# Stefan Che — My story [All chapters](https://stefan-che-site.vercel.app/about.md) ## The story of the salad For a year, the staff at L’ETO — where Dubai’s founders breakfast daily — were kind enough to make the salad to my recipe; whatever ingredients the kitchen didn’t have, I brought in a paper cup. Friends who had tried it started ordering it without me. They’d say two words: ‘Stefan’ and ‘salad’. The name stuck. After a month of working with the chef in 2024, it was on the menu at L’ETO and Secret Garden — now with every ingredient, the secret mix served on the side as a nod to the guy with the paper cup. Since I switched to clean eating, this had been the dream: a restaurant dish that actually meets the body’s needs. The month with the chef. Followers added it to UAE must-visit lists; some flew in just to try it. It spread on its own from there: fans across countries, people making it at home or handing the recipe to their chefs. Translated from Russian Coming from Moscow to try a salad by @stefan_studio at Leto on Bluewaters 😋 Starting the day with Stefan Salad. Founders’ kitchens. Every morning. Stefan, we’re about to try your salad. Stefan Salad The Luxury of Feeling Good Their stories, not mine. Then Moscow: private launches, founders and bloggers among the guests. Cynics, Moscow. Real soil on the tables, wildflowers from fields outside the city. SAPIENS, Moscow. Fifteen friends, three hours, one bowl. One ingredient per guest. To learn the whole salad, you had to talk to strangers. Today: two locations in Dubai, three in Moscow, with more countries to come. 5 restaurants 2 cities: Dubai & Moscow ~6,000 bowls What If You Started Small? Then came the idea: 10% of the salad’s revenue to a cause chosen by each region. L’ETO has sold over $27,000 of it; $2,700 went to Malawi. One Dubai salad = 21 school lunches in Malawi. Malawi, the first delivery The first delivery. Maize for a nursery of 48, 40 kg each for 25 families, a hot meal for 80 children. Next: wells. $27,000+ sold at L’ETO $2,700 to Malawi 21 school lunches from one Dubai salad One Bowl. Whole World. Next: a nonprofit, so every restaurant joining sees where the money goes. I take no cut and fund it myself. Good Feeds Good. Less Hacking. More Hugging. The most profitable food brands exploit the brain’s oldest part: the craving for sugar, salt, and fat — right here and now. I’m building for that part of us that thinks beyond the moment and can say no. Caesar can be found everywhere, but it does nothing for you. I want Stefan Salad to be just as common — but to leave you better off, physically and mentally. A conscious life can take many forms. This salad is just one of them. I never set out to build it. It found me, and I’m grateful. The purest form of good I know. It gives me energy and meaning. SALADbrate Your Life. @stefansalad ↗ Website Coming soon ### Image captions and sources - [“Stefan Salad — soon” at Bluewaters L’ETO Caffe](https://stefan-che-site.vercel.app/images/s20n/s20b-soon.webp) - [L’ETO’s Instagram story about Stefan Salad](https://stefan-che-site.vercel.app/images/s20n/s20b-story1.webp) - [L’ETO’s story: a salad created with Stefan](https://stefan-che-site.vercel.app/images/s20n/s20b-story2.webp) - [The Secret Garden menu with Stefan Salad](https://stefan-che-site.vercel.app/images/s20n/s20b-garden-loupe-tilted.jpg) - [Stefan Salad in the L’ETO delivery app](https://stefan-che-site.vercel.app/images/s20n/s20b-app.webp) - [Stefan Salad in the L’ETO menu list](https://stefan-che-site.vercel.app/images/s20n/s20b-app-row.webp) - [L’ETO’s story: what goes into the salad](https://stefan-che-site.vercel.app/images/s20n/s20b-story3.webp) - [Stefan Salad on the table with the L’ETO head