Confectioner Renat Agzamov spoke about cakes for the stars

Childhood

The future “King of Cakes” was born in the capital of Ukraine, but soon in the future the family changed their place of residence and moved to the warm city of Sochi. Throughout his childhood, the boy actively took part in home cooking, most often experimenting on dishes with his beloved grandmother.

At the age of 7, the boy baked his first cupcake. At that moment it seemed to him that baking was a rather whimsical business, but he did not stop, but became more and more carried away by the work. When Renat was 10 years old, the boy could already boast of good results - he independently baked delicious bread for the whole family.

The first kitchen equipment was a mixer, Renat purchased it with his own money, which he saved up over several months. This was the first investment in my favorite business. During the summer holidays, little Renat ran to the kitchen of a city restaurant, where he was given small tasks: to beat eggs, peel nuts, grease cakes.

He caught every detail of the manipulations of experienced chefs. In the Agzamov family, talent was passed on from generation to generation. Not only was the grandmother an example for the boy, Renat’s father also worked as a chef in a passenger train restaurant. Renat and his older brother Timur had no doubt about their choice of future profession.

Start of working life

First, Timur entered the Krasnodar Culinary School, since he is 4 years older. In 1996, Renat joined his brother. Together they studied special combinations of foods and methods of preparing them. We also paid attention to boxing sports and attended courses at the CSKA Olympic Training Center.

The sad news about their father's serious health condition forced the brothers to return to Sochi. My father had a stroke and financial worries fell on the shoulders of the children, who left their studies and went to work. Renat became a pastry chef, Timur became a cook.

Renat Agzamov's cakes are bought by both ordinary people and show business stars

Labor activity

At the age of 15, he followed Timur to Krasnodar and entered culinary school. At the same time, they practiced boxing at the CSKA Olympic Training Center. Soon the brothers had to return to Sochi due to their father’s serious condition - he had a stroke. To support their family and help their father cope with his illness, they went to work: Timur as a cook, and he as a pastry chef.

In the period 1999-2001. Renat served in the army. After demobilization, he continued to do what he loved. In 2002, the young man won the local confectionery 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 station. But over time, their life got better. At first, Renat found a job in a café-pastry shop in Kitai-Gorod. Then, over the course of six months, he changed 7 more jobs in order to study the features and details of preparing various types of dishes.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bb8_hBmhUI1

Having gained sufficient experience, the purposeful Sochi resident managed to win the casting for the post of pastry chef at the popular Nostalgie restaurant, where previously only French people worked. In this position, he experimented a lot with the combination of dish ingredients, creating truly unexpected dessert options: candies with garlic or beer, ice cream with wasabi.

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

Then, together with two partners, he created the Creative Catering enterprise, which specialized in organizing outdoor banquets, buffets, barbecues and other types of catering services. The project turned out to be successful, paid for itself in 3 months, but due to disagreements among the founders, it soon fell apart.

After this, Agzamov decided that he was ready to create his own business. During this period, he was invited to Tatarstan to help organize the “Chocolate” chain of coffee shops, owned by the daughter of the head of “Tatarstan Bank”. At the end of his 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 returning to Moscow, he managed to interest the management of the industry giant Philly Baker with the developed series of original cakes and his other ideas. In 2006, the Fili Baker Premium factory was created, where, under the leadership of a talented culinary specialist, they began to produce first the “Rustic Pancho” cake, which was a huge success, and later – exclusive desserts of his authorship.

The largest share of the enterprise's profit (more than 90 percent) came from orders of 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 was greatly influenced by the posting on the Internet of a photograph of the ordered cake along with words of gratitude by TV presenter Ksenia Borodina. A couple of days after this, the number of Agzamov’s followers on Instagram, where you can see his work, increased 5 times.

By 2020, Fili Baker Premium has become widely known not only at home, but also abroad. She has implemented international projects in Japan, France, Italy, America, and the UAE. Renat delighted customers with cakes in the shape of palaces, dinosaurs, fountains and even flying art objects.

In order to improve his knowledge and skills, the “star pastry chef” completed internships in Turkey, Switzerland, Italy, and France. He himself conducted training seminars, tournaments, organized exhibitions, and participated in the shows “Tiliteletesto” and “Confectioner”.

After military service

In 1999, Renat went to serve. After two years he returned home and continued working. At that time, tournaments among talented confectioners were regularly held in Sochi. In 2002, a young but already experienced specialist decided to participate in the competition and won.

This was an important event for him. Later, the brothers decide to move to Moscow to conquer her with their skills. In addition, young people sought to earn money and professional growth.

