“We do not cut people, we recruit people”: Renat Agzamov – about business, cakes for presidents and “Confectioner. children”

– How to maintain impartiality when evaluating children’s work? Is it hard for kids to say “no”?

– During the six seasons of the Confectioner project, we had participants of different ages and there were quite a few young confectioners. We even had an experimental series with children. In our project, we looked at how the children would feel, so we had a little preliminary experience.

There were no difficulties with the children, they accept criticism with honor. Although I was afraid of it, there was no problem with the emotions.

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Press service of the TV channel “Friday”

— Your son Timur’s peers are coming to the project. Does being a father help you deal with younger participants?

— Sure, 100%. The experience of fatherhood is invaluable. I understand what their interests are, what games they need, what approach they need. I understand that they are already smart at this age and you need to understand them right now.

– Before the start of the show “Confectionery. Guys, can you imagine that children make cakes better than adults? What other discoveries did you make for yourself when you compared the children’s version of the project with the adults?

– The first discovery is that children cook better than adults. This is a fact. Second, children are more emotionally stable than adults. Children are not afraid of cameras, stress and adapt very quickly to new conditions. And of course they cook quite professionally.

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Press service of the TV channel “Friday”

By the way, how old were you when you made your first cake?

— I even baked a cake when I was 7 years old.

– In addition to Şekerci, there are also Cooks’ War, Hell’s Kitchen, On Knives, White Jacket and Young Knives on the Cuma TV channel. How do you explain the popularity of cooking shows? Why is it interesting to watch how others cook?

– The whole country watches the Confectioner project, everyone likes it, and other culinary shows follow it. Ivlev had seen enough of the “The Confectioner” project and ran to do “On the Knives” and other projects. Everything is clear here! (laughs)

– In one of the interviews, you said that your main project is a nap, and television is a hobby. What brings more income?

– For me, nap is a hobby like television. Income is not important to me, I enjoy it immensely. By the way, my third hobby is riding motorcycles. I’m unbelievably high! I’m riding a motorcycle and I’m not buying anything. For me, the main issue is not income, the main issue is buzz.

– In Moscow and the region, St. You have hundreds of stores in St. Petersburg, Vladimir and Nizhny Novgorod. What challenges have you faced in the last three months?

– Difficulties are more emotional in relation to general stress. And I don’t have any problems at work.

There are certain fluctuations in prices. Suppliers quickly change them: one focuses on the dollar, one on logistical challenges. Every day they send different emails with price changes. More annoying. And so all the raw materials are available, the staff is there, the turnover, thank goodness, no, the rental rate is kept at the same level.

— How tangibly has the rise in raw material prices affected the cost of goods?

– There are slight fluctuations.

— Were there any difficulties in importing equipment and raw materials?

— There is no difficulty, all raw materials are available. The entire range is complete.

— Did you have to cut staff?

– We have not laid off a single person, this is my principled stance. There is no reason to fire people. We continue to grow, open stores and develop. That’s why we hire, we don’t cut.

— What are the most popular desserts in your confectionery network? Do the “bestsellers” differ in different cities?

– Our entire range consists of popular positions. I wouldn’t start complex cakes like passion fruit or Jerusalem artichoke. I don’t need these cupcakes. Hit differs not only in cities, but also in nearby stores. Different stores have different hits and foreigners.

Name your favorite and least favorite dessert.

– My favorite is Napoleon. Unloved – badly cooked “Napoleon”.

– How do confectionery cakes fundamentally differ from store-bought ones?

“And confectionery – isn’t it a shop?” For me there is no concept of confectionery or store. And in stores you can find quality products, and in bakeries you can find palm oil and oil substitutes. Depends on brands, pricing policies.

– Your colleague Konstantin Ivlev recently said that he is primarily a TV presenter and businessman, although he considers himself a chef. And who would you introduce yourself as – confectioner, businessman or TV presenter?

– Here the answer is clear – I am a confectioner. It always has been and always will be. I see that Ivlev has already lost who she is. You see, a friend swam. I forgot my origins and roots, that he was crawling out of the kitchen. As far as I can see, he has become an entertainer. He’s a cook and that’s the point. Let him not rush. (laughs)

I’ve never done chef or brand chef prefixes. I don’t need it. I am a craftsperson. A businessman, a TV presenter, it’s all a hobby. The housewife who sells her cake is actually a businessman. And I’m a confectioner, and that’s the point.

– What do you think about the fact that the stars of show business open restaurants, including confectionery – for example, Love and Sweets from Sergei Zhukov and others?

– Only positive. God bless. People should try themselves in different directions and hypostases. There are opportunities, desire, resources of labor – let them do it. I know Sergei Zhukov personally. A mega workaholic who is very talented and plows from morning till night.

– In one of the interviews, you mentioned that you made cakes for twenty presidents of different countries. Are heads of state different from ordinary customers? What kind of cakes do they prefer?

– Like everyone. And it depends on what event the cake is for. We don’t always do it directly to them, sometimes to spouses, children, relatives. Someone needs to make a Venetian mask, someone needs a bow, someone has an inscription. They celebrate the same holidays as humans and us.

— You are already a legend in the confectionery world. What are your future plans?

“I want to make the world’s largest sheikh’s castle out of chocolate. And make sure it doesn’t melt. I want scale!

– And at the end of the interview a few questions about the making of the desserts. What is the secret of the perfect biscuit?

– To ensure that the bubbles are uniform. The more homogeneous the biscuit, the longer it retains its freshness, elasticity and porosity.

What can replace cream cheese?

– Any other cream. It has custard, fat, protein. There are souffle, mousse masses. Not cream cheese, friends, I beg you.

– How to get crispy meringue?

– Hahaha. Here is the question! You need to choose the right temperature. Protein is 95 percent water. You have to remove this moisture to make the meringue crispy. But for this you need to have experience. If you want to learn how to make crispy meringue, check out the Confectioner project. And better – “Toffee. Guys”. And learn from the kids.