Valeria SidorovaCommunity profile

It all started in childhood: my mother taught me how to bake sponge cakes, and I also made meringues or "gogol-mogol" – there were hardly any sweets available in stores, and I really craved something sweet. Later, in college, I prepared various dishes for different competitions, and again I was "drawn to sweets" – although by that time I had already worked as a pastry chef, and I decided that I would never repeat that experience. I didn't like the large quantities, the creams, the syrups, everything so thick and sticky... And I also had a very meticulous teacher who demanded maximum accuracy and no mistakes. At the time, I didn't understand this strictness, and I thought, "What a terrible field!" But, as they say, never say never.

A clear understanding that I wanted to become a pastry chef came to me after the World Pastry Championship in Lyon, France: the magnificent sculptures, the impressive cakes, the incredible pastries – everything was so bright, stylish, and beautiful! From that moment on, I decided that I also wanted to dedicate myself to pastry, and to become a prominent figure in this profession.

So, after the "Bocuse d'Or" selection competition in Europe, I started working as a pastry chef at White Rabbit. My professional level began to grow along with the restaurant's ranking: we immediately rose to 71st place in the Fifty Best ranking, which was a huge victory and a great responsibility for me – and one of the most vivid memories.

My desserts come about in different ways. For example, the chocolate "bonet" initially inspired me with its shape, and then I came up with the flavor for it. Sometimes I am inspired by a particular ingredient, and I add different ingredients to it – and that's how a dessert is born. Sometimes something comes from childhood memories – like the wonderful meringue cake that my mother used to make. The "maritozzo" bun was created based on childhood memories: it's not the classic version, usually filled with whipped cream, but with chocolate, pistachio, or vanilla ice cream, and a "flame" of chocolate. Many people don't understand this bun, but they simply don't know what fresh-cut bread with jam or butter sprinkled with sugar tastes like.