Despite the optimism with which the Agzamovs traveled to the capital, life in Moscow was far from sweet: there was a catastrophic lack of money. There were no acquaintances who could support and help. Even the housing was not affordable: it happened that the brothers spent the night at the Kursk station.

As time passed, the brothers’ lives got better, Renat joined the team of a confectionery shop in Kitay-Gorod. Subsequently, his places of work changed frequently, as the talented pastry chef wanted to master the profession in detail, becoming interested in different dessert recipes. In the next stage of his career, Renat focused on castings - he received the position of chief pastry chef at the Nostalgie restaurant.

Renat Agzamov's wife Valeria - photo

Renat Agzamov's wife's name is Valeria. The personal life of the pastry chef is not very accessible to journalists, so little is known about it. Renat says that before meeting his wife, he led a hectic life, but then settled down. Agzamov says that he simply adores his wife and it is impossible to say in words how much she means to him. He is ready to dedicate all his creations to his wife.

The confectioner's wife Renata Agzamova loves her husband's work very much, but she herself is in no hurry to try his culinary masterpieces, since she only eats healthy food. She says that she admires his treasures as a work of art and nothing more. According to Renat, Lera cooks much tastier than him; for example, he simply adores her borscht.

There is a child in the family - son Timur, according to dad, he, like Valeria, is for proper nutrition, so he doesn’t eat cakes, but he simply loves healthy vegetables. Renat still hopes that when Timur grows up, he will continue his father’s work. In the photo, Renat Agzamov with his wife and son.

Renat regrets that he does not get to spend as much time with his family as he would like, but at any free moment he is always with them. Now he only has one day off, which he takes specifically to be with his loved ones. In the future, Agzamov dreams of going to boxing with his son.

Today, in 2020, Renat is developing new recipes and supervising confectioners, as well as working on television. In addition, he began to take up photography and really enjoys it. Agzamov says that he never rests on his laurels and always tries to exaggerate his results.

Renat Agzamov

– chief specialist of the Russian confectionery company “Fili Baker Premium” and a bit of a one-man orchestra. He runs a cake factory, presents his monumental confectionery creations around the world and carries out orders for the entire star elite of Moscow. Agzamov is interesting because he is not only a confectioner-creator, but also a confectioner-businessman who believes that sales are more important than self-expression.

March 11-12

Renat Agzamov visited Minsk.
He was a member of the jury of the first international confectionery competition “CandyBattle”
.
Ahead of the competition, the site
met with him for an interview.

– Do you have a team, how many people are in it?

- Thousand. This is together with the factory. There are about 200 people who make exclusive cakes.

– What are the production volumes?

– We make hundreds of cakes.

– Is it difficult to maintain constant quality with such volumes?

– I have developed four degrees of protection. My own reality show will start soon on the federal channel, which will be called either “King of Cakes” or “King of Confectioners.” You will see what iron discipline I have at my enterprise.

– Aren’t you afraid to open up like that? What if competitors see something unnecessary?

- Not afraid. I have nothing to hide, this is a hell of a piece of bread. If anyone wants to follow my path, go ahead and sing.

I am not afraid of competition, there is enough bread for everyone. 15-17 million people live in Moscow. Today, if you take the number of weddings in Moscow, I account for about one and a half percent. Two or three more companies close somewhere around 3%.

– Are we talking about the premium segment?

- Yes, it's premium. But in early March I am launching a line of inexpensive wedding cakes. There will be a fixed design, fixed weight and price. The client will only be able to change the filling. They will cost about 4000-4500 rubles.

– People who work on exclusive cakes, these two hundred people – who are they? Are they pastry chefs or designers?

– Neither pastry chefs nor designers work for me. I recruit confectioners without work experience; I don’t have a single confectioner by training. I'm so interested. I'm growing my own special forces. You know how in the Shao-Lin school they took children from childhood and raised them, turning them into strong fighters. This is what I do too. I don't need pastry chefs. They often have a distorted understanding of their science and this knowledge sits so deep in their heads that it is difficult to change it.

– Here a “zero” person has come to you. How do you determine whether it will be useful or not?

- Intuitively. I recruit everyone myself, personally. Not just for custom cakes. All 1000 people who work at the factory went through me. I recruit dishwashers myself, I conduct interviews and determine who will work with me.

– Do you think such time expenditure is justified?

- Yes, this is a colossal investment of time, but I don’t have fights at the enterprise, swearing, I don’t have problems with the team.

