Ruxandra Gavrilescu: Gastronomy as a Universal Language of Culture, Education, and Responsibility

Interview with Ruxandra Gavrilescu on Amuse Bouche, international gastronomy, and food education through her book Imperfect.

Ruxandra Gavrilescu is a person passionate about gastronomy, a field she explores from two complementary perspectives: she creates and curates niche culinary experiences under the Amuse Bouche umbrella, a project she co-founded with Gabriel – her life and business partner – and, at the same time, she contributes to changing the way we, as a society, relate to food through food education projects, the most important being the book Imperfect. How to Improve Your Relationship with Food and Waste.

C&B: If we were to look at a narrative thread of your career or business, what were the key moments that defined you?

Ruxandra Gavrilescu: The first defining moment was in 2013, when I started Amuse Bouche as a passion project, a blog. The second came in 2017, when Amuse Bouche was accepted into the TasteHunters program of the World’s 50 Best Restaurants, which opened the doors to the backstage of international gastronomy.

In 2019, I took a bold step: I brought the first chef from the World’s 50 Best Restaurants – Ana Roš from Slovenia. It was a premiere in Romania, and since then, our events and concepts have continued to grow and diversify. Today, the central project is the GASTRONOMIC EMBASSY by Amuse Bouche: a pop-up restaurant where, for a few days, one or more chefs from the global stage take over a restaurant in Bucharest. It’s the way in which great names of world gastronomy tell the Romanian audience, through memorable dishes, about their country’s culture, their gastronomic philosophy, and the mission they have embraced. Every year, we bring to Bucharest a legend of international gastronomy – last year, the guest was restaurant Maido, later named the best restaurant in the world by the World’s 50 Best Restaurants 2025. This year, at the fourth edition, we’re raising the standard again.

Another essential moment was the launch of the book Imperfect. How to Improve Your Relationship with Food and Waste – a complete guide to reducing waste in the home kitchen. My life philosophy and the knowledge accumulated over a decade of culinary explorations crystallized into an accessible system for anyone, within the pages of this book.

C&B: What has been the most difficult moment in your journey so far, and how did you overcome it?

Ruxandra Gavrilescu: The hardest part was building credibility in a field that was just beginning to take shape in Romania. I overcame it through consistency, quality, and attention to detail: every Amuse Bouche event, every collaboration, every editorial project was designed to leave a real mark. I believe people sense authenticity, and that helped me move forward.

C&B: Is there a dream or ambition that has always guided you, regardless of obstacles?

Ruxandra Gavrilescu: Yes. To connect Romania to top international gastronomy and, at the same time, to change the way people relate to food day by day. For me and Gabriel, gastronomy is more than a spectacular dish – it is a universal language that creates bonds and responsibility.

C&B: What did you look like at the beginning of your journey, and how do you feel you’ve transformed until now?

Ruxandra Gavrilescu: At the beginning, I was a curious explorer, eager to discover what fine dining meant at the international level. Now, I feel like a connector: between chefs and the public, between tradition and innovation, between international ideas and our local reality.

C&B: If we were to meet your team or collaborators, what do you think they would say about you?

Ruxandra Gavrilescu: They would probably say that I am demanding and detail-oriented, but also that I have a strong sense of community. That I care not only about how a project looks, but also about how it feels and what it leaves behind.

C&B: What is the most important decision you have made that changed your trajectory?

Ruxandra Gavrilescu: There were three key decisions that shaped my professional trajectory over the last 12 years. The first was the decision to turn passion into a professional path – if Amuse Bouche had remained just a hobby, I wouldn’t be here.

The second was having the courage to compete for the international ambassador program of the World’s 50 Best Restaurants. There are only 17 such ambassadors worldwide, and we managed not only to be among them but also to maintain our position for 8 years, thanks to the consistent quality of the content we produce.

And the third major decision was to focus on food education and to crystallize the experience and lessons gathered over all these years of exploration into the book Imperfect – a practical tool for reducing food waste, very well received by the public.

C&B: How did you build your leadership style or the way you make decisions? Was it a natural process or something learned?

Ruxandra Gavrilescu: It was a mix. Natural, because I have a strong intuition and a trained eye for quality. Learned, because I gained experience alongside people from international gastronomy. That’s how I learned what it means to lead through detail and intention, and I understood how important it is to listen to the people you work with, to create contexts where everyone feels valued.

C&B: What do you think differentiates your business or professional approach from the rest of the industry?

Ruxandra Gavrilescu: The difference lies in intention, depth, and a standard of quality I never compromise on. I don’t chase trends or short-term validation; I build meaningful experiences.

Over time, together with Gabriel, we have shaped a solid community around Amuse Bouche, for whom food is only the starting point. The people who are with us appreciate authenticity, cultural context, conversations, and the emotion of being in a rare space that is at the same time intimate and personal. The concept of quiet luxury best describes our approach: care for details, depth, and a refinement that is felt, not displayed.

But the difference also comes from the educational component. Through the book Imperfect and through the projects of the Gastronom Association, we have built a dialogue about responsibility and about how our daily choices reflect on our relationship with food and resources. For me, gastronomy means both cultural experience and practical education – two complementary dimensions of the same vision.

C&B: What does a typical day look like for you now, and what moments of the day bring you the most satisfaction?

Ruxandra Gavrilescu: My days look different depending on the period. Sometimes I alternate between organizing events and editorial projects, writing and research, and communicating with the community. At the same time, I travel constantly and continue to explore restaurants ranked among the world’s 50 best – an exercise of inspiration and continuous learning.

The greatest professional satisfactions come when I see concrete results: a successful event, relationships created within our community, a message from someone applying the advice from Imperfect, or a collaboration that brings real value. Beyond all that, however, the time spent with my family, with my daughter, remains the most precious. Motherhood is, for me, the most complex mentorship program.

C&B: What values or principles guide you in what you do, and how do you apply them every day?

Ruxandra Gavrilescu: Authenticity, respect for quality and for people, responsibility towards the community. I apply them through the way I choose collaborators, through the way I design and implement projects, and through the messages I convey in writing or in interviews.

C&B: How did you come up with the idea to start this business and give it this name?

Ruxandra Gavrilescu: Amuse Bouche is a gastronomic term that designates a small appetizer offered at the beginning of a meal – a bite that introduces you to the atmosphere of the experience, opens your appetite, and familiarizes you with the chef’s vision and the story of the place. That’s exactly how I felt our project was at the beginning, when it was only an editorial project: an invitation to discovery, a prelude to complex stories and experiences. Everything started from this small but meaningful gesture. Later, the project grew, but the name continues to hold the same relevance.

C&B: If you were to send a message to people who follow your example, what would it be?

Ruxandra Gavrilescu: To follow their curiosity and to be patient. In business, in niche projects, in gastronomy or in education, results don’t appear overnight. But every small step and every responsible choice can change the way we eat, the way we reduce waste, and the way we connect with each other. In addition, I believe perseverance and consistency are what transform a passion into a sustainable project and an idea into a solid business.

Through Amuse Bouche, the Gastronomic Embassy, and her editorial projects, she brings Romania into dialogue with the international stage and builds a community rooted in authenticity, quality, and respect for resources.