We pull on the metal handle. It’s locked. “Please turn into the archway from the hight street. You’ll see a metal staircase on your right. Climb up to the second floor. You have arrived!” The description seems to match the location. Did we get the time wrong?
The sudden turn of a key brings relief—we’re in the right place. We are expected. “Good morning, come in” – says a tall young man opening the door. It’s Andrey. He smiles, shakes our hands, and invites inside.
The warmth gently burns our fingers after the cold of the morning air. Light breakfast aroma spreads in the large bright hall with the glass-walled kitchen in the centre. It feels cosy and it smells like home.
It’s quiet. The chairs instead of visitors take place at the tables, turned upside down. The day is about to begin. We are at a backstage, waiting for the show to start, standing still for a moment before the curtain rises. Warm yellow light seeps through the windows. I feel awkward breaking this silence.
Andrey: Formally, my position is called “a restaurant manager”. The project I am involved in has two components: a social one — where we give people in difficult life situations a chance to get a job*. And its functional part, meaning our team makes sure our coffee tastes good, our food is delicious, and our trainees feel comfortable every single day of the week.
I love working in a restaurant — for me, it’s not just about the venue, it’s about home. Safe space. My job deeply resonates with the very idea of Nochlezhka* - a place where a person gets again a roof over their head and gets some stability. Hospitality industry in general is about care — about how, in a short time, one can create a comfortable environment to make someone else feel good.
I have a lot of experience in food service. I started out as a waiter. I liked the idea of the restaurant business — the “third place” we go to besides work and home. After all, the most important conversations often happen in “third places.” I quickly got into it, began to understand the internal processes, and later worked on different projects in St. Petersburg.
At some point, I needed something more than just the commercial side of the business.
When I heard about this job, it felt like a fresh air. I volunteered with Nochlezhka and was familiar with its values and its structure. Nochlezhka attracted me because it’s about people, about helping someone who’s stumbled a little bit. In the grey cold of St. Petersburg people want to be closer to each other. That probably explains the popularity of this organization.
I spend a lot of time with people during the day. I’m always in the dining room, talking with the staff. The restaurant’s atmosphere can’t be measured with numbers — it’s in the vibe of its employees which they pass on to the guests. This kind of work never gets boring because it’s about life.
I liked the idea of the restaurant business — the “third place”
we go to besides work and home.
After all, the most important conversations
often happen in “third places.”.
we go to besides work and home.
After all, the most important conversations
often happen in “third places.”.
A: I think it’s important for everyone to feel appreciated.
For me, is about peace I feel inside when I know that I do my job well. I feel a great satisfaction from the fact that we managed to build a community of people who care about things happening in the city and the world.
In our restaurant they find safety and support. They can see the eyes of like-minded people beside them, who live and feel the same way. At work I try to preserve that atmosphere, to understand how this ambience lives and functions.
DM: Respect. What do you respect yourself for?
A: I don’t think I can mention anything specific.
My work is practical—I don’t have a mission to save anyone here. I just do my job well and professionally, and it benefits people in difficult situations and brings joy to our guests.
DM: Freedom. Do you consider yourself a free person?
A: I’d like to say I know what freedom is, but I can’t quite feel it.
Freedom, to me, is about people—about having the ability to live safely and decently.
I think personal freedom depends on the general sense of freedom in society we live in.
If this sense is not there, it’s hard to feel free. Right now, the word freedom feels like it belongs somewhere else.
I’d like to say I know what freedom is,
but I can’t quite feel it.
but I can’t quite feel it.
A: I’m obsessive. When I start a new project, I am going all in, it becomes my main focus.
I also like multitasking. I love almost physical feeling of my brain working hard when I am tackling a complex problem. I’m also a sensitive person. sensitivity can be risky in some situations, but in my work, it helps me with my attention and care.
DM: Vulnerability. What is your weakness?
A: I’m an anxious person. I worry a lot about how things will turn out. It’s like having children—you know they’re grown up and go to school, but you still worry about them every time. I’m trying not to an “overprotective parent”.
DM: Fear. What are you afraid of?
I don’t really worry about myself. I understand that in life anything can happen. We need to accept this fact and to be ready. What worries me the most is the future of our project.
I want places like this to keep existing no matter what, places where anyone can feel safe, a small island of human’s compassion. Our project is about something deeply compassionate.
And I think that’s what life itself is made of **.
What worries me the most is the future of our project.
I want places like this to keep existing no matter what,
places where anyone can feel safe.
I want places like this to keep existing no matter what,
places where anyone can feel safe.
A: No, I don’t feel lonely because I’m surrounded by people who share my values. Our inner guide matches perfectly.
DM: One question for a man.
A: I think humans are complex beings. To feel stronger each day, we must admit that at some point we were weak. Only then we can you find our inner strength.
So I’d probably ask a man: Can you admit your right being weak?
To feel stronger each day, we must admit
that at some point we were weak.
Only then we can you find our inner strength.
that at some point we were weak.
Only then we can you find our inner strength.
A: In modern society, the boundaries between men and women have become fluid.
Your gender does not matter anymore but rather what kind of person you are. What kind of colleague and what part of society. Men are often associated with aggression or dominance. to me a man is simply a human being. Stereotypes do not matter here.