During the 12 years of my management of the factory, they never left me for competitors. They left only because they changed their occupation. Every person should do what nature has given him. Today I’m actually doing my hobby, I just make money from this hobby.

– Do you use any non-standard ingredients for cakes?

- What for? Take flour, sugar, eggs, chocolate, nuts, fruits - I can make millions of cake fillings from them.

– But once upon a time, when working as a pastry chef in a restaurant, you added garlic to desserts, for example.

– This is a must, this is a creative stage. Now, if I see overcooked dishes in a restaurant, I immediately say - you have a young chef in the kitchen. There is nothing wrong with this, the most important thing is not to get too carried away and eventually find yourself.

A chef must play enough, and then produce something from which he will earn money. I have such a concept - a profitable confectioner.

At the seminar, I will hammer this into the brains of confectioners - you should not make the products with which you will realize yourself, you should earn money for your owner. When you learn how to make money, you will become the most valuable person in the company.

And you don’t need to say:
“I’m just a pastry chef, I don’t need this, there is a technologist or accountant for this
. I once conducted a seminar “Internal accounting of an enterprise and features of internal accounting” for business managers, production managers, and technologists. I asked one small mathematical problem that we encounter every day in our work. 90% of those present answered incorrectly. And before that, I asked them a question: “Who calculates the shortage from the staff?” Everyone raised their hands, absolutely everyone! And almost all of these people themselves think incorrectly.

– How do you generally feel about fines?

- Badly. People cannot and should not be fined. A person needs to be taught. If he does something wrong, it means he was poorly trained. If he does something wrong again, it means he was poorly trained again. And if you teach him, show him, he does the right thing in front of you, you turn away - and he does it wrong, then what is the point of fining a person? Either it works the way you need it to, or you don't need to bother it. There should be no conflicts at work.

Instead of monetary fines, I introduced a “one in ten late” rule. A minute late means ten minutes delay at work. If you want, be late, please, but you must work one in ten.

Once a girl was twenty minutes late, that was more than three hours of work, I allowed her to split this time into two days.

– Initially, you worked only for Russia, how did you manage to enter the foreign market?

– Unfortunately, I am dissatisfied with the results of our European integration. We only have about twenty international orders a year. Yes, we are actively working in other cities, in Kazan, Makhachkala, and Grozny. But I am dissatisfied with integration into Europe, Dubai and America. In America, we have not yet had any large orders at all. We sent small cakes there for pick-up. But to come to America with a big wedding project - this has never happened before.

I have two field teams that are engaged in field projects, and I want to have ten, twenty such teams, so that we work simultaneously in all countries of the world. This is my task.

– Aren’t you afraid that because of this race – faster, higher, stronger – the buzz will eventually disappear?

– I get a thrill not only from the fact that I make cakes. Over the years, a commercial streak appears in me, it’s the same sporting interest. At one time, I was interested in creating some kind of beautiful cake and showing it to other confectioners - this is the cake I made, look!

And now I consider it the most important indicator of sales success. You can say: “I’m a cool confectioner, I know everything” - so where are your products?

Sometimes all sorts of housewives write nasty things to me - they say that these cakes are impossible to eat, it’s disgusting that there are solid pieces of chocolate. I go to their page, and there is some kind of sponge cake with a strawberry scattered on top... I used to be offended by this, but now I’m not. There is a phrase - no one throws a stick at a tree that doesn’t have fruit. Discussing - great!

– But still, someone’s criticism can hurt you?

- Not anymore. I take criticism calmly. If some clients don’t like my cake, it doesn’t taste good to them, I will never in my life say: “Well, it’s not tasty for them, everything is fine with me.” Never! Any review is a debriefing within the enterprise, regardless of the cost of the order. If managers can’t sort it out, I call the customers myself.

It also happened that I personally took the cake the next day to try. People were amazed and continue to be our regular customers. My task is not to let go of a single client, not a single one at all, I bite into the throat and don’t let go. The person who came to us must stay with us.

Renat Limarovich Agzamov is a popular domestic showman, TV presenter, and also a Russian champion in confectionery art. Great interest in his person has recently prompted many to find out the details of Renat Agzamov’s biography, as well as to study the difficult path to success. Thanks to his hard work, perseverance and constant improvement, he surpassed many confectioners and became the first in Russia, as well as widely known beyond its borders.

Luck

The profession required a lot of imagination and perfection in skill from Agzamov. Renat worked on numerous recipes - “combining the incongruous”, making exclusive variations for guests. Each time I was amazed by the composition of the product, the number of ingredients reached the maximum.

