Odessa resident Ruslan Gromakovsky creates vegan chocolates and desserts without refined sugar

Odesa chocolatier Ruslan Gromakovskyi, who in 2019 received the title of the best confectioner of the year in the National Championship of Ukraine in confectionery art, creates vegan chocolates and various desserts without refined sugar. It also opens up new flavors of chocolate for gourmets.
His works are known not only in Ukraine, but also in various countries of the world — in the USA, Great Britain, Germany, Austria, Italy, Spain, Turkey…

In an interview with “FACTS”, Ruslan Gromakovsky talked about the features of vegan chocolate, interesting taste compositions and shared a recipe for cranberry crunches.

“Unusual taste combinations of white chocolate with smoked vanilla and milk chocolate with porcini mushrooms”

— I have been in the confectionery world for thirteen years, — says Ruslan Gromakovsky. — Trained in Belgium and France with the best masters. My profession is very interesting: I bring people new tastes and emotions. For example, unusual taste combinations of white chocolate with smoked vanilla, milk chocolate with porcini mushrooms, dark chocolate with dogwood. Interesting compositions are white chocolate with black truffle or with coffee, lime and vanilla. I love to experiment and am always in search of new flavors.

– Which one is your favorite?

— The taste of white chocolate with buckwheat tea is simply fantastic! It resembles toffee with oatmeal cookies. You should also try chocolate with rooibos tea.

– Interesting.

— The main thing is that I create ecologically clean vegan sweets that do not harm health. I use only the highest quality cocoa beans. Each variety has its own taste. It can be nutty, have notes of prunes…

Read also: Michelin-starred chef Ksenia Makhorchych: “When I come to Kyiv, I will definitely try Ukrainian borscht”

“During my internship in Paris, I was fascinated by the delicacy of desserts”

— What are the features of vegan chocolate?

– It does not contain products of animal origin. Instead of cow’s milk, it contains coconut, soy, oat, cashew. Cow’s milk interrupts the purity of the taste of chocolate. Refined sugar also affects the taste of chocolate in a bad way. That’s why I don’t use it. An alternative can be, for example, coconut sugar.

— You did an internship in Paris. What impressed you the most during your studies?

– I went to Paris for an internship after winning the championship of Ukraine in 2019. It was an incredible experience. The internship program included a visit to famous pastry shops in Paris. I was in awe of the delicacy of the desserts. And another very memorable for me was the master class of one of the world‘s best ice cream makers, Didier Stéphane, who came from France to Kyiv. He taught the art of making ice cream cakes, such as hazelnut and vanilla pear. The most difficult thing was to make liquid layers in the cake. But the result exceeded expectations. The balance of flavors was incredible!

Read also: “Often my flowers made of sugar mastic are confused with live ones,” – gold medalist of the International Confectionery Competition Nataliya Lupych

— You also did an internship in Belgium. As you know, Belgian chocolate is one of the best in the world.

— Belgium is considered the legislator of chocolate fashion. I remembered the master class of the Belgian chocolatier Jean Martin, who gave me a lot of important professional knowledge. The master class was held at a chocolate factory. Its aroma could be felt a kilometer from the factory.

— Will you share a simple chocolate dessert recipe with readers?

– With pleasure. Cranberry Chocolate Crunchies are delicious! It is worth trying to cook. The recipe is designed to make about twenty crunches.

Chocolate cranberries with cranberries

• Milk chocolate – 100 g

• Almond flakes or chopped almonds—50 g

• Crushed cookies (or wafer crumbs) – 30 g

• Dried cranberries – 30 g

Combine almonds, crushed cookies (wafer crumbs) and cranberries. Heat half of the chocolate in the microwave or in a water bath, add the remaining hard chocolate to the melted chocolate and mix. Combine the finished chocolate with the dry part. Use a teaspoon to lay out small slides. Cool the finished crunches in the refrigerator for 15-20 minutes.

Bon appetit!

“I got a tattoo on my arm that says: ‘Chocolate runs in my blood'”

— What usually inspires you in creativity?

— My muse is my wife. Over dinner, we like to discuss interesting chocolate flavor combinations. The next day I come to work with burning eyes and start experimenting.

– Why do you love your profession?

— For versatility. Almost anything can be made from chocolate: ice cream, mousse, candy, cream, glaze, ganache… You can create any sculpture, even build a house. That’s why I got a tattoo on my arm with the inscription: “Chocolate runs in my blood.”

— What are you working on now?

— Over vegan marshmallows. Making marshmallows without eggs is not so simple. My favorite marshmallow with exotic yuzu fruit and apple is in dark chocolate.

— What kind of chocolate do you dream of creating?

— I want to make chocolate with sprouted wheat juice. It will probably have notes of freshly cut grass. I think this kind of chocolate will go well with avocado. I also plan to experiment with exotic fruits and spices. I want to work with fresh bergamot.

Earlier, “FACTS” wrote about the gastronomic symbol of the capital — Kyiv dry jam, which was recreated by entrepreneur Yaroslav Semenets.

Photo from Ruslan Gromakovsky’s album

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