Almost 4000 kilometers separate Russia from Spain. But we’ve been there so many times that it almost feels like home. When you’re abroad, the people around you are the most important thing. Don’t you feel that way too? Of course, last time wasn’t that different thanks to the people over there who always support us, and also to those who we’ve just met, who became great friends immediately.
Goyo Moreno, Parador de Zamora’s chef, couldn’t make it this time, but we were lucky to have Helio Flores accompanying us. He’s one of the people who made this trip so special, not only because of his amazing creations, but also because of his professionalism, effort and his company. If something characterises him is his magic when cooking. Without him, it wouldn’t have been possible to prepare more than 300 tapas in each of the 8 master classes we gave. The gazpacho of watermelon soaked in its tomato as well as the newspaper recipe were the ones that surprised people the most.
As usual when we’re in Moscow, we counted with the presence and collaboration of Sergey Dushkov, whose help was essential in order to carry out all the master classes. Of course, he also surprised all of us with his creations. We met Mariano Valerio, from the Italian restaurant Barlotti, where two of our master classes took place and where he presented a very refreshing cheese foam tapa.
Halfway through our trip, we made a jaunt to Saint Petersburg. We’ve been travelling to Russia for 8 years now, but we had never visited any Russian city other than Moscow. Elena and Oleg from Food Voyage, a food blog, were waiting for us there, along with the event organisers. We couldn’t imagine the surprise that they had prepared for us. Simply walking the streets of that amazing city is a gift but we also had the chance to see the Pedro the First boat and take a boat trip on a fantastic yatch. Because, as we were told, there is no better way to visit a maritime city than from the water. And were they right! We will never forget them and they are now a part of the growing family of La Antigua.
Back in Moscow, we still had two events ahead of us, both organised by the Spanish school EsPalabra in collaboration with the restaurant Tapa de Comida. There, we felt like home as well, with the company of our fans, who always make us feel special, even more so after they sang the “Viva España” song by Manolo Escobar and danced flamenco. Now from Spain, after such a long way, so much work and effort, we can only thank everyone who was part of this incredible experience.
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