Sweet with garlic or a shot of alcohol like beer, wasabi ice cream tantalized the taste buds. The management of the Legato Network became interested in the talented confectioner; in 2005, an excellent offer was made.

Renat began developing recipes for chocolates, but his functionality was not limited to technology; the confectioner also made the necessary economic calculations. Making independent decisions at Legato prompted me to create my own business under the Creative Catering brand.

Together with their partners, the brothers organized buffets, banquets, and celebrations. During this period, Renat purchased his own laptop to record all management processes. The invested funds were justified after three months, but over time, misunderstandings appeared on the part of the founders.

The situation did not change, which led to the closure of the case. Agzamov took the first step in his biography to work for himself and was looking for new options. At that moment, his girlfriend’s father advised him to pay attention to large corporations and interest them in cooperation, which was better than creating a small company that would find it difficult to compete in the market.

Renat skillfully took advantage of the advice and accepted an offer from the owner of the Chocolate coffee shop chain in Tatarstan.

“Star pastry chef” Renat Agzamov. History of success

The Fili Baker Premium project, which produces exclusive custom cakes, was launched by the Moscow confectionery factory Fili Baker in 2006. Despite the fact that the company employs dozens of confectioners, florists, stylists and designers, the project is largely an original one: most of the cakes were created by the muralist confectioner Renat Agzamov, who essentially became the face of the brand. After the photo with his multi-story cakes was published by the presenter of “House-2” Ksenia Borodina, Russian pop music, sports and film stars learned about the pastry chef. Since then, Agzamov’s cakes regularly appear on TV shows, reviews of the most incredible sweets and reach the size of a car. In an interview with 2GIS, Renat Agzamov for the first time spoke in detail about how he ended up in Moscow, why he abandoned his project for the sake of Philly Baker, how much wedding cakes bring and what the ideal dessert should be like in order for it to be bought.

Renat Agzamov

Chief specialist of Fili Baker Premium Renat Agzamov cakes

35 years

For you, it all started with moving to Moscow, right?

Let's go in order. 1999–2001 - military service, already official. So I’ve been in the army since ’96. I was 15 years old. I entered culinary school and at the same time went in for sports - I boxed for the CSKA Olympic Training Center. Often training camps took place in Krasnodar, and I lived in the barracks with other guys. So when I was called up, I knew all the demobilizers, and they remembered me. The barracks was my home, everything was fine. Suddenly my dad was paralyzed by a stroke. My brother and I leave Krasnodar and never return: this is where our boxing career came to a screeching halt. Dad was the main breadwinner, brought money into the family, and invested in our competitions. It became clear that it was our turn to feed the family, and at the same time get dad out of his difficult situation. Let's go to work. My brother got a job as a cook in a restaurant, and I got a job in a pastry shop. I’ve actually been drawn to this since childhood; I’ve been baking cupcakes since I was seven.

In 2002, after winning the [confectionery] championship in Krasnodar, ambitions appeared naturally. I wanted my cakes to be on the catwalks, like in fashion shows. There were a million ideas: unusual patterns, shapes, original sweet decorations. And despite the fact that the whole city, including the mayor, actually turned to me for cakes, I was the youngest in the workshop, and only women worked nearby. I was a “boy”, and the customers said: “Let your boy make the cake.” I realized that everything, Sochi is a ceiling, a tin can from which you can’t get anywhere. Then he told his boss: “I want to become the best pastry chef in the world.” And she didn’t listen enough: “Renat, stop flying in the clouds! Stop rolling the flatbreads.” We made pizza flatbreads in the workshop, and I personally rolled 1,800 pieces every day. In general, I was tired of all this, it touched a nerve in my creative nature (smiles), and I suggested that my brother go to Moscow to earn money. Or rather, not so much because of money, but because of new information, new experience. I wanted to develop. And in order to win the World Championships, it is not enough to live in Sochi. We need to go to Moscow. In 2002 we left.

The first three days we spent the night on the train. There was only enough money for food. We had 15,000 rubles, of which we set aside ten for a return ticket if things didn’t work out.

And then I was still boxing and, out of habit, dressed as if for training. Imagine: sweatpants tucked into socks, shorts over them and a tank top over a T-shirt. Such a purely sporty “style”. I thought I looked incredibly cool (smiles), like the coolest athlete in the area. We went to rent an apartment and they immediately dumped us. We went to another one and they threw it there. Moscow! Where to spend the night? We reached the septic tank of the Kursk station, gave the conductor 200 rubles, and she let us into the compartment, locking us so that we would not go out anywhere - neither to the toilet nor to wash ourselves. And our dad, a former chef of the dining car, always had the treasured three keys on the train that open all the doors. Before leaving, he says: “Take them, they’ll come in handy,” and hands them along with woolen socks and hats. We would probably still be sitting there locked up if it weren’t for daddy’s keys.

