Vkusnaya Kazan left without shashlik, but with Saltykova and a rapper from Almetyevsk
This year, the gastronomic festival is hosting its Moscow counterpart — Vkusy Rossii
“Festival offers a chance to make a name for yourself”
This coming weekend, July 12 and 13, the square in front of the Kazan Family Centre will once again become a hotspot for food lovers. The gastronomic festival Vkusnaya Kazan is going to be held for the 11th time, but this year it takes place alongside another culinary event — Vkusy Rossii.
According to Marat Makhmutov, Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Food of Tatarstan, 40 farmers from across Russia have been invited to the festival. Among them are cheesemakers from Belgorod, confectioners from Vladimir, southern farmers with Kuban ham, and northern farmers offering local delicacies such as venison and elk meat. Tatarstan’s own agricultural producers will also be represented.
As for restaurants, Kazan’s Committee for Tourism Development Director Darya Sannikova stated that this year the festival expects 85 participants. Of these, 18 are established regulars, while the remaining 67 are newcomers — including Gorynych, a restaurant that recently entered the market of Kazan.
“The festival offers a chance to make a name for yourself. Many think of it as a high-end event, but Vkusnaya Kazan is for the people. It provides an opportunity to tell your story and is accessible to a wide audience,” noted Sannikova in a conversation with Realnoe Vremya.
At the same time, according to her, the committee issued no directives to artificially limit prices — restaurateurs set their own pricing, understanding the diversity of the guests.
“AI doesn’t understand what a flash mob is — we had to explain it”
Perhaps the main innovation this year has been the selection of participants using a neural network. Which one exactly has not been disclosed, but according to co-organiser Artur Karapetyan, the AI reviewed menus, individual dishes, presentation, and the willingness of establishments to engage in the cultural programme.
“We’re unprincipled either way. And of course, we had to review the selections manually, because artificial intelligence doesn’t understand what a flash mob is — it asks, “Excuse me, is this a triangle or what is this?” We had to explain certain things to it. And yes, of course, after that we reviewed the results and made some adjustments by hand — but I think no more than twenty percent,” Karapetyan clarified.
Whether because of this or not, organisers say that this year they’ve managed to almost completely do away with the “shashlik stands” that guests had complained about in previous years. This time, there will be just one.
Galina Sharafutdinova, director general of the Association of Restaurateurs and Hoteliers of Tatarstan, is confident that such events are, above all, an opportunity for restaurateurs to promote their brand and reach a wide audience. Thousands of visitors get the chance to discover new dishes and venues. The media coverage generated by festivals ensures strong online visibility for participants, which positively affects the image of their establishments. These platforms also foster active networking between restaurateurs, farmers, and other local producers, leading to new collaborations and joint projects.
In addition to the gastronomic programme, organisers have prepared a cultural one — for the older generation, Irina Saltykova is performing on July 12, while on July 13, rapper Slame from Almetyevsk is taking the stage. As usual, there will be a children’s zone with trampolines, mini-football, and other activities.
According to the state procurement portal, organising the festival this year will cost 8.2 million rubles. An additional 400,000 rubles will be spent on security.
It’s worth recalling that last year, organisers reported 70,000 visitors to the gastronomic festival. Guests consumed 30,000 litres of drinks — ranging from freshly squeezed juices to Tatar tea — and ate more than 20 tonnes of food.
