The best pastry chef in the world. Confectionery Gagou de Paris, Jerusalem, Israel

The Village tirelessly follows everything that happens in the city - the opening of shops, cafes, restaurants and salons - and talks about the most significant and interesting to readers. In our section "" we give the floor to people who have contributed to the development restaurant business Moscow. In the new issue - Maria Troitskaya, who at the age of 21 managed to found own brand desserts and launch an online pastry shop Californicaketion.

How it all began

My family never really cooked. It all started with the fact that in the second year of the institute I decided to seriously lose weight - it was fashionable. Then I forbade myself to eat sweets, but soon realized that I missed him very much. Mom gave me cookbook with recipes for dietary desserts. Of course, the first time I didn’t manage to cook anything on it. But I liked the process itself, at the same time similar to chemistry and magic!

Soon diet desserts began to turn out. Then my mother advised me to cook something that everyone would like. I decided to start with the most difficult - with pasta. Although the cakes were more like two cream pancakes, everyone enjoyed it. Then I started making cakes. I remember that I did the first one for five whole days - it had eight different layers. So in six months, cooking has become a serious hobby.

About studying abroad

No matter what I did, I still couldn't make pasta. Therefore, my mother offered to give me a gift - training at a pastry school. Largely because of my love for Paris and the French language, I chose the school of confectioner Alain Ducasse. To get there, it was enough to write a letter and pay for the course. Knowledge of French was also important, since almost none of the cooks spoke English.

I chose the pasta making course. Mom went with me and supported me all the time: she went to classes, watched what we were doing there. Although the training lasted only a few days (more long term I couldn’t leave, because I was still studying at the Moscow Architectural Institute), I really liked it. I was finally able to cook perfect pasta. I also practiced my French and met some nice people.

Soon I signed up for a course in tarts at Christoph Mishalak's school. I was interested in working with sand dough. In addition, then Christoph just launched his own line of tarts. Initially, I wanted to get on his personal course - he is a fairly well-known confectioner, and in Paris he is generally considered a star - but due to the high demand, this was impossible. And I went to study with his team, which turned out to be very professional. Two of Christoph's assistants have already opened their own pastry shops.

When I had my own handwriting and the work became more serious, I decided to study at the Bellouet Conseil school. Unlike the previous courses that I attended, the training there is considered more professional. Before choosing a course, all participants are asked to submit examples of work to help determine the level of difficulty they can afford.
At that time, I had already started making cakes to order: first for friends and acquaintances, and then word of mouth started. Therefore, I chose the course entreme- this is the name of mousse cakes covered with icing and decorated with complex chocolate decor.

I communicated in in social networks with Antonio Bashur, who worked as a pastry chef at an expensive hotel in Miami's Bal Harbor Resort. After seeing my work, he invited me to a two-week internship. For me, this was probably the most interesting and serious experience: I was able not only to see from the inside how the process of creating desserts goes, but also to participate in the work.

How to start a candy store

When I started showing my cakes to friends and acquaintances, other people began to learn about me. Often they asked to prepare something for the festive event. There were especially many architects among them - this is natural. They are pleased when someone from the architectural environment is engaged not only in the main profession, but also makes desserts.

Then I realized that I needed my own brand, by which people could recognize my work, and I started thinking about the logo. The Marie Oiseau Pâtisserie was inspired by French graffiti artist and tattoo artist Fuzi UVTPK. Together with him we came up with my first tattoo - a bird (in French "oiseau". - Approx. ed.), as a symbol of something very light and airy. I used it for the logo.

At first, most of my family members were wary that I preferred confectionery to architecture. Unfortunately, in Russia there is still an opinion that a confectioner is not a representative of art, but a woman from the dining room, who, in a dusty dressing gown, makes cream roses. Of course, then I was hurt and sad. But my achievements made my relatives change their minds and understand what I really want to do in the future.

A year ago, I met two young people who suggested that I start an online bakery. I liked their concept: in Moscow, really, almost no one makes a line of desserts of a single design. And there are no pastry shops in the real French format at all. We soon started working together under the name Californicaketion. Within the framework of the project, I am engaged in the creation of desserts and branding, and the guys - in the organization of the process, finance and promotion.

Last spring, I enrolled in a master's program at the National School of Architecture Paris-Malaquais, because I decided to complete the architectural phase of my life. In order for the confectionery to continue its work, we began to assemble a team of chefs. The main criterion was not a lot of experience, but an optimistic attitude, which is characteristic of the same young people as we are.