chef](https://stefan-che-site.vercel.app/images/s20n/s20b-chef.webp) - [The L’ETO menu with Stefan Salad](https://stefan-che-site.vercel.app/images/s20n/s20b-menu-loupe-tilted.jpg) - [A L’ETO delivery bag with a Stefan Salad order](https://stefan-che-site.vercel.app/images/s20n/s20b-bag-loupe-side.jpg) - [A guest’s story: coming from Moscow to try the salad at L’ETO Bluewaters](https://stefan-che-site.vercel.app/images/s20n/s20b-fan-orange2.webp) - [A chat: people making Stefan Salad at home](https://stefan-che-site.vercel.app/images/s20n/s20b-fan-tg2.webp) - [A guest’s story at L’ETO: Stefan, we’re about to try your salad](https://stefan-che-site.vercel.app/images/s20n/s20b-fan-marudina3.webp) - [The Stefan Salad table at Cynics, Moscow](https://stefan-che-site.vercel.app/images/s20n/s20b-msk-3610.webp) - [Guests with a bottle at Stefan Salad × Cynics](https://stefan-che-site.vercel.app/images/s20n/s20b-msk-bottle.webp) - [An ingredient card: burdock](https://stefan-che-site.vercel.app/images/s20n/s20b-msk-3607.webp) - [Bottles and spring onions on the launch table](https://stefan-che-site.vercel.app/images/s20n/s20b-msk-2675.webp) - [Stefan’s Garden: a cart of vegetables from the fields](https://stefan-che-site.vercel.app/images/s20n/s20b-msk-2735.webp) - [Stefan Salad × Cynics, Moscow: the launch in pictures](https://stefan-che-site.vercel.app/images/s20n/s20b-msk-collage.webp) - [Stefan setting the table at Cynics](https://stefan-che-site.vercel.app/images/s20n/s20b-msk-stefan-table.webp) - [The secret mix poured over the salad](https://stefan-che-site.vercel.app/images/s20n/s20b-msk-pour.webp) - [Guests at the Stefan Salad launch in Moscow](https://stefan-che-site.vercel.app/images/s20n/s20b-msk-guests.webp) - [Stefan speaking to the guests at the Moscow launch](https://stefan-che-site.vercel.app/images/s20n/s20b-msk-mic.webp) - [Green juice at the launch](https://stefan-che-site.vercel.app/images/s20n/s20b-msk-girl.webp) - [Guests at the wildflower wall, Stefan’s Garden](https://stefan-che-site.vercel.app/images/s20n/s20b-msk-garden-girls.webp) - [Stefan dressing the salad at the table, microphone in hand](https://stefan-che-site.vercel.app/images/s20n/s20b-msk-dress2.webp) - [Stefan Salad launches at SAPIENS, Moscow](https://stefan-che-site.vercel.app/images/s20n/s20b-msk-sap-trio.webp) - [Stefan with Stefan Salad at SAPIENS](https://stefan-che-site.vercel.app/images/s20n/s20b-msk-sap-stefan.webp) - [SAPIENS story: the key principles of Stefan Salad](https://stefan-che-site.vercel.app/images/s20n/s20b-msk-sap-story1.webp) - [The SAPIENS table: moss, wildflowers and the Stefan Salad card](https://stefan-che-site.vercel.app/images/s20n/s20b-msk-sap-table.webp) - [SAPIENS story: why Stefan Salad came to the menu](https://stefan-che-site.vercel.app/images/s20n/s20b-msk-sap-story2.webp) - [A guest at the SAPIENS launch with green juice](https://stefan-che-site.vercel.app/images/s20n/s20b-msk-sap-guest.webp) - [Fifteen friends at the Stefan Salad table at SAPIENS, Moscow](https://stefan-che-site.vercel.app/images/s20n/s20b-msk-sap-friends.webp) - [Stefan Salad on the moss-laid SAPIENS table](https://stefan-che-site.vercel.app/images/s20n/s20b-msk-sap-bowl.webp) - [Stefan at the SAPIENS table](https://stefan-che-site.vercel.app/images/s20n/s20b-msk-sap-selfie.webp) - [Stefan speaking to the guests at SAPIENS](https://stefan-che-site.vercel.app/images/s20n/s20b-msk-sap-speech.webp) - [A guest’s place: a name card in the moss and Stefan Salad](https://stefan-che-site.vercel.app/images/s20n/s20b-msk-sap-pavel.webp) - [A guest’s ingredient card: Tomato](https://stefan-che-site.vercel.app/images/s20n/s20b-msk-sap-card2.webp) ### Links - [@stefansalad ↗](https://www.instagram.com/stefansalad/)