U.S. Beef master class for HRI at Asakusa, St. Regis Astana hotel, Kazakhstan
As part of ongoing U.S. Beef promotion in Central Asia, USMEF held an educational master class for HRI professionals in Astana, Kazakhstan. The workshop took place on July 27 at Asakusa restaurant in the St. Regis Astana hotel and brought together restaurateurs, chefs, sous-chefs and meat buyers.
Astana’s foodservice market continues to grow, supported by business activity, domestic tourism, hotel development and the expansion of new dining concepts. The city has about 6,800 catering and foodservice outlets, including approximately 524 restaurants and more than 643 cafes and coffee shops. Astana and Almaty together account for more than 40% of Kazakhstan’s total foodservice turnover.
Competition in Astana’s meat market includes chilled U.S. Beef, local producers such as KazBeef and Kazmyaso, and Russia’s Miratorg. KazBeef has a strong local position, supported in part by the proximity of its production facilities to the capital.
The master class was designed to present the U.S. Beef industry, highlight the flavor and consistency of U.S. Beef, introduce new cuts and muscles, and demonstrate practical cooking techniques for BBQ and restaurant menus. The event also provided an opportunity to meet chefs from newly opened restaurants and discuss ways to expand the use of U.S. Beef in Astana’s HRI sector.
Guest chef-consultant Pavel Galkovsky led the program. He completed the Beef 101 training program in Texas, worked with Kolbasoff, Goodman’s and T-Bone steakhouses, and has served as an ambassador for American red meat in the CIS region. During the session, he presented U.S. Beef brisket, short ribs, top sirloin butt cap, hanging tender / butcher’s steak, ribeye and 80% CL ground beef for burgers.
The program covered trimming, cutting, proper handling, cooking methods, doneness levels, sauce ideas and serving options.
Middleby, the distributor of Josper in Kazakhstan, was the event partner. More than 30 restaurateurs, chefs, sous-chefs and meat buyers attended the master class, along with Ainaz Shaikhy, agricultural specialist with USDA at the U.S. Embassy in Astana.
Source: USMEF