We found the first girl, Daria, through acquaintances: she really wanted to cook, however, she practically didn’t know how to cook. confectionery. Now she makes beautiful and neat cakes. The second girl, Maria, wrote to me herself. She had a good pastry experience and soon moved from St. Petersburg to Moscow to work with us.

About products and suppliers

I practically don't eat my cakes, because I try not to eat a lot of sweets.
In this sense, confectionery is a great thing. Desserts are always prepared by the gram. Therefore, I am sure that if you follow precise recipe, the result will always be good and the same.

For chefs, I not only compose technological maps, but I also make a drawing of each cake, including in a section. I don’t worry about the taste (I know that girls cook strictly according to the recipe), but appearance I check desserts by photos - they are sent to me every day. Of course, sometimes there are mistakes. But it happens to everyone. In most cases, I am satisfied with the result.

Perfect option supplier with our turnover - Dorogomilovsky market. There good quality products, plus you can always agree on personal delivery and discounts. But, of course, not all ingredients are available in Moscow. For example, for pasta you need the right, that is, dry, almond flour. Sometimes I bring something from Paris. These are mainly sprays and cans with confectionery paint, chocolate decorations, beads and sugar decorations which we often use.

How desserts are made

The process of creating a dessert is very interesting. At first I draw for a long time, I make a lot of cake sketches with different parties. I figure out how my idea can be translated into reality: what products to use and in what form. Then I redraw the cake again, create diagrams in ArchiCAD and cut it in Photoshop.

I usually come up with something new when I have inspiration. It largely depends on the mood. Therefore, it is natural that I, like everyone else, creative people, there are periods of pauses when I can do nothing.

Travel often inspires me. For example, when I was in Stockholm, I really wanted to embody this city in the form of a cake. I took the products that the locals love and transferred them to different layers of the dessert. It also happens that I see, for example, a piece of jewelry, and after a while I decide to make a cake in the form of it.

One day I was inspired by Four Cheese pizza. I wondered if it was possible to make such a cake. whole year I had an idea, and then, when we banned European cheeses, I decided to implement it. Then I brought everything the right ingredients from a trip and made the cake exactly as I envisioned it.

Of course, architectural education helps me in my work. At the Moscow Architectural Institute, I was taught a sense of composition and color. I often find inspiration in the work of my favorite architects, such as Frank Gehry.

Often I ask friends to give me ideas and images for cakes. But my main adviser is my mother. She is an architect and artist, plus I trust her. There are cakes that she came up with from start to finish, and I just realized. Also, if one of my chefs comes up with an idea, I never forbid it to be implemented. It is useful both for them and for me.

About plans for the future

I try not to make global plans, I live for the next day. I would like to work in some Parisian restaurant or confectionery house. But for now, I'm doing my education and I'm thinking about opening a confectionery in Moscow. The latter is a program for a maximum of the next couple of years.

We also began to discuss with various establishments the possibility of presenting our desserts at their venues. For example, we recently agreed with the Double B coffee shop on Neglinnaya Street to supply desserts.

I'm interested in teaching people confectionery. I have been teaching workshops for over two years. It all started with a simple suggestion from a friend to teach a small group class. Now my lessons are being filmed for an online school. A master class is not only a transfer of experience, it is a philosophy of creating a special, pleasant atmosphere for people who love confectionery art.

I especially remember the master class for the boarding school in the village of Medny. After the lesson, a girl came up to me and said that in the future she wants to become a confectioner and give people joy.

Renat Agzamov - pastry chef, creator of unique multi-tiered cakes of impressive size, champion of the Russian Federation in confectionery, member of the board of the National Guild of Chefs, head confectionery production of the Fili Baker company, an expert on the culinary shows Tiliteletesto on Pervyi and Confectioner on the Friday! Channel, a former boxer.

Among the clients of the "king of cakes", as he was repeatedly called in the media, are the President of Kazakhstan Nursultan Nazarbayev, singer Philip Kirkorov, showman Alexander Revva, daughter of the President of Chechnya Aishat Kadyrova, producer Yana Rudkovskaya, TV presenter Ksenia Borodina and others famous people, as well as corporate clients, including Gazprom, Aeroflot and Lukoil.

Childhood

The future creator of masterpiece cakes was born on April 13, 1981 in Kyiv. Their family soon moved to Sochi, where he lived until moving to Moscow in 2002. By nationality, Renat is a Tatar. He has a 4-year-old brother Timur.