In the morning they went to look for work, housing and lodging for the night, and returned at night. I will never forget how one agency offered us an apartment on Zvezdny Boulevard. I called all my friends, I pleased my mother: “On Star Boulevard!” We haven’t signed anything yet, haven’t moved in, but I’ve already blown the whistle (smiles). Of course, we were cheated again, and we found a room only in Krasnogorsk. This is where it all started.

Do you remember your first job?

Cafe-confectionery in Kitai-Gorod. At first, I worked for free, took on any task, just to learn something. For example, I went into a cafe, saw shiny chocolate and didn’t understand how to achieve such shine. But no one will just tell you. As a result, in the first six months in Moscow I changed seven jobs. I got what I needed and left. This is probably not entirely fair, but I was so captivated by the learning process that I couldn’t do it any other way. My first real place of work, where I stayed for 2.5 years, was the Nostalgie restaurant, which was booming at the time. Legendary place. I was a pastry chef, and before me, only French people worked there.

How did you get there?

There was a casting: three foreigners, me and another guy from Russia. I won. How? Yes, simple. I completely repeated the desserts of the Boulevard restaurant, where I used to work. And suddenly everyone started writing about me, restaurant critics praised me a lot.

I started making truly unexpected and extraordinary desserts: ice cream with wasabi and bell pepper, candies with garlic, beer-based sweets.

Moscow was not ready for this. This is so accepted now, but then it was a shock.

Did you go crazy like that on purpose? Have you announced yourself?

No, it’s all because of the thirst for new things - tastes, combinations, reactions. I needed to be surprised. This is exactly what the restaurateur demanded. He didn't need cheesecake or tiramisu, it was about something more. I can say that everything worked out for us: we surprised. But there was one thing: people didn’t eat it. And when we sat down to report, I heard: “Renat, you are a talented guy, but where is commerce? Where are the grandmothers? People still ordered three scoops of ice cream and wild berries with cream. Was that your main mistake?

Not a mistake. It's part of experience, of maturation. True, if I were opening a restaurant now, the menu would only have liquid desserts - based on fresh juice and sorbet. I then looked at the restaurant business from the inside: through the eyes of a pastry chef, not a visitor. I didn't have money for restaurants. When deputies or pop stars came to us, I saw gods in the hall, I was speechless. He went out into the hall and trembled. Later, when I myself could order an expensive steak, pilaf, shish kebab and salad, I realized that after such a table I really didn’t want to take candy with garlic, beer or wasabi. I don't want charlotte with flour. Let it be something light.

If you look at French cookbooks, you will find that almost every dessert contains a scoop of fruit sorbet. Why? And this is a digestif.

This is how you eat an aperitif - champagne, martini - any alcohol that prepares the body for food intake and produces gastric juice, so there is a digestif. For example, Jägermeister. The dessert should work like this tincture. Don’t be a filling that “shuts up” a person, don’t stand in the throat, but let him relax. The right dessert relaxes, not finishes. I didn’t know these subtleties then. In addition, the food should be simple. If I have strawberry or raspberry chiffon, there will be no nut or chocolate. There will be strawberries or raspberries. That's it, in my opinion, people have already played enough with the kitchen, everyone just wants to eat deliciously. A pastry chef can satisfy his ambitions, but let him know in advance that this will not bring money.

What happened after Nostalgia?

I was invited to join the French confectionery chain Legato. It was headed by the famous restaurateur Mikhail Zelman. Legato were famous for their handmade chocolates; they had 60 items in their assortment. At Nostalgie I was a pastry chef and managed three people in the shop, and at Legato I began to manage a network of entire enterprises. I had to monitor profitability, profit, revenue. But I didn’t know this at all. I had to quickly master the basics of accounting and understand technological maps. I purchased the first laptop in my life, began to delve into Excel and grow as a leader.

After Legato, I decided to get into catering. Together with the former director of Nostalgie and one person closely connected with the Kremlin, we launched the Creative Catering project. The service turned out to be more than successful: we made back the starting $50,000 in three months. However, one of our partners began to steal, and the union fell apart. It is also important that I stopped changing women and decided to build a nest. This definitely had an impact, 100%. I was ready to go free and start my own project.

