WEBVTT

99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
Foodie culture is obsessed
with authenticity.

99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
But when we get Moroccan honey,

99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
San Marzano tomatoes,

99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
that means shipping food, 
carbon emissions,

99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
plenty of waste and excess packaging

99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
for food that, sometimes, 
not even as fresh or delicious.

99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
Adding COVID-19,
and you have a whole new problem.

99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
Frozen supply chains or closed borders.

99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
That's changing how we eat and
forcing us to also look what's local.

99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
Some countries like Russia 
have a lot of experience with this.

99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
MADE IN RUSSIA

99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
(Alec) <i>Jay Klouz has been
a nightclub promoter in Spain,</i>

99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
<i>a tour boat owner in France,
and a celebrity chef in Australia.</i>

99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
<i>Now, the American lives in Russia 
where he's added cheesemaker to the list.</i>

99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
(Jay) Every person has a different hand
and this hand makes cheese.

99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
You could be more aggressive
and you'll have another cheese.

99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
You could be more careful
and you'll have another cheese.

99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
You can even go half a degree higher
and you'll have another cheese.

99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
(Alec) <i>Klouz uses local ingredients 
to make European favorites,</i>

99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
<i>like feta, gouda, and ricotta.</i>

99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
<i>Flavors that began to make their way here 
after the fall of the Soviet Union.</i>

99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
(Alec) So, I grew up in Wisconsin, 
and we always had, you know,

99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
we had cheddar, pepper jack, all sorts of,
you know, real sharp cheeses.

99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
Love this stuff.

99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
And then I came to Russia,

99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
and it was like, cheese was white 
and didn't taste like anything.

99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
Tastes like plastic.

99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
So, what made you decide to start
making your own cheese?

99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
You know, one thing you learn in Russia,
the winters are rough.

99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
The Russians prepare for winter

99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
so, being prepared means, 
also eating good stuff.

99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
(Alec) <i>For years, Russia imported 
as much cheese as it produced</i>

99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
<i>until 2014.</i>

99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
<i>Russia annexed Crimea,</i>

99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
<i>the US and the EU slap sanctions on Russia,</i>

99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
<i>and President Putin responded by
banning food imports from those countries.</i>

99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
<i>Cheesemakers like Klouz 
saw sales go way up.</i>

99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
<i>Russian production
increased by at least 50%.</i>

99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 line:1
- (Klouz) Please don't forget to return my spoon.
- (Sofia) Yes, return the spoon. Thanks.

99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 line:1
After Russia stopped purchasing
cheeses abroad,

99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 line:1
the cheese market changed a lot.

99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 line:1
So we started buying here.

99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 line:1
We are very satisfied
with the price and quality.

99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
(Alec) And how have the current sanctions
changed the industry?

99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
(Klouz) With the sanctions there's 
more interest in the people making cheese.

99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
Like, "Oh, we don't need you, 
we have Jay."

99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
I'm like, "Yeah, right."

99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
Fifty kilos a day,
how am I going to feed Russians?

99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
"Jay will save us!", and I'm like, "What?"
(laughter)

99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
People are funny here.

99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
(Alec) <i>But some people are more confident
in local producers ability</i>

99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
<i>to fill the giant cheesy hole
left by the counter sanctions.</i>

99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
<i>Klrill Sharshukov imported Italian cheese</i>

99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
<i>until the food embargo forced him
to start making his own.</i>

99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 line:1
(Sharshuko) Here we have Caciocavallo cheese.

99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 line:1
A classic Italian Caciocavallo cheese.

99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 line:1
It is fermented for about 6 to 12 months

99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 line:1
and has a specific, light taste.

99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 line:1
And here we added fenugreek seeds.

99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
Tastes like cheese with with walnut,
kind of sweet dessert-y crunch.

99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 line:1
It doesn't have nuts?

99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 line:1
No, no. This doesn't have any nuts,
but is has that flavor.

99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 line:1
I don't know if this is allowed on TV,

99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 line:1
but these seeds are
healthy for men, apparently.

99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 line:1
So this is delicious and healthy for me?
(laughter)

99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
(Alec) <i>After the embargo,</i>

99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
<i>the government started giving
out subsidies and tax breaks</i>

99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
<i>to boost domestic production.</i>

99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
<i>Something Sharshuko believes</i>

99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
<i>is giving Russians a chance to catch up
to the world's cheesemakers.</i>

99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 line:1
(Sharshuko) The longer this goes on,
the more experiences we have.

99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 line:1
We reproduce Italy's cheeses here,

99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 line:1
replace its classic cheeses,
and produce them.

99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 line:1
So it would be very difficult to return.

99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
<i>But the Russian cheese revolution 
isn't for everybody.</i>

99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
<i>Imported foods were always
too expensive for most Russians.</i>

99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
<i>Meaning locally-made burrata will probably</i>
<i>never be on their shopping list.</i>

99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
<i>And economists are skeptical</i>

99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
<i>that the people 
who could afford fancy cheese</i>

99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
<i>are going to see local versions as anything
other than a secondary substitute.</i>

99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 line:1
When we imported cheese, it had quality.

99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 line:1
We, the small portion of affluent people,
got used to it.

99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 line:1
When that cheese disappeared,

99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 line:1
those people stopped buying
Russian copies of cheese

99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 line:1
because they don't trust the quality.

99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 line:1
Well, I hear from the cheese producers--

99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 line:1
Russian cheese producers--

99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 line:1
who say sanctions have been a huge help.

99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 line:1
Those you spoke to are very few
because, as a matter of fact,

99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 line:1
90% of the Russian cheese market

99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 line:1
is mass market cheeses.

99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 line:1
I wanted to ask what will happen

99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 line:1
to Russian cheesemakers
if sanctions are lifted tomorrow?

99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 line:1
There will be
competition again for 15 to 20%

99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 line:1
of wealthy people in Russia.

99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 line:1
People who have invested
in cheese production

99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 line:1
will be hit hard.

99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
(Alec) <i>The drive for food Independence
has protected Russia</i>

99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
<i>from supply disruptions during 
the pandemic, the government says.</i>

99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
<i>It's also helped a fledgling,
farm-to-table movement here.</i>

99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 line:1
- Five more minutes.
- No, two and a half.

99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 line:1
(Alec) <i>Ivan and Sergey Berezutskly have
their own farm to produce ingredients</i>

99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
<i>for their restaurant,</i>

99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
<i>which in 2019 was named 
one of the best in the world.</i>

99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 line:1
It's a simple dish: potato with caviar.

99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 line:1
Here you are.

99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 line:1
The majority of our guests
need healthy and fresh food.

99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 line:1
This is a development Russia
and other countries have come to.

99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 line:1
The sanctions have
accelerated the process.