π·πΊ Russia Β· Russian cuisine Β· b. 1983
The Moscow chef leading the new Russian cuisine movement.
Vladimir Mukhin is a Moscow chef who is widely regarded as the leading figure in the 'New Russian Cuisine' movement that has emerged since the 2010s. The fifth-generation chef in his family, he was trained in classical Russian and European technique and serves as chef-patron of White Rabbit, the rooftop Moscow restaurant that has consistently appeared in the World's 50 Best Restaurants.
Mukhin's mission is to recover, document and reimagine pre-Soviet Russian cuisine β the rich regional traditions of imperial Russia that were largely flattened during the Soviet era of cafeteria cooking and standardised menus. His menus draw on imperial-era recipes, indigenous Siberian and Caucasian ingredients (forest mushrooms, river fish, fermented grains, native herbs), and the great forgotten Russian techniques of fermentation, smoking and pickling.
Netflix's 'Chef's Table' devoted an episode to him in 2018.
Russia has a great cuisine; it just needs rediscovering. Mukhin argues that 70 years of Soviet cafeteria cooking and the post-1991 obsession with French and Italian imports left Russian fine dining without an identity. His mission is to recover the regional and imperial-era traditions β fermented grains, native herbs, Siberian fish, Caucasian spices β and put them at the centre of Russian fine dining again.
Rooftop restaurant with views over central Moscow; consistent World's 50 Best Restaurants entry.
Tasting-menu restaurant where each course is presented alongside a synchronised art installation.
Original recipes we created as homages to Vladimir's cooking style and signature dishes. Not direct reproductions of any copyrighted material β these are our interpretations of the traditionsVladimir has worked with throughout their career.
These recipes from our database reflect the russian cooking tradition that Vladimir works in. They are not direct reproductions of Vladimir's copyrighted recipes, but traditional dishes inspired by the same culinary heritage.
Begins his professional career in his father's restaurant in Yessentuki in the North Caucasus, the fifth chef in the Mukhin family line.
Joins the White Rabbit Family restaurant group in Moscow.
Becomes brand chef of White Rabbit, the rooftop Moscow restaurant in the Smolenskaya Square skyscraper.
White Rabbit enters the World's 50 Best Restaurants list at #23 β Russia's first ever entry.
Featured in season 3 of Netflix's 'Chef's Table.'
Opens Krasota (Beauty) in Moscow β a tasting-menu restaurant pairing each course with a synchronised art installation.
Expands Krasota internationally with a Dubai opening.
'New Russian Cuisine' is the movement that has emerged among Moscow and St Petersburg chefs since the 2010s to rediscover pre-Soviet Russian cooking β imperial-era recipes, indigenous Siberian and Caucasian ingredients, and the great Russian techniques of fermentation, pickling and smoking that were largely lost during the Soviet period. Vladimir Mukhin is its most internationally visible figure.
Krasota (Russian for 'Beauty') is Vladimir Mukhin's immersive tasting-menu restaurant in Moscow, opened in 2019. Each course is paired with a synchronised art and video installation projected around the dining room β a format that has since been replicated at a sister Krasota in Dubai. Critics have described it as a hybrid of fine dining and immersive theatre.
Mukhin is the fifth generation of chefs in his family. His father ran a restaurant in Yessentuki in the North Caucasus, and the lineage goes back to imperial-era kitchens β a personal connection to the pre-Soviet Russian cooking traditions Mukhin spends much of his career documenting.
White Rabbit is on the 16th floor of the Smolenskaya Square skyscraper in central Moscow, with panoramic views over the city. It has appeared continuously in The World's 50 Best Restaurants since 2015 and is currently the most internationally recognised Russian fine-dining restaurant.
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