What were your favorite foods growing up?
Being French, Romanian and Asian developed my palate; for the fresh and natural ingredients of Romanian cuisine on the farm, the spices and flavors of Asian cuisine and the techniques and precision of French gastronomy.

When did you decide you wanted to be a chef?
When I was 9 years old my favorite cartoon was "Little Chef," about a boy who was helping his mother in the kitchen. From that moment on, I knew I wanted to spend all my time in the kitchen as well.

If you didn't become a chef, what would you be?
A chemist. No doubt about it. I was always fascinated by science.

Who/what has shaped your cooking the most over the years?
The customers have been the most influential. Seeing the satifaction on their faces when they have enjoyed a meal that I've prepared for them drives me to continue surpassing my own abilities as a chef.

What are your favorite culinary weapons in the kitchen?
My best weapon is creativity because I think in any kitchen if you lack it you can't accomplish anything.

What are your signature dishes at the Russian Tea Room?
I would say the borscht and the czar's gold parfait.

What is your favorite kind of caviar?
The Caspian Imperial Ossetra and the Iranian Ossetra

What is more important for a chef- technique or ingredients?
Ingredients. Because no matter what techniques you have, a bad ingredient is unusable.

What is the one rule or value you try to instill in all of your staff?
There is not just one; respect, teamwork and trust (if one plate looks or tastes bad the whole kitchen looks bad, so they have to work and trust each other not to make the other station look bad and respect for what they are cooking).

If I'm trying to watch my weight and I'm eating at the Russian Tea Room, what am I ordering to eat?
The borcsht is a very healthy soup full of vegetables.

What was the most challenging meal you had to make? Why?
During my first experience as a Sous Chef at age 19, I had to cook for the president/owner of a multimillion dollar company in London and there was immense pressure to create something to impress him for me to keep cooking for him. The passion he knew I had for food urged him to challenge me (plus my twin was his personal butler and is good at it, so me becoming his personal chef motivated me and my brother to make his personal dream team.)

What was your worst restaurant disaster?
Knock on wood, nothing bad has happened so far

What is your least favorite food?
Food that is too spicy... to the point it kills the taste

What is your beverage of choice?
Mineral water with a slice of lemon or lime. I drink liters of it all day long. It's fresh and doesn't affect your palate for when you taste the food. Sometimes at night a little vodka with my caviar! Why not?

What are some recent dining and culinary trends you have been observing?
Molecular gastronomy, it's amazing what you can do with those new products. I feel like a little chemist :) makes me feel young again!

When you are not eating at the your own restaurant, you are eating at?
When I can squeeze in a free moment away from my kitchen, I like to try new restaurants around the city, fancy or not.

Which foreign countries inspires your style most?
France and Romania

What was the most spectacular meal you have ever had?
When I was still a line cook my chef took me to a gastronomic restaurant in the Perigord region of France for a tasting menu that lasted 4 1/2 hours. That was an incredibly educational experience.

What is your best cooking tip for a home enthusiast?
Get yourself a nice kitchen (I hate my kitchen at home right now.)

What do you eat when you are home?
After spending so much time in such a nice kitchen at work, walking into my own at home almost makes me feel depressed. And I am so picky when my brother or my fiancée cook that they gave up on trying. So I end up cooking anyway. I stick to simple cooking, nothing fancy.