The book *Cooking in the Wild | Modern Gastronomy in the Depths of the Carpathians* is about survival in the wilds of the Ukrainian Carpathians, communal cooking, caring for the environment, the forest and the mountains, a love of Ukrainian traditions, and the calling of a chef. In 2019, renowned chef Ihor Mezentsev, together with talented food photographers Dmytro Bakhta and Anna Smolyakova, created the unique ‘TOPOT’ project, the main aim of which is to return to the roots of national gastronomy. The participants – Ukrainian and international chefs – spend five days in the forest and mountains, and venture down to the river.
They prepare contemporary dishes in completely wild conditions, using ingredients they can gather from nature as well as purchase from local farmers.
In 2021, the fourth ‘TOPOT: Bridge’ gathering, which took place in the Carpathians and is featured in this edition, was attended by Ukrainian chefs as well as representatives of the international gastronomic community from the UAE, Denmark, Spain, the USA and the UK. Everyone was on an equal footing – men and women, star chefs and beginners.