I had a lot of ideas for cakes, for retail, for technology, I had an agreement with a bank for a loan of $500,000, and then they called me to Tatarstan. The daughter of the president of Tatarstan Bank headed the Chocolate coffee shop chain, and I was offered to help her. In two weeks I organized everything, set it up, and am sitting with my father, a wise elderly Tatar. He asked me how I saw my future. I told about my project, about the loan, and heard: “Remember, if you are small, you will be like a stream: flow until a drought occurs, until a tree falls. My advice to you: join the big one and you will become like a river: a powerful stream that is not afraid of anything.”

At that moment, I turned my brain in the opposite direction: what the hell is my business?! They'll crush you!

The wise Tatar was right. I returned to Moscow, developed a series of new cakes and began looking for large companies for joint projects.

What type of companies?

Confectionery factories represented in retail. I took the cake from the shelf, looked at the label, found the manufacturer’s phone number and asked to connect me with the owner (smiles). Mostly the operator aunties hung up. Then I contacted, with the owners of which I had mutual friends from Sochi. Even then it was a giant, a megafactory. I told them about my plans, they became interested, and a merger of the two took place... I wanted to say giants, but at that time it was the merger of a giant with a small appendicitis (laughs). Of course, I had a lot of ambitions and desires, but I was still so green. I was just a pastry chef, this is a kindergarten. And Philly Baker is a city within a city; a huge number of people, trucks, shipments; crazy logistics. Why did you interest them?

The market was in dire need of new products, all the large chains - both Auchan and Metro - were waiting for something unusual. And this is a story about me. I think Philly Baker saw new blood in me. I’m just as much a maniac and a fan of my work as they are. Well, charisma may have played a role. They saw that I was a leader. And another factory was built for me - Fili Baker Premium - a separate project. I can honestly say that no one then, not even myself, believed that we could become a big company with international projects. At the same time, all the agreements were in words, we did not sign anything. And these are not amateurs, these are powerful businessmen of a large scale. They simply said: “Renat, we’re launching, look for a place,” and I believed them.

2000

RUR/kg average price of cake

Weren’t you afraid that you’d be scammed again—as was the case with the apartment? They will take your ideas, get rid of you at the first opportunity, and then you will not prove anything.

This was the biggest problem because everyone told me about it. Brother, mother, friends: “You are a fool! Where have you gotten yourself into?! They want to use you like a doormat. You make them cakes, set up a business for them, and then they throw you away.” I heard this every single day. And even though I am a stubborn person with principles, I began to hesitate. Especially at a time when my financial oxygen cushion was deflating before my eyes. I agreed. After all, Philly Baker are very decent people, they had and still have a reputation. I had no doubt about their honesty.

Do you remember the first Philly Baker Premium cakes?

Cakes for the stars Fili Baker Premium

"Village Pancho", "Village Napoleon". “Napoleon,” by the way, was not just a layer cake, it was a pile of puff pastry cubes. I did something like this in Nostalgie at one time. Exactly the same one went to retail.

You make not only cakes, but also charlottes, pastries, and waffles. What brings you the most profit?

Everything is approximately the same. We are in the mid-price segment, they take everything from us. We cannot say that we are “economy” - taking into account the dollar exchange rate, inflation and the constant rise in prices, there is no “economy” at all now - but we are slightly below average, and in terms of profitability we get approximately the same figures for all products.

Wedding cakes bring in the most. This is 95% of the total profit from orders. And in terms of the number of cakes, children’s cakes are in first place (60%). We sell them the most. A children's cake is 4-5 kg, and a wedding cake is 10-50-100 kg. There's completely different money there.

When did you start working with corporate clients? Can you name the biggest ones?

Aeroflot, Lukoil, Gazprom, those with whom we started. In my opinion, we have already worked with all the big ones. At the same time, it feels like we are poorly capturing the market for corporate cakes. There is still a very decent gap there, work and work.

No, I wasn't interested in social media at all. We made custom cakes for a very limited circle of people, the sundress worked slowly, I didn’t really believe in the power of subscribers. And then we made a cake for Ksenia Borodina, the host of Dom-2, she posted a thank you note on her feed, showed the cake, and then everything happened very quickly. In a couple of days, another 2000 were added to my 400 subscribers. And now there are already 1,000,000 of them! And after all, I’m not a girl with size 5 breasts, not a singer or an artist. This means that people are interested not so much in me as in my work.

Exclusive custom cakes for weddings

Instagram has made us popular all over the world. I can say for sure that, thanks to him, we have projects in Dubai, Australia, America, and Japan. We probably would have ended up there anyway, but in 20 years, not earlier.

