‘A symbol of a Moscow that no longer exists’ Friends of Russian journalist, restauranteur, and TV chef Alexey Zimin on his death

Alexey Zimin, a larger-than-life Russian journalist, chef, and restauranteur who reshaped Moscow’s food scene in the 2000s and early 2010s, was found dead in a Belgrade hotel this week. The cause of his death has not been reported. In addition to opening multiple restaurants and founding the magazine Afisha Eda — seen by some as the “Bible” of the Moscow culinary world — Zimin worked as editor-in-chief of the Russian editions of the magazines GQ and Gourmet and regularly wrote for other top Russian newspapers. He also hosted his own cooking show on Russian TV, which was canceled after he made anti-war Instagram posts following Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Zimin, who moved to the U.K. in 2015, was the author of several books; his latest, Anglomania, was released in the summer of 2024. Meduza has gathered some of the memories and farewell messages posted by Zimin’s colleagues and friends in the wake of his death.

Alexey Rodnyansky

Producer

Today, I was hit with the news of the unexpected death of Alexey Zimin, a brilliant journalist and a talented chef — more of a culinary artist, really.

He and I were messaging just a few days ago. I was sharing my impressions of his utterly amazing Anglomania, a book about the evolution of philosophical thought in his beloved England, the country he’d lived in since 2015. Alexey couldn’t hide his pleasure at my completely genuine compliments. And I kept thinking how harmonious he was in everything he did — from intellectual exploration to the London restaurant Zima. His presence and talent remind me of those we call “Renaissance people” for the sheer magnitude of their character. How few and far between these people are. And what a shame, I thought, that life doesn’t often bring us closer to people like him.

Ivan Shishkin

Literary critic

Oh, God, what a tragedy… An era-defining figure and a symbol of a Moscow that no longer exists. Now it’s hard to tell whether that heavenly Moscow ever really existed or was just a dream, but if it did, its tangible, earthly embodiment was Alexey Zimin. Eternal memory, eternal rest to him. How wrong and unfair this all is.

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Veronika Belotserkovskaya

Founder of the St. Petersburg magazine Sobaka.ru

How utterly awful.

Alexander Urzhanov

Producer

I didn’t know Alexey Zimin personally, but rarely a day goes by that I don’t spend in his company. I’m always delighted to see his red-bearded face pop up on [the food website] Eda.ru, nestled between quantities of fennel and pasta. It’s only about 50 by 50 pixels, but I recognize him instantly. I even know by now what parts of his recipes I always tweak to make my own — for instance, we never quite agree on the amount of lemon juice.

I didn’t know Alexey Zimin, but everybody around me did. […] There was so much freedom in what Zimin created— not that kind on the barricades shouting “freedom or death,” but an earthly, everyday freedom. The kind that doesn’t liberate cities but does greatly influences whether people in those cities yell things like, “Hey, get over here, faggot!” Or whether the only visible path to success is laundering money from the prosecutor’s slush fund. Or how many people you see in wheelchairs on the streets.

I’m so glad that he succeeded. For me, as a Soviet millennial, he was and remains on the level of the founder of IKEA. And now he’ll stay that way forever.

Mikhail Fishman

Journalist

Alexey Zimin was much more than just his talents, which were both literary and culinary. He cooked, he sang, he wrote, he spoke — and he embodied life itself, zest for life. He was smart, witty, and cheerful. We’ve known each other for about 30 years, maybe more, and I don’t think I know anyone else like him, anyone so comfortable and cozy to be around.

Oleg Kashin

Journalist

Just a nightmare.

Lyubov Belyatskaya

Founder of the St. Petersburg bookstore Vse Svobodny (“Everyone Is Free”)

In 2012, I had the chance to meet [Zimin] in person — [my bookstore] Vse Svobodny had a book festival, and one of the people who spoke was Alexei Zimin.

I managed to get an interview with him, though I don’t think it was ever published. Here’s an excerpt from it:

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Ivan Glushkov

Journalist

Terrible news: Alexey Zimin has passed away. One of the fathers of the current gastronomic miracle in Russia and, without a doubt, the best food writer in the Russian language.

Alexander Baunov

Journalist, senior fellow at the Carnegie Russia Eurasia Center

Alexander Zimin had truly become that Renaissance man. He did everything from writing to food, and he excelled at it all. With that same humanistic approach, for the joy and benefit of other people. And he was, outwardly, just as joyfully human.

Yury Saprykin

Journalist