The head of the family was the head chef of the dining car, and both sons showed an interest in cooking from an early age. The grandchildren's passion was supported by their grandmother, who became the main adviser and inspirer of their gastronomic experiments.

Your first culinary product Renat baked on his own at the age of 7. It was a cake, a capricious and rather difficult product to prepare. At the age of 10, he already knew how to bake bread. In the same period, the boy bought his first mixer, saving money in a piggy bank.

From the age of 12, during the summer holidays, he went to the kitchens of restaurants in the city and helped beat eggs, pick nuts, and perform other tasks in order to study culinary wisdom watching the craftsmen at work.

Labor activity

At the age of 15, following Timur, he went to Krasnodar and entered a culinary school. At the same time, they were engaged in boxing at the CSKA Olympic Training Center. Soon the brothers had to return to Sochi due to the serious condition of their father - he had a stroke. To support the family and help their father cope with the disease, they went to work: Timur as a cook, and he as a confectioner.

In the period 1999-2001. Renat served in the army. After demobilization, he continued to do what he loved. In 2002, the young man became the winner of the local confectioners' championship, and realized that he had reached the ceiling in Sochi. Dreaming of developing professionally and earning more, he decided to move to Moscow.

In the same year, the Agzamov brothers went to the capital. At first, everything was terrible for them - no money, no friends, no housing. They even had to spend the night at the Kursk railway station. But over time, their lives improved. At first, Renat found work in a cafe-confectionery in Kitai-Gorod. Then, in six months, he changed 7 more jobs in order to study the features and details of cooking various kinds dishes.

Confectioner Renat Agzamov makes a cake

Having gained enough experience, the purposeful Sochi resident managed to win the casting for the post of pastry chef popular restaurant"Nostalgia", where only the French worked before. In this position, he experimented a lot with the combination of ingredients in dishes, creating truly unexpected options for desserts: sweets with garlic or beer, ice cream with wasabi.

In 2005, he received an invitation to work in the Legato confectionery chain, famous for its wide range of exclusive chocolates. He had then, as a leader, to master not only new recipes and production technologies, but also learn how to make technological and economic calculations. As Renat later noted, at that time he bought himself the first laptop in his life.

Then, together with two partners, he created the enterprise "Creative Catering", specialized in organizing offsite banquets, receptions, barbecues and other types of catering services. The project turned out to be successful, paid off in 3 months, but due to disagreements between the founders, it soon fell apart.

After that, Agzamov decided that he was ready to create his own business. During this period, he was invited to Tatarstan to help organize a chain of coffee shops "Chocolate", owned by the daughter of the head of "Tatarstan-Bank". At the end of the work, he shared his plans with the girl's father, who gave him wise advice - instead of establishing his own small and uncompetitive production, find a large and strong company that would agree to cooperate with him.

As a result, upon his return to Moscow, he managed to interest the leadership of the industry giant Fili Baker with the developed series of original cakes and his other ideas. In 2006, the Fili Baker Premium factory was created, where, under the guidance of a talented culinary specialist, they first began producing the Rustic Pancho cake, which was a huge success, and later - exclusive desserts of his authorship.

Renat Agzamov and his Pancho cake

The largest share of the company's profits (more than 90 percent) came from orders for wedding cakes, the recipe for which he came up with himself. In terms of the number of products produced, children's cakes were in the lead. The growth in popularity of Renat's creations had big influence posting on the Internet by TV presenter Ksenia Borodina a photo of the ordered cake along with words of gratitude. A couple of days after that, the number of Agzamov's followers on Instagram, where you can see his work, increased 5 times.

By 2017, Fili Baker Premium has gained wide popularity not only at home, but also abroad. She has implemented international projects in Japan, France, Italy, America, UAE. Renat delighted customers with cakes in the form of palaces, dinosaurs, fountains and even flying art objects.

In order to improve knowledge and skills, the "star confectioner" underwent internships in Turkey, Switzerland, Italy, and France. He himself conducted training seminars, tournaments, organized exhibitions, participated in the shows "Tiletetesto" and "Confectioner".

Renat Agzamov's personal life

The cook is married. His wife's name is Valeria. She is his ideological inspirer, in her honor Renat created one of his most skillful works - a fountain where glaze flowed instead of water. He worked on this perfection for more than a year.

