A melting pot of nationalities and an electric atmosphere is how Bay residents living it up in Russia have described the host country of the 2018 Fifa World Cup.
Internationally acclaimed chef Ralph Gottschalk, who has served up food to celebrities such as Oprah Winfrey, Bill Clinton and Michael Jordan, is catering to about 12 000 people a game.
Gottschalk, 52, of Fern Glen, Port Elizabeth, runs the St Petersburg Stadium kitchen, the most expensive stadium kitchen ever built, and is excited to be experiencing Russia for the first time.
“The vibe has been great so far. The city is full of action spots and the stadium, especially on game day, is fantastic,” Gottschalk said.
“Russians are very friendly, very welcoming, they want to showcase their country with pride and show off their hospitality.
“This is my first time in Russia in my life and I did not know what to expect. I am pleasantly surprised. It is just amazing.”
Born in Germany and a huge soccer enthusiast, Gottschalk said while he was not in Russia to watch any games, catching a glimpse of Neymar da Silver, Lionel Messi and Mohamed Salah was a given.
He said preparations were going well as they not only had to prepare the food, they had to set up suites and buffets, and plan the logistics around having hundreds of trucks enter the stadium.
“We face the same problems as at any other event such as logistics and timing, but we will get it done at the end of the day.”
He said his team was working on four different levels of the stadium, which had more than 70 walk-in coolers, big enough to park a car.
“Personally, the highlight has been meeting up with people I worked with in Brazil [at the previous World Cup] – that was something special.”
Four friends from Port Elizabeth who regularly travel to be part of the World Cup have not yet been able to secure a ticket for any matches but have spent their time making memories, sightseeing and soaking up the vibe at the fan parks.Ferdy Andrews, 44, of Cotswold, said the atmosphere was electric.
“You have the world converging in one place, everyone is excited, everyone is backing their teams and it is quite a nice atmosphere generally in the streets.
“We would love to watch the Nigeria vs Argentina game at the stadium in St Petersburg,” he said.
Fabian Jordaan, 50, originally from Port Elizabeth but now living in Cape Town, said his highlight so far had been exploring the tourist attraction Bunker 42.
“We have been to a few places like Red Square, St Basil’s Cathedral and the Kremlin, but Bunker 42 was really awesome because I wanted to see a bit of the old Soviet era.”
Alexander Hart, 41, of Port Elizabeth, who works as a tour guide and is engaged to a Russian woman, said he was not much of a soccer fan but was loving the atmosphere.
“All the world’s eyes are on Russia. I went to the fan park in St Petersburg and it was absolutely electric.”