Activities in Kazakhstan Create Awareness of U.S. Beef’s Quality, Diversity

Continuing its efforts to educate Kazakhstan’s retail and hotel, restaurant and institutional (HRI) sectors about new U.S. beef cuts available in the market, USMEF held a workshop for chefs in the capital city of Astana and a promotional event at a popular, high-end grocery in Almaty, Kazakhstan’s largest city. These two recent activities, along with USMEF’s participation in a special reception at the U.S. Embassy in Astana, were funded by the USDA Market Access Program and the Beef Checkoff Program.

Chef Khorhe Sevilya presents U.S. beef cuts and demonstrates their use in various barbecue dishes during a U.S. beef workshop in Astana, Kazakhstan

The U.S. beef workshop, described as an “outreach session” by USMEF Representative Galina Kochubeeva, was held at the Astana Gold Club. It included HRI professionals and retailers from Astana and other cities in northwestern Kazakhstan.

“This was the first U.S. beef event in Kazakhstan’s capital this year and the purpose was to educate the HRI market players on secondary U.S. beef cuts and share experts’ experiences and ideas for working with U.S. beef,” explained Kochubeeva. “We invited local chefs to demonstrate different barbecue cooking methods using an oven, a grill and a smoker.”

At a U.S. beef promotion at Esentai Gourmet in Almaty, Chef Sevilya discusses the value and versatility of U.S. beef secondary cuts

Executive chef Khorhe Sevilya of Globe Gourmet, a well-known retail chain, helped lead the workshop, developing the menu and sauces for Texas-style barbecue brisket, short ribs al Porto with chickpea cream, short plate with chipotle sauce and ribeye with baked pepper sauce. U.S. beef secondary cuts were also featured in dishes such as flap tail tataki under ponzu, churrasco with chimichurri and top blade minute and California steaks with peppery and chili sauces.

U.S. Ambassador to Kazakhstan George A. Krol, Kazakhstani officials and a variety of guests enjoyed U.S. beef brisket at a U.S. Independence Day celebration

More than 40 professionals attended the event, which began with remarks by U.S. Agricultural Attaché Rachel Vanderberg.

Almaty, with a population of 1.8 million people, was the site of a USMEF promotion at Esentai Gourmet. The event included a display of U.S. beef secondary cuts and a special presentaiton focused on dry aging of U.S. beef short loins and bone-in ribeyes.

Chef Sevilya also helped lead the educational portion of this event.

Esentai Gourmet was opened in 2012 as a joint project of the Esentai Mall and Russian Stolichnaya Company, which operates Globe Gourmet retail locations in Moscow and St. Petersburg.

“Esentai Gourmet is a new retail concept in Kazakhstan that features a menu of fresh, high-quality products and specialties from around the world,” said Kochubeeva. “High-end U.S. beef cuts such as ribeye and New York strip have been sold by the chain since 2016, the same year USMEF conducted its first promotion with Esentai Gourmet. But now a new general director wants to expand the chain’s meat department to include a broader range of items, especially beef cuts. He bought a room specifically for meat aging, and invited Chef Sevilya to help establish the correct aging procedures.”

During the U.S. beef promotion in Almaty, Esentai’s loyal consumers and regular buyers learned about several U.S. beef cuts and about proper selection, handling, storage, cutting and cooking of chilled product. At the conclusion of the event, consumers sampled several U.S. beef dishes.

USMEF also provided U.S. beef brisket for mini sandwiches and burritos at a U.S. Independence Day celebration in Almaty, where special guests included Kazakhstani importers and distributors. The event was also attended by U.S. diplomatic officials, employees of the U.S. Embassy in Astana, scientists, artists, musicians and members of several Kazakhstani business societies. Several Kazakhstani officials also participated, including Minister of Information and Communication Dauren Abayev.

“The reception created a culinary journey around the U.S. highlighting different cuisines, so guests could appreciate the diversity of tastes of American food,” said Kochubeeva. “A local chef smoked Texas-style beef brisket for 700 guests gathered around holiday tables, and the event was a very big success.”