We learned last month that Alexander Ovechkin could DJ. Now, we find out that the guy may be able to cook as well. Although I feel like celebrity DJing is probably pretty similar to celebrity cooking. The celebs get people in the door then you make it really, really easy for them. Chances are that Ovechkin will serve up the “Lindsay Lohan DJ Set” of Russian cuisine. The NHL’s MVP will co-host a night at a new Russian restaurant called Mari Vanna in New York. The eatery opened last week on 20th street in Manhattan. The date hasn’t been nailed down yet but will be either September 8th or 9th.
Via New York Times:
In early September, Alexander Ovechkin, the 23-year-old Russian hockey megastar who is worth $124 million, will swap his jersey for an apron and captain the kitchen of a Manhattan’s newest Russian restaurant, Mari Vanna.
On the ice, Mr. Ovechkin has relied on his improvisational talents to win two MVP awards and the richest contract in National Hockey League’s history. His culinary debut will likely be equally free form as Mari Vanna’s management remains unsure if he will adhere to the restaurant’s “healthy New Russian” menu or resort to something more simple like pelmeni dumplings.
Either way, the appearance of the Washington Capitals star is likely to attract an unusual mix of blue-collar hockey aficionados and Russian oligarchs.
The arrival of Mr. Ovechkin, and a tentative mid-September gig with actress Milla Jovovich, marks the continuation of a series called “Who’s the host?” in which celebrities transform into ad-hoc chefs. The series originated at the original Mari Vanna kitchen in St. Petersburg.
If the presence of celebrities who lack any credible culinary experience seems like awkward experiment, so is the daring, if not oxymoronic “healthy New Russian” fare that has made Mari Vanna a success in both Moscow and St. Petersburg.
“This is like a lab for new Russian food,” said Sasha Poline, a partner in the restaurant. “In 15 years, we want this to be as popular as Japanese food.”
The restaurant was born out of the home kitchen of Maria Ivanovna, a 50-something woman whose home cooking wooed friends and family into her St. Petersburg apartment. Nearly four years ago, the Ginza Project, a restaurant group in Russia with dozens of establishments, created two restaurants in her name.
The New York branch, which opened last week at 41 East 20th Street in Manhattan, has lightened its menu to cater to American diets. The pioneer is 25-year-old chef named Kirill Shishov, who arrived this summer after several years as an sous-chef at Terrassa in St. Petersburg.
Tags: alexander ovechkin, cooking, food, hockey, mari vanna, new york city, NHL
