the competition to focus on USMEF master classes in preparation of alternative cuts of U.S. beef and pork. Chef Sergei Anikin of Moscow’s Uncle Sam Café chain led the classes by cooking U.S. boneless pork chops as well as U.S. beef chuck rolls, flank steaks, top blade and short ribs. Instruction on the positive attributes of U.S. pork and beef was also provided by Sergei Klimenko, a chef from Vladivostok.

On the final day of the competition, finalists were presented with a “secret box” of ingredients that challenged their skills in preparing alternative cuts such as flank steaks and short ribs. The final competition was judged by Jeff Rotering of the Far East General Consulate, USMEF representative Galina Kochubeeva and chef Anikin. The grand prize was presented to chef Alexei Tarusin of the Diamond Restaurant & Club in Hakhodka, a city in Primorsk Territory.

USMEF also presented an instructional seminar on U.S. beef in Krasnoyarsk, a city in the heart of Siberia with a population of about 1 million. The Krasnoyarsk Territory is one of the largest regions in Russia, stretching from the Arctic Ocean to the mountainous areas of southern Siberia. It is exceptionally rich in raw materials and is one of Russia’s most important industrial areas.

Chef Sergei Galitsin conducts a chef training seminar in Krasnoyarsk, Siberia

The Beef Checkoff-funded seminar was presented jointly with USMEF industry partners Snow World (of Moscow) and Vladelita (of Krasnoyarsk), along with technical support from restaurant group Vladimirov and Company, which operates seven restaurants in Krasnoyarsk. USMEF provided an overview on U.S. beef production, including cattle breeding and selection, feeding, carcass grading, aging, packaging and storage. The presentation also covered advances in beef safety and the unique qualities and attributes of U.S. beef. 

Chef Sergei Galitsin of Delovaya Rus offered instruction on preparing U.S. beef premium cuts such as ribeye, striploin and tenderloin, showing participants the difference in color, flavor and marbling compared to similar cuts of Australian beef. Chef Galitsin gave special attention to preparation of alternative cuts such as brisket, top blade, chuck roll and top sirloin butt, including a cutting demonstration and suggestions on steak portioning and cooking methods.

Participants called the seminar the most significant meat event ever held in Siberia.

A similar seminar, held jointly with Snow World and the Yekaterinburg Academy of Food, was held in Yekaterinburg, one of Russia’s largest (pop. 1.4 million) and most dynamic cities, in the Ural Mountains of central Russia. Chef Galitsin was joined by chef Anver Yusipov of VneshTorgBank (Russia’s bank for foreign trade), who traveled to Texas this summer with a USMEF Russian chef team. Chef Yusipov focused on slow-cooking alternative beef cuts. 

Chef Anver Yusipov addresses seminar attendees in Yekaterinburg

USMEF’s partnership with the Yekaterinburg Academy of Food also led to an invitation to take part in the annual Yekaterinburg Restaurateurs Ball, the region’s largest food industry event. The ball, held Dec. 4 at the Yekaterinburg Atrium Hall, attracted more than 400 restaurateurs, hoteliers and chefs. 

“These regional events play an important role in expanding the profile of U.S. beef and pork beyond western Russia,” said John Brook, regional director for Europe, Russia and the Middle East. “There are major population centers across Russia that offer significant growth opportunities, and it is important that we develop a presence in these areas.”

New USDA Pork Auditing Program for Russia

The USDA’s ARC Branch announced a new auditing program: the ARC 1030V Procedure, USDA Pork to the Russian Federation Program.

The USDA Pork to the Russian Federation Program provides verification through audits that U.S. companies meet the specified product requirements for marketing U.S. pork and pork products to the Russian Federation. The requirements of the program, outlined in ARC 1030V Procedure, must be supported by a documented quality management system, the requirements of which are defined in ARC 1002 Procedure. As an alternative, the claims may be verified through a USDA Process Verified Program, the requirements of which are defined in ARC 1001 Procedure.

There are three principal components of this program:

• Pork must be free of tetracycline group antibiotics. Companies must evaluate and select suppliers based on their ability to provide conforming product.
• Slaughter facilities must implement a tetracycline group antibiotics testing program.
• Facilities approved for export to the Russian Federation must implement a microbiological testing program for generic Salmonella, Listeria monocytogenes and total plate count testing.

Starting Feb. 1, 2010, quality manuals may be submitted for review by email to ARCBranch@ams.usda.gov or by fax to (202) 690-1038.

Members with questions should contact Courtney Heller at cheller@usmef.org or 303-623-6328.