And then you deliberately began to use the media resources of the stars to your advantage and use them to promote cakes? Partially yes. One of my friends sells skates. She once told me that after the launch of the Stars on Ice show, skate sales increased tenfold. What does this mean? About the fact that in our country people look at the stars and try to imitate them. In clothes, in behavior, in choosing a restaurant. Sometimes - in the choice of cake (smiles). Of course we use it. Yes, you can probably consider this a plan, but at first I didn’t attach any importance to it.

Who can you call your competitor?

Fili Baker Premium Renat

In retail? There are not many of them. If we are talking about “perishable”, then this is “Krug”, “U Palych” and us. We have an unspoken division [of the market]: “Palych’s” makes mostly butter cakes, we make sour cream ones, and “Krug” makes berry ones. This is not on purpose, it just happened that way.

What's stopping you from releasing your butter cakes?

Well, why? So that Palych's will start making sour cream tomorrow? (Smiles). Everyone has their own market, and we try not to cross each other’s paths.

And in the premium segment?

In general, I can’t name anyone, I don’t follow anyone. There is no particular desire.

Have you ever had to refuse clients? Are they offering something completely out of the ordinary?

Happens. For example, newlyweds ask to make a large wedding cake, “all covered in roses.” I say: “Where is the style? What's the highlight? Let's distinguish a cake from a flower bed." They get upset: “Flowers? Well, it’s too bad that you don’t do this.” Well, yes, I don’t, sorry. I don't want to stoop to that. Do you know how many people come to me asking me to make a cake in the shape of genitals? Oh, their darkness. For every second bachelorette or bachelor party. I refuse everyone. Even if they offer 10 million, I won’t agree to it. Why? This is not art, I don't want to do it. I don’t want people to think of me that I’m ready to do anything for money. This is wrong.

How do Philly Baker Premium feel about the fact that you actually personify the brand, that you have become its face?

Yes, I represent the brand. I am Philly Baker Premium, but as part of a big family. And most importantly, ask any businessman, what worries him? He cares about money. “Fili Baker Premium” brings in money, and if so, then we are on the right track.

1805.2016 Author: Alexander Morsin Photos: provided by Fili Baker Premium Cover: Jelly sweets, vintage engraved illustration

In Moscow

After completing all the tasks in Tatarstan, the talented specialist returned to Moscow, where for some time he worked on a collection of cakes of his own recipes. Subsequently, the management of the Philly Baker brand showed particular interest in him.

They created a subsidiary and installed Agzamov at the head. First of all, thanks to the “Rustic Pancho” cake, the brand became popular.

Other designer desserts began to be sold just as successfully in retail chains:

• "Pyaterochka"
• "Crossroads"
• "Carousel",
• "Magnet",
• "Dixie"
• "Auchan"
• "Attack"
• "Metro",
• "OK",
• "Ribbon",
• "GLOBUS"
• "SELGROSS"
• "SPAR"
• "Loyal",
• "Victoria",
• "BILLA"
• "Polushka"
• "Family",
• "Idea",
• "Miratorg"
• "Magnolia".

Demand for products grew in leaps and bounds, part of the profit came from individual orders for wedding celebrations. Each cake was unique and was not repeated at other events. Children's sweets that were baked with original designs in the form of fairy-tale houses or cartoon characters also gained wide popularity.

Renat Agzamov also attracted the attention of celebrities who posted photos of cakes on Instagram with words of gratitude. The exclusive cake was published on Instagram by popular TV presenter Ksenia Borodina, after which the confectioner’s list of subscribers grew fivefold.

The Fili Baker Premium chain has implemented a confectionery project not only within Russia. In 2020, the brand became known in Europe, Japan, the USA, and the UAE. According to the stories of Renat’s fans, the pastry chef is a talented creator, his masterpieces are amazing - these are majestic palaces, bright fountains, colorful compositions with dolphins, animals and caricatures.

Such works are the result of the master’s constant improvement through various internships in Europe and Turkey. He constantly shares his experience in the TV shows “Confectioner” and “TiliTeleTesto”.

Recognition and popularity

The company's profits increased along with Agzamov's fame. At the intersection of work and creativity, numerous original recipes for sweet products were born in the pastry chef’s head. The most frequently ordered and profitable were wedding and children's cakes. And a photo of a cake made by Renat Agzamov, posted by TV presenter Ksenia Borodina on the Internet, immediately influenced the growth of the pastry chef’s popularity.

After this publication, Renat purposefully began to use social networks to promote his company’s products.

Over time, Lukoil and Aeroflot, Gazprom and many other enterprises and organizations became corporate clients of the confectionery company.

