At Gastro Forum 2025 in Tashkent, local and international chefs discussed service, training, and the digital tools shaping Central Asia’s growing restaurant industry.
The kitchen was at the heart of discussions at Gastro Forum Tashkent 2025, where chefs, restaurateurs and suppliers from across Central Asia met to talk about food as a business, a skill and a part of culture.
The event formed part of the wider HORECA EXPO UZBEKISTAN 2025, which gathered more than 100 companies and experts in Tashkent.
Among the guests was Jean Ashner, a French chef and holder of two Michelin stars, who described Uzbekistan’s culinary scene as “a good school – open and ready to learn”.
“There’s talent and flavour here,” Ashner said to Euronews. “But the restaurant experience is not only about taste. Service, comfort and attention to detail matter just as much.”
He noted that many Uzbek restaurants invest heavily in interiors but often overlook guest comfort and staff training.
“A restaurant should leave a memory,” he added. “The atmosphere creates half of what people call taste.”
Ashner believes Uzbekistan will one day see international recognition.
“Every culture has the right to be known and respected,” he said. “An Uzbek restaurant can absolutely earn a Michelin star in the future.”
Promoting Uzbek cuisine beyond borders
For Chef Bakhriddin Chustiy, promoting Uzbek cuisine is part of representing the country itself.
“If Uzbek food is not yet famous everywhere, it’s not because of its flavour,” he said.
“Uzbekistan is still a young country. As our image grows, our cuisine will grow with it. We must keep promoting it tirelessly.”
Chustiy sees every chef as an ambassador. Whether serving plov or modern fusion dishes, he says the goal is the same – to make Uzbekistan recognised for both its hospitality and its creativity.
Business growth and new digital tools
While chefs spoke about taste and service, entrepreneurs discussed how to make the restaurant business more efficient.
The local ecosystem Linko introduced LINKO-TAP, the only business platform in Uzbekistan designed specifically for restaurants, cafés, and hotels. The app connects suppliers directly with venues, allowing managers to order goods, track deliveries, and manage costs from one interface.
“We’ve been open only three months,” said Akmal Khamdamov, CEO of LINKO-TAP. “Our goal is to make wholesale trade as simple and transparent as online shopping. Suppliers can sell more, and restaurants can buy faster and at better prices.”
The platform already hosts more than 250 suppliers and 15,000 products, serving over 5,000 retail points across Uzbekistan. The company works with both local and international producers, focusing on quality, service and pricing.
Digital transformation is also reaching restaurant management. Shelter, an international software company active in Uzbekistan, showcased tools that help cafés and hotels automate bookings, track inventory and calculate profitability in real time.
“Our goal is to give businesses full control over operations so they can focus on service and creativity,” said Dmitry Romadenkov, Head of Business Development at Shelter.
Voices from the café sector
At the forum, business owners shared similar experiences of balancing growth and staff development.
Behzod Ashurov, founder of Bon Café, said managing expansion in a fast-developing economy requires constant training.
“We’re growing and at the same time developing our people to manage that growth,” he said. “It’s a unique challenge – not many economies are developing this fast.”
Ashurov, who previously ran restaurants in the UK, has now based his operations fully in Uzbekistan and plans to expand to Kazakhstan, Azerbaijan and eventually Europe.
Regional connections
The event also drew participants from across the region. The Culinary Arts Center of Azerbaijan, the country’s first private culinary school, joined the exhibition for the first time.
Director Kelvin Chong said the forum offered a chance to build partnerships between neighbouring markets.
“We see many opportunities here,” he told Euronews. “There’s talent, motivation and a fast-growing tourism sector. It’s a good moment for collaboration.”