Confectionery is one of the areas of culinary creativity. Each country has its own masters in this genre. Some of them are widely known all over the world. Let's talk about some of the most outstanding pastry chefs today.

Alexander Seleznev, Russia

Now, more than others, the name is heard Alexandra Selezneva. He is the head of a confectionery company with his name. He confirmed his skills with several victories at Russian and world culinary competitions, the owner of the Order of the Badge of Dignity.

For lovers of sweets, it offers a huge assortment of desserts, classic recipes, and modern, as well as our own product developments.

Eric Lanlard, England

Eric Lanlard has his own confectionery in London Cake Boy. It has wide popularity around the world, is a star in the culinary TV show Baking Mad. Twice awarded the title Continental Pastry Chef of the Year". Fans of Lanlard's craftsmanship call him the creator of the best cakes in the world.

Luca Montercino, Italy

The youngest and most famous pastry chef in Italy. Montercino- adherent of healthy and delicious desserts, so it only works with products of the highest quality. Local journalists call him a virtuoso pastry chef, as he can easily cook healthy cooking masterpiece for a short time.

Luca has developed a whole line of cakes for people suffering from food allergies. He is currently working on the Health Treat project.

Nick Mulgieri, America

Nick Mulgieri- Dean of the New School Culinary Arts in USA. He is the author of a whole course on baking for the best restaurants New York. He wrote several specialized books in which he indicated recipes for certain holidays or for a particular cuisine. Several presentable American magazines recognized Mulgieri as one of the best pastry chefs in America.

Christophe Michalak, France

The pride of the modern confectionery school. hallmark his craftsmanship is a subtle combination of traditional French recipes with the food cultures of other countries and their own individuality. Mishalak- Author of the book "This is a cake", the head of the employment service for pastry chefs and a teacher at several culinary schools in France.

Adriano Zumbo, Australia

The most popular and youngest genius confectionery art Australia. He released the book Zumbo, in which he outlined his original, daring and daring dessert recipes. He creates amazing masterpieces and gives them figurative names. For example, "Angel Cake V 8". The abbreviation V 8 means that 8 are used in the recipe various variations using vanilla.

All over the world you can not find a person who is neutral towards sweet products. For them, pastry chefs come up with new recipes from non-trivial ingredients with original fillings. The most delicious and interesting of them glorify their author for centuries.

Images: chefalex.com, ilovemanchester.com, laprovinciadivarese.it, kootation.com, buzzgourmand.com

Have you ever had the desire to eat a huge chocolate palace, a fountain, an elephant, a hare or a skull? If not, then it will certainly appear at the international exhibition of cakes by the famous confectioner Renat Agzamov, which takes place in Kazan. An exposition weighing 2 tons costs more than 7 million rubles.

A resident of Kazan, Maria Dmitrievna, came to the mega-mall in the evening for shopping. About famous confectioner, whose cakes are ordered by the entire Moscow beau monde, she did not hear anything. But the invitation to the cake tasting attracted her, and the woman approached the stage where the youth pop group performed. It is worth noting that several hundred of the same customers gathered near the site in just 10 minutes. Most of them were young girls and mothers with small children. The students in the forefront were more knowledgeable. They saw photos of unusual cakes on Instagram.

While the youth danced to the Louboutins, the older generation patiently waited for the promised tasting. Finally, the hero of the occasion himself appeared on the stage. The Russian boxing champion in the past, and now confectioner Renat Agzamov, immediately told the public that although he was born in Sochi, he considers Kazan to be his historical homeland.

We are starting a world tour with our cakes. It is a great honor for me to be in Kazan. Today I have prepared a small surprise for you, - the guest said.

In fact, a small surprise turned out to be huge. To the general jubilation and applause, a cake about 2 meters high and weighing 70 kilograms with views of Kazan, decorated with a large crescent moon, was rolled out in front of the stage. But contrary to expectations, the crowd was not allowed to try it. The creation was taken away, and in return they took out slices of another cake, cut and laid out on plates. After that, all buyers were invited to a paid exhibition, where a long-awaited tasting took place an hour later.

Cake for 140 thousand Kazanians ate in an hour

A kilogram of cake costs 2 thousand rubles. Inside is a foam frame, and everything outside is edible. It is difficult not only to make, but also to deliver a cake. Delivery is 50 percent success. That's why we make cakes like buildings in Japan - earthquake resistant. The largest order was 12 tons. The load level of the cake was equal to a high-rise building. To make it, piles were driven into the foundation. Batteries from battle tanks were used to take them to the event in the field,” Renat Agzamov told the journalists who surrounded him.

