WEBVTT

00:00:01.550 --> 00:00:02.034
Foodie culture is obsessed
with authenticity.

00:00:04.656 --> 00:00:06.738
But when we get Moroccan honey,

00:00:06.738 --> 00:00:08.360
San Marzano tomatoes,

00:00:08.360 --> 00:00:11.152
that means shipping food, 
carbon emissions,

00:00:11.152 --> 00:00:14.089
plenty of waste and excess packaging

00:00:14.089 --> 00:00:17.639
for food that, sometimes, 
not even as fresh or delicious.

00:00:17.639 --> 00:00:21.100
Adding COVID-19,
and you have a whole new problem.

00:00:21.100 --> 00:00:24.188
Frozen supply chains or closed borders.

00:00:24.188 --> 00:00:28.085
That's changing how we eat and
forcing us to also look what's local.

00:00:28.085 --> 00:00:32.170
Some countries like Russia 
have a lot of experience with this.

00:00:32.455 --> 00:00:34.748
MADE IN RUSSIA

00:00:36.175 --> 00:00:39.191
(Alec) <i>Jay Klouz has been
a nightclub promoter in Spain,</i>

00:00:39.191 --> 00:00:43.774
<i>a tour boat owner in France,
and a celebrity chef in Australia.</i>

00:00:43.774 --> 00:00:49.054
<i>Now, the American lives in Russia 
where he's added cheesemaker to the list.</i>

00:00:49.054 --> 00:00:54.050
(Jay) Every person has a different hand
and this hand makes cheese.

00:00:54.050 --> 00:00:57.083
You could be more aggressive
and you'll have another cheese.

00:00:57.083 --> 00:00:59.567
You could be more careful
and you'll have another cheese.

00:00:59.567 --> 00:01:04.166
You can even go half a degree higher
and you'll have another cheese.

00:01:04.166 --> 00:01:07.392
(Alec) <i>Klouz uses local ingredients 
to make European favorites,</i>

00:01:07.392 --> 00:01:09.718
<i>like feta, gouda, and ricotta.</i>

00:01:09.718 --> 00:01:13.805
<i>Flavors that began to make their way here 
after the fall of the Soviet Union.</i>

00:01:16.366 --> 00:01:20.256
(Alec) So, I grew up in Wisconsin, 
and we always had, you know,

00:01:20.256 --> 00:01:26.190
we had cheddar, pepper jack, all sorts of,
you know, real sharp cheeses.

00:01:26.190 --> 00:01:27.108
Love this stuff.

00:01:27.108 --> 00:01:28.771
And then I came to Russia,

00:01:28.771 --> 00:01:31.975
and it was like, cheese was white 
and didn't taste like anything.

00:01:31.975 --> 00:01:34.208
Tastes like plastic.

00:01:34.208 --> 00:01:37.304
So, what made you decide to start
making your own cheese?

00:01:37.304 --> 00:01:40.126
You know, one thing you learn in Russia,
the winters are rough.

00:01:40.126 --> 00:01:42.190
The Russians prepare for winter

00:01:42.190 --> 00:01:45.972
so, being prepared means, 
also eating good stuff.

00:01:48.570 --> 00:01:51.809
(Alec) <i>For years, Russia imported 
as much cheese as it produced</i>

00:01:51.809 --> 00:01:54.887
<i>until 2014.</i>

00:01:54.887 --> 00:01:58.206
<i>Russia annexed Crimea,</i>

00:01:58.206 --> 00:02:01.842
<i>the US and the EU slap sanctions on Russia,</i>

00:02:01.842 --> 00:02:05.827
<i>and President Putin responded by
banning food imports from those countries.</i>

00:02:07.451 --> 00:02:10.965
<i>Cheesemakers like Klouz 
saw sales go way up.</i>

00:02:10.965 --> 00:02:13.901
<i>Russian production
increased by at least 50%.</i>

00:02:14.641 --> 00:02:17.798 line:1
- (Klouz) Please don't forget to return my spoon.
- (Sofia) Yes, return the spoon. Thanks.

00:02:19.249 --> 00:02:24.991 line:1
After Russia stopped purchasing
cheeses abroad,

00:02:24.991 --> 00:02:28.943 line:1
the cheese market changed a lot.

00:02:28.943 --> 00:02:31.157 line:1
So we started buying here.

00:02:31.157 --> 00:02:35.204 line:1
We are very satisfied
with the price and quality.

00:02:36.906 --> 00:02:39.921
(Alec) And how have the current sanctions
changed the industry?

00:02:39.921 --> 00:02:43.817
(Klouz) With the sanctions there's 
more interest in the people making cheese.

00:02:43.817 --> 00:02:45.820
Like, "Oh, we don't need you, 
we have Jay."

00:02:46.142 --> 00:02:47.271
I'm like, "Yeah, right."

00:02:47.271 --> 00:02:49.523
Fifty kilos a day,
how am I going to feed Russians?

00:02:51.149 --> 00:02:54.469
"Jay will save us!", and I'm like, "What?"
(laughter)

00:02:55.386 --> 00:02:56.738
People are funny here.

00:02:59.408 --> 00:03:02.789
(Alec) <i>But some people are more confident
in local producers ability</i>

00:03:02.789 --> 00:03:06.287
<i>to fill the giant cheesy hole
left by the counter sanctions.</i>

00:03:09.837 --> 00:03:13.243
<i>Klrill Sharshukov imported Italian cheese</i>

00:03:13.243 --> 00:03:16.332
<i>until the food embargo forced him
to start making his own.</i>

00:03:17.763 --> 00:03:20.202 line:1
(Sharshuko) Here we have Caciocavallo cheese.

