Bright flavours of autumn: Pumpkin Day at TAIF-NK surprised even the most discerning gourmets
The company’s canteens have developed a themed menu and set up a photo zone
The pumpkin is the true queen of autumn. Its vibrant colour, rich taste and aroma create a special atmosphere of comfort. And when it falls into the hands of professionalchefs, even the simplest dishes are transformed into culinary masterpieces. Employees of TAIF-NK JSC had the opportunity to experience, quite literally, the taste ofautumn. The company hosted its first-ever Pumpkin Day. Oil refiners weretreated to soups, side dishes and salads, as well as freshly baked goods — allmade with the addition of this vitamin-rich vegetable.
The farewell charm you possess is pleasing to me
The canteen staff of TAIF-NK JSC create real wonders: they not only feed visitors every day in a tasty, satisfying and, most importantly, healthy way, but also give them a part of their soul, a sense of home comfort and a festive mood. For example, to brighten grey autumn days with vivid colours, the chefs decided to organise a Pumpkin Day at the company.
“Autumn lasts a long time and is often gloomy. There are few sunny days. Every day is the same, and people may start to feel melancholic. I wanted to create something bright, sunny and warm. Pumpkin is, perhaps, exactly the vegetable that brings a small piece of sunshine into our lives. The very process of cooking, the atmosphere associated with pumpkin, creates comfort. That is how the idea came to decorate the canteen and prepare something special,” said Elena Burundukova, head of the TAIF-NK JSC canteen.
The festive atmosphere on this day was created not only by the pumpkin dishes but also by the photo zone located at the entrance to the canteen. All this beauty was made by hand by the staff of the TAIF-NK JSC canteen. The chefs began working their “magic” at 6 a.m., starting their shift.
“It’s like a fairy tale about Cinderella today,” jokes pastry chef Alena Timofeeva. “Only this time the pumpkin turns not into a carriage, but into very delicious dishes. To be honest, we are very anxious. Days like this always require a lot of effort. For example, today I baked 190 pieces of samsa and about 350 pancakes. The menu also includes a semolina cake with orange zest and pumpkin. It has already been completely taken. I am very pleased that our work brings people joy. It gives inspiration and motivation to continue cooking with love.”
Every dish, whether soup or baked goods, was filled with love and attention to detail. And the assortment turned out to be quite extensive.
“Creating a menu is a creative process that requires focus and inspiration. We searched for ideas in culinary collections and documents. We added our own ideas. This is how various pumpkin dishes appeared on the menu. At first, we decided to prepare pumpkin soup and pumpkin porridge, then two side dishes and two more salads with pumpkin. Baked goods were not left out either: we baked small pancakes, semolina cake and pumpkin samsa.
Employees of TAIF-NK JSC could also try juicy manty dumplings and vegetable stew, baked cutlets with pumpkin-milk sauce and stewed beef in pots with pumpkin.
“They feed us excellently in the canteen! Today, guests from Rostekhnadzor in Kazan are having lunch with me. They are also delighted with our dishes. Everything is very tasty! Thank you very much,” said industrial safety engineer Danis Sakhitov.
A total of 156 kg of pumpkin
To prepare all the dishes in the three canteens of TAIF-NK JSC — the headquarters, the refinery and HRCC — the staff needed 156 kg of pumpkin. The vegetables were purchased only from trusted suppliers. In general, they take the issues of quality and food safety extremely seriously here. The TAIF-NK JSC canteen became one of the first among industrial enterprises in Nizhnekamsk to implement and certify the HACCP food safety management system. The document confirms that the delivery and storage of raw materials, production and sale of first and second courses, cold and hot appetisers, salads, desserts, baked goods and beverages comply with all the requirements of the national standard GOST R ISO 22000-2019.
“I always emphasise that our canteen is one of the strategic divisions of TAIF-NK. We bear a tremendous responsibility: we must not only feed people — and we serve about seven hundred people a day — but also ensure their safety by not allowing cases of poisoning or illness. Not all canteens and restaurants can afford to receive this certification. For this, you must develop documentation, train staff and constantly work according to the system,” noted canteen head Elena Burundukova.
The high quality of the dishes is reflected in the full seating in the canteen halls every day. Many TAIF-NK JSC employees come here not only for lunch but also for breakfast. And this is no surprise. According to the refinery workers, the chefs can prepare any dish superbly. Porridge, casseroles, soups, pancakes with condensed milk and dumplings with potatoes, cottage cheese or cherries are particularly popular here. A special menu has been developed for those who follow a diet.
“Our menu includes various dietary dishes — from milk porridges to soups, casseroles and purees. Every day we offer kefir, yoghurts and dairy products so that employees can receive varied and healthy foods. We carefully monitor the information in the menu, indicating the ingredients and calorie content of each dish. It is important that every employee knows what the dishes consist of, especially if someone has an allergy. For example, if a dish contains nuts, this will be clearly stated so that everyone can make the right choice,” said Elena Burundukova.
Indeed, the varied and delicious menu in the TAIF-NK canteens is able to impress even the most refined gastronomic connoisseurs. The canteen staff manage to amaze, delight and support the health of visitors. And on Pumpkin Day, this autumn vegetable won the hearts of those who had not previously been its admirers.
“Amazing! I often cook puréed soups at home. But this is my first time eating one with pumpkin. I’ll take note!” admitted leading cost engineer Irina Andreeva.
“I tried pumpkin manty for the first time. Very tasty. Many thanks to the canteen staff; they try to treat us to something new every day,” said Anna Burova.
“I eat here every day. The assortment is large. Everything is very tasty. I always take soup, salad and a main dish. There is fish, meat and chicken to choose from. There are dietary soups and salads. And most importantly, everything is always seasonal,” noted leading economist Irina Mukhtarova.
“I tried the manty and the pumpkin samsa — absolutely stunning dishes. I’m from Samarkand myself, an eastern person. And I want to say that this samsa is even better than the meat one,” said Nailya Amirova, a specialist in the capital investment planning and accounting department.
Very often, well-fed and happy visitors leave their impressions in the guest book. Canteen head Elena Burundukova is proud that there is not a single complaint.
“We come to work every day, to our close-knit team. People come to us for a reason. Every day we look each other in the eyes at the serving line and travel on the same transport from home and back. We treat our visitors as members of our family. We listen to their wishes. Sometimes they come and say: ‘You haven’t had vinaigrette with herring for a while.’ And we reply: ‘All right.’ And we immediately add it to the plan-menu. We cook with love for our employees, and they respond in kind,” said Elena Burundukova. “We will continue organising similar events so that the company’s employees feel our care and attention. We have already held Days of Georgian and Belarusian cuisine.”
Pumpkin Day became not only a culinary event but also a true celebration for the TAIF-NK JSC team. In this way, the canteen staff showed how bright accents can be added even to the bleakest autumn days.