Work on an exclusive cake for Kazan lasted several days. Caramel and chocolate blanks were made for five days, and the masterpiece itself was baked overnight. The cake took 40 kilograms of chocolate. Kazanians ate a creation worth more than 140 thousand rubles in one hour.

It is worth noting that, despite the biting prices, confectioner's products are in high demand. He bakes up to 2-2.5 thousand cakes a year. Among the customers are hockey player Evgeni Malkin, actor Mikhail Galustyan, singers Anita Tsoi, Yegor Creed, producer Iosif Prigogine, as well as show business stars Alexander Revva, Garik Kharlamov, Ksenia Borodina. This list can be continued for a very long time.

We all order. Today the cake went to the birthday of Philip Kirkorov's daughter. I control this process. This a big cake, a meter in diameter. We completely recreated the world of Barbie, - said the confectioner.

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Force majeure: the groom fell from the top of his head

Force majeure sometimes happens during delivery. For example, on the eve of a trip to Kazan, the groom fell off one of the cakes of the exhibition. The crown had to be urgently redone at night. Cooking huge cakes is not an easy task.

One of the last orders of the culinary maestro reached 7 meters in length and 4 meters in height. The giant sweet was the Zwinger castle. The masterpiece weighed 4 tons and was supposedly worth 8 million rubles. Monitors weighing more than a ton were installed inside the edible display. To prevent these monitors from overheating and the cake from exploding, an additional supply and exhaust ventilation system had to be created. Cold air blown the layers of chocolate from below, and the spent streams went up.

Cooking trends

It turns out that in culinary creativity you can embody any, sometimes very unexpected ideas. However, the decorations and ideas of the customer come at an additional cost. If desired, a person can climb inside the cake, but this pleasure will be very expensive. Yes, and various delights are no longer in vogue.

Now in Moscow there is a pursuit of homemade recipes. Major manufacturers are thinking how to make a hit that will be sold. Now ethnic, National cuisine. All restaurants have honey cakes, bird's milk, cake "Kyiv". This is some kind of nostalgia for people's taste, - said Renat Agzamov.

The culinary himself on his own holiday table prefers Napoleon cake and homemade dumplings. Garlic, wasabi, and beer-flavored sweets have remained in his creative past. The thing is, it didn't sell very well. The trend is homemade. Therefore, in the near future, Renat Agzamov plans to make dumplings from rice flour in the form of penguins. The paws of the animals will be carved out of carrots, and the dough will be tinted with cuttlefish ink. The penguins will be placed in a circle of the plate, and in the middle three little penguins will stand with their backs to each other. Renat Agzamov prepares such a surprise for his beloved wife, but asks her not to tell about it.

Renat Agzamov- an amazing confectioner and a true trendsetter in the world of cakes. He creates masterpieces of cream and chocolate, which are more like large-scale sculptural compositions, but taste almost like mom's pastries. No, it tastes better, of course. And all because the master of sweets is sure: the appearance of the cake should cause delight, and the taste should remind you of home. We have collected photos 17 masterpiece cakes, but the master has more than 2700 unique works on his account!

Looking at the photographs of Agzamov, you cannot say that he is a chef. Rather, an athlete, and this is also true. In his youth, Renat was fond of boxing, he ended his sports career as the champion of Russia. And later he retrained as a confectioner. And in this field he achieved even more breathtaking results!

Renat Agzamov - founder of his own culinary school. Although more often he calls it a laboratory. Many assistants work here, who constantly conduct experiments on the compatibility of ingredients, calculate the required volume, write down recipes (Renat creates on a whim, without looking into cookbooks).

Renat's passion for cooking began from childhood, at the age of 7 he tried to bake pies and muffins, and at 10 he was not afraid to bake bread. It turned out delicious, as he did with the soul. Renat's mentor was a grandmother, she taught subtleties and wisdom, she also presented the first book about tasty and healthy food, which is still kept by the maestro.

Today, Renat Agzamova's cakes are a recognizable brand that cannot be confused with anything. A variety of ideas, shapes, decor... The master's cakes serve as a decoration for any celebration. Most often, his confectionery is ordered by pop stars, actors, in a word, those who can afford it. And this is no wonder: the weight of some cakes can reach half a ton, the height is 2.5 m or more!