00:03:20.202 --> 00:03:23.032 line:1
A classic Italian Caciocavallo cheese.

00:03:23.032 --> 00:03:30.978 line:1
It is fermented for about 6 to 12 months

00:03:30.978 --> 00:03:33.362 line:1
and has a specific, light taste.

00:03:34.102 --> 00:03:37.545 line:1
And here we added fenugreek seeds.

00:03:40.633 --> 00:03:47.351
Tastes like cheese with with walnut,
kind of sweet dessert-y crunch.

00:03:50.385 --> 00:03:53.082 line:1
It doesn't have nuts?

00:03:53.082 --> 00:03:58.101 line:1
No, no. This doesn't have any nuts,
but is has that flavor.

00:03:58.101 --> 00:04:02.550 line:1
I don't know if this is allowed on TV,

00:04:02.550 --> 00:04:05.085 line:1
but these seeds are
healthy for men, apparently.

00:04:06.001 --> 00:04:11.403 line:1
So this is delicious and healthy for me?
(laughter)

00:04:11.403 --> 00:04:13.030
(Alec) <i>After the embargo,</i>

00:04:13.030 --> 00:04:16.004
<i>the government started giving
out subsidies and tax breaks</i>

00:04:16.004 --> 00:04:17.515
<i>to boost domestic production.</i>

00:04:18.359 --> 00:04:19.944
<i>Something Sharshuko believes</i>

00:04:19.944 --> 00:04:23.166
<i>is giving Russians a chance to catch up
to the world's cheesemakers.</i>

00:04:24.137 --> 00:04:27.171 line:1
(Sharshuko) The longer this goes on,
the more experiences we have.

00:04:27.171 --> 00:04:31.033 line:1
We reproduce Italy's cheeses here,

00:04:31.033 --> 00:04:35.426 line:1
replace its classic cheeses,
and produce them.

00:04:35.426 --> 00:04:39.493 line:1
So it would be very difficult to return.

00:04:39.493 --> 00:04:42.787
<i>But the Russian cheese revolution 
isn't for everybody.</i>

00:04:42.787 --> 00:04:46.514
<i>Imported foods were always
too expensive for most Russians.</i>

00:04:46.514 --> 00:04:50.527
<i>Meaning locally-made burrata will probably</i>
<i>never be on their shopping list.</i>

00:04:51.782 --> 00:04:53.349
<i>And economists are skeptical</i>

00:04:53.349 --> 00:04:55.619
<i>that the people 
who could afford fancy cheese</i>

00:04:55.619 --> 00:05:00.371
<i>are going to see local versions as anything
other than a secondary substitute.</i>

00:05:00.371 --> 00:05:04.365 line:1
When we imported cheese, it had quality.

00:05:04.365 --> 00:05:08.163 line:1
We, the small portion of affluent people,
got used to it.

00:05:08.163 --> 00:05:10.166 line:1
When that cheese disappeared,

00:05:10.166 --> 00:05:15.764 line:1
those people stopped buying
Russian copies of cheese

00:05:15.764 --> 00:05:19.714 line:1
because they don't trust the quality.

00:05:19.714 --> 00:05:24.031 line:1
Well, I hear from the cheese producers--

00:05:24.031 --> 00:05:26.129 line:1
Russian cheese producers--

00:05:26.129 --> 00:05:28.782 line:1
who say sanctions have been a huge help.

00:05:28.782 --> 00:05:33.898 line:1
Those you spoke to are very few
because, as a matter of fact,

00:05:33.898 --> 00:05:37.047 line:1
90% of the Russian cheese market

00:05:37.047 --> 00:05:39.621 line:1
is mass market cheeses.

00:05:39.621 --> 00:05:41.914 line:1
I wanted to ask what will happen

00:05:41.914 --> 00:05:45.162 line:1
to Russian cheesemakers
if sanctions are lifted tomorrow?

00:05:45.162 --> 00:05:52.470 line:1
There will be
competition again for 15 to 20%

00:05:52.470 --> 00:05:55.965 line:1
of wealthy people in Russia.

00:05:55.965 --> 00:06:01.486 line:1
People who have invested
in cheese production

00:06:01.486 --> 00:06:04.231 line:1
will be hit hard.

00:06:04.978 --> 00:06:08.032
(Alec) <i>The drive for food Independence
has protected Russia</i>

00:06:08.032 --> 00:06:11.412
<i>from supply disruptions during 
the pandemic, the government says.</i>

00:06:12.933 --> 00:06:16.218
<i>It's also helped a fledgling,
farm-to-table movement here.</i>

00:06:17.578 --> 00:06:19.732 line:1
- Five more minutes.
- No, two and a half.

00:06:20.649 --> 00:06:24.857 line:1
(Alec) <i>Ivan and Sergey Berezutskly have
their own farm to produce ingredients</i>

00:06:24.857 --> 00:06:26.469
<i>for their restaurant,</i>

00:06:26.469 --> 00:06:30.231
<i>which in 2019 was named 
one of the best in the world.</i>

00:06:30.784 --> 00:06:35.348 line:1
It's a simple dish: potato with caviar.

00:06:36.416 --> 00:06:37.582 line:1
Here you are.

00:06:38.405 --> 00:06:46.195 line:1
The majority of our guests
need healthy and fresh food.

00:06:46.195 --> 00:06:51.470 line:1
This is a development Russia
and other countries have come to.

00:06:51.470 --> 00:06:54.007 line:1
The sanctions have
accelerated the process.