In the third part of a large interview with the founder of the ethno-food brand Asemgul Kabeldinova, we talk about how master classes on cooking traditional meat become a point of contact with ancestral memory, how rethinking Kazakh culinary traditions helps them not only survive, but also take a place of honor in homes again, and also about a dream: to create an entire ecosystem in which taste, culture, and the future are united in one space.
After your master classes, do girls begin to apply their knowledge in everyday life? Can you give examples?
— Of course. Our meetings are not just one-day master classes. This is a step towards awakening national self-awareness. The peculiarity of such meetings is that each participant prepares kazy and shuzhuk with her own hands, and then takes them home. We always say: “Share this not only with your table, but also with your family. Feel the joy. Convey the taste - and the meaning.” From that moment on, each one takes with her not just a product, but the aroma, warmth and spirit of the Kazakh people.
One cooked kazy with her mother.
Another gave shuzhuk to her mother-in-law.
The third proudly served the dish to her husband and said:
"I made it myself."
And then comes a wave of warm reviews: "The family was surprised: kazy has a completely different taste!", "We have never tried such shuzhuk", "The family appreciated my work", "Now we will only buy from you."
It would seem to be an ordinary skill. But, done with soul, it becomes a bridge between a person and his roots.
The most important thing is that these women became our regular customers. Because they did not just try the product - they felt it with their hearts. And what is felt with the heart is not forgotten.
This is not just food.
This is memory, respect, love.
This is a living bridge between generations.
And it is created by Kazakh women.
You rely on traditions. How do you manage to adapt them to the modern market?
— My task is to keep up with the times without losing touch with my roots. I try to talk about traditions in the language of today, in formats that are understandable and close to the modern audience.
Kazakh culture is a rich heritage: kazy, shuzhuk, tabak tartu, kalzha, sybaga. Each has its own philosophy, deep meaning, system of values. People have not lost interest in this. They just need to be told about it - in an accessible way, with soul, with love.
I promote national dishes through Instagram and TikTok, conduct master classes where I combine cuisine and elements of national costume, show kazy and shuzhuk not just as food, but as an expression of love, respect, care - a mother for her children, a daughter-in-law for her family. The modern consumer is sensitive to details: taste, quality, packaging, aesthetics, history — everything matters. And I try to bring it all together in one product.
Time cannot be stopped. But traditions can be rethought — so that they sound in a modern context.
My dream is to return traditional meat to a place of honor on the family table. Not as nostalgia, but as a living part of culture that speaks to us in the language of respect and love. This is not just a business. This is my mission.