Karina Grigoryan

I’m very straightforward.

My life can change any second. It’s changed a few times already. I used to work as a pianist, a customs worker, and then moved on to clubbing and restaurant business which I’ve been doing for the past ten years.

I’ve always enjoyed cooking and having crowds of guests come to my place. This fact must have influenced my final choice of profession.

There’s no such thing as a dream, there’s only hope.

I’m a long-term person. I’m interested in eternal projects. What about short-lived restaurants? There’s no soul to them!

I’m a gourmet. But I’m not the type of person who gets attached to food. I even hate recipes.

People in Moscow don’t understand that the initial idea of a restaurant is food.

I need to be prominent in what I do. The whole of Moscow goes to my restaurants. And when they stop doing so, I’ll come up with something new. I’ve got to be noticeable.

Generally speaking, my dream is a hotel with a restaurant somewhere by the sea. I’d do whatever I like with it.

Everything I’ve ever wanted I’ve already got: I live in the country, I’ve got a kid, a young husband, my mom is healthy.

I love parties. But nowadays the times have changed; I’m too busy to be a full-fledged part of the clubbing movement anymore.

The cruellest punishment for a person who’s caused you pain is his complete oblivion.

Honesty must be a priority. I’ve recently promised to myself that from now on I’m not going to tell lies at all, ever.

I have a lot of respect for people who don’t just seek commercial gain. It’s such a great achievement when a smart person manages to make some money in this country of ours — a country of idiots. I’ve even established my own award called “Golden Brain”. I award it to people who, despite this lucre-driven craze we live in, have created something really worthy and interesting.

If you keep demanding true friendship from everyone, you’ll wind up either alone, or with one mad girlfriend.

I don’t allow myself to rely on my loved ones when the times are hard. But it’s a different story if someone offers you a helping hand on their own accord.

Experience shows that people who’ve influenced my life were men.

I’d like to believe that there is some kind of energy out there that maintains balance between the upsides and the downsides of our world.

When I realize that I’m in love, it brings me a feeling of serenity.