Natalya Tuktarova, co-owner of pastry studio Markus Pastry : If life gives us a lemon, we try to make lemonade out of it. TITLE - Appetite for Patriotism VO For over a year restaurants in Russia have been caughtvv between Western sanctions and Kremlin’s retaliatory ban on food imports from Europe and the U.S. Yelena Markus, co-owner of pastry studio Markus Pastry: WE CLOSED [our] RESTAURANT AND OPENED AN ONLINE PASTRY SHOP. Natalya Tuktarova, co-owner of pastry studio Markus Pastry : Since in Russia it’s is cheaper to eat at home, during the crisis many organize parties at home. And since not everyone would bake a cake, many order cakes from online confectionaries. VO The mother and daughter behind this online pastry shop had a restaurant in downtown Moscow for four years. Even before the economic pinch, a smoking ban and new parking regulations were hurting business. Sanctions limiting access to some ingredients and the fall of the ruble were the final straw that closed many restaurants, but it also forced chefs and their customers to think a little outside the box. Yelena Markus, co-owner of pastry studio Markus Pastry: Yelena: Sanctions affected for the most part food products not used in the confectionary production. We use flour, eggs, sugar produced in Russia. Anna Shpak, 15 sisters, managing partner THIS WHOLE STORY BROUGHT A BIG WAVE OF PATRIOTISM. These are too far apart from each other with the sign edited in the middle. The sign maybe comes beforehand or after? PEOPLE ARE DINING IN RUSSIAN PLACES. Places where they know the food. THERE IS A FASHION FOR ALL THINGS RUSSIAN BECAUSE OF THE SANCTIONS. Honestly, we like it. VO: — Anna Shpak, 15 sisters, managing partner WE DON’T NEED PARMESAN, WE DON’T NEED FRENCH expensive CHEESE, WE DON’T NEED JAMON. SO EVERYTHING WE NEED CAN BE FOUND IN RUSSIA.” Bayish, 15 sisters, senior cook, Central Asian cuisine ALL PEOPLE COME AND ORDER OUR ENTREES WITH A PLEASURE OF NOSTALGIA. Ilyin, Afisha magazine restaurant critic People usually remember only the good things, so there is a nostalgia now for all things Soviet. We forgot all the bad things, we remember all the good things, the fifteen republics, the fifteen sisters. —” Fifteen Sisters simply pushed it to the limit. VO: Even chefs who specialize in foreign cuisines found ways to work a little more locally. NAT - Valentino with Elena: “Everything is fresh. I’m fresh, too. ” Elena Olshanskaya, guest at Pinzeria GOOD FOOD is hard to find the good one because of limited number of good quality ingredients. BUT SOME RESTAURANTS ARE BEING CREATIVE WITH THAT Valentino Bontempi, chef at Bontempi and Pinzeria restaurants When the crisis began, I realised that the most important thing was not to lose diners. I’m from Brescia, Lombardy. I’ve been working as a chef for 35 years. I currently work in Moscow. I opened Ristorante Bontempi five years ago. - NATPOP - Bongiorno! It is frequented by glamour. The average price is quite...um...it is quite high. So the sanctions spurred me to open a more democratic restaurant, affordable for everyone. Valentino Bontempi, chef, Pinzeria and Bontempi Working in the restaurant sector has become more complicated.] Products imported from new markets, such as Argentina, Tunisia, Morocco, Israel, came under a price change. They were .....more expensive. Maxim Kuleshov, pizza maker, Pinzeria Mozzarella and burrata that we sell here are made in Russia. By Italian brands, licensed recipes. So they have similar quality, but don’t get sanctioned Natalya Tuktarova, co-owner, Markus Pastry All crisis are really opportunities. Yelena Markus, co-owner, Markus Pastry The main advantage of an online pastry shop is that we could pick a less trendy location and pay less rent and charge less money for our products. We are developing to become one of the most technologically advanced confectioners in Moscow. The most convenient for our clients.) I think, Russian soul is wide and Russian people aren’t famous for managing personal finances, so they can’t deny themselves for long.