Thanks to Instagram, sweet tooths from Japan, the USA, Australia, and the UAE learned about Fili Baker Premium and its chef.

Personal life

First love Natalya Dzhurilo ruined friendly relations with Agzamov in a rather unpleasant way.

From love to blackmail

Even in his youth, Renat met Natalya - at that time they were 17 years old. At first the story did not have a romantic continuation, they were friends. Secretly, Renat loved the girl, and Natalya adored Timur, who was not ready for a relationship.

The brothers were busy studying and working; Renat Agzamov’s personal life remained in the background. But before leaving for Moscow, Renat confessed his love to Natalya and promised to marry. 20 years later, the “king of cakes” found himself at the center of a scandal - according to Natalya, she was pregnant from Renat. The ex-girlfriend scared Agzamov that she would declassify information on television about the relationship and how she lost their common child.

As a result, Agzamov wrote a statement to the police about Dzhurilo’s threat to harm him and his loved ones. As it turned out, Natalia fell ill in 2017, and the cook, in memory of her past relationship, helped with money for treatment. According to Renat, Valery’s wife was in the know.

Wife

Agzamov loves his wife very much and considers her his main muse, inspiring the most incredible fantasies. A confectionery masterpiece in the shape of a fountain with icing, which appeared on the Internet, showed all the strong feelings of the master for his wife. Journalists are unable to find out more information about Renat’s personal life, but it is clear that Valery’s husband can only be jealous of confectionery products.

Before meeting Valeria, Renat led a rather wild lifestyle. The whole picture changed when they met

After all, he spends a lot of time and effort on his creations, and as a result, he devotes everything to his wife. Renat also praises Valeria's culinary skills - especially her borscht. The wife is a supporter of healthy eating, so she only admires the sweets that her husband creates.

Son

Son Timur is growing up in a happy marriage; Valeria taught him to eat properly, so he rarely eats his father’s sweet desserts. But there are no restrictions on vegetable dishes. The talented pastry chef hopes to pass on his culinary skills to his son. “The Master is busy with great things,” so he devotes very little to his family - only one day a week. Renata plans to devote time to his son and go to boxing with him.

Real love

When Agzamov talks about his family, his eyes begin to radiate happiness. For several years now he has been happily married to a beautiful girl, Valeria, and together they are raising their son Timur. Before meeting his future wife, Renat led a wild lifestyle. He could often be found in nightclubs and expensive restaurants. He spent most of his time in the company of young girls. But everything changed when he met Valeria.

The spouses do not tell the details of their acquaintance, but the fact that it changed both of them is immediately obvious. For pastry chef Renat Agzamov, his wife Valeria became a muse and ideological inspirer. He devotes all his work exclusively to his wife. I was especially impressed by the chocolate fountain made by Renat as a symbol of love.

Valeria always tries to be close to her husband and support him in his business. But she admits that she is not a fan of his sweet masterpieces. She tries to lead a healthy lifestyle and practically not eat desserts, no matter how delicious they are. The couple’s son shares the same position. If he is offered a choice of greens or a piece of cake, Timur will choose the greens without hesitation.

But Renata is not at all upset by his family’s choice. He has millions of fans of his talent and delicious masterpieces. It is important for him that his family is nearby, then he will have someone to create for and strive for even greater perfection.

Renat Agzamov now

Every year brings incredible success to Renat; now he acts on television, manages his own culinary projects, invents exclusive cakes, making them his own brand. The confectioner is engaged in photography, taking pictures of exotic reptiles and insects. At the same time, he manages to combine classes with what he loves.

Based on the photographs taken of the sculpture, special silicone molds are made that embody all the author’s ideas. The constant search for something new makes Renat Agzamov a sought-after chef for many years and the “King of Desserts.”

Among the latest achievements, a wedding cake made in Kazakhstan in the city of Shymkent is highlighted; its weight is 1.5 thousand kg, height 4 m, width 3 m. The scale of the TV show “Confectioner” on the channel “Friday!” is also growing.

Biography of Renat Agzamov

Renat Agzamov is a culinary pastry chef, creator of unique multi-tiered cakes of impressive sizes, champion of the Russian Federation in confectionery skills, member of the council of the National Guild of Chefs, head of confectionery production, expert of the culinary shows “Tiliteletesto” on Channel One and “Confectioner” on the channel “Friday!” , former boxer.

Confectioner Renat Agzamov

Among the clients of the “king of cakes,” as he was more than once 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 other famous people, as well as corporate clients including Gazprom, Aeroflot and Lukoil.