Pastry chef at cukiernia jarzyna - Warsaw, Poland

Bartłomiej Jarzyna

“My dad taught me everything. When he started the pastry shop in 1976, times were different in Poland. Working in a communist regime, he created pastries to bring people a little bit of happiness in grey times, even when there was no supply and no choice of ingredients. When I was a kid, my father always insisted on helping him and learning everything about pastry making. Something I didn’t always like back then.

"When I was a kid, my father insisted on helping him in the pastry shop – which I didn’t always like. Today, I’m grateful for it."

Yet today, I’m grateful for it. Because now I understand how every step in pastry making and the choice for quality ingredients make a really good product. Sure, times have changed. And people in Poland have discovered the fantastic taste of chocolate and luxury patisserie. I’m lucky that I can make choices today that my dad couldn’t make. I have access to the most amazing ingredients. That’s why I don’t want to make any compromise on spoiling our fans in Poland with great taste.”