Recipes for success: Vladimir Chistyakov offers advice and a tasty stir-fried noodles recipe

DUBAI: By the time Vladimir Chistyakov stepped into a professional kitchen for the first time at age 30, he was told it was already too late.  “A lot of people said: ‘If you want to be a chef, you should’ve started 10 years ago,’” Chistyakov tells Arab News. Happily, he didn’t listen to them. Now 40, the Serbian is the brand chef for Dubai-based Metafoodies, a group that includes ALBA Street (Asian street food), ALBA (upscale pan-Asian), Himitsu (a speakeasy bar) and Bisou (Mediterranean fusion). ALBA Street.