‘Pastry chefs talk with their hands.’

In 2016, pastry chef Michał Doroszkiewicz was named ‘Industry Personality of the Year’ in Poland. And this means a lot to him. ‘I learned to bake from my mother in my home town of Białystok. On Saturday or Sunday morning, we always baked a cake for after Sunday dinner. At that time there were no pastry shops there, so my mother baked our treats herself. She was my first teacher and instilled in me a love of working with seasonal produce. At the age of 15, I went to pastry school in Poznan and trained with Wojciech Kandulski, who had a very reputable business and who opened international doors for me. I served as a jury member at national and international professional contests and represented Poland wherever I could. When I received the Industry Personality of the Year award in 2016, everything came together for me. It made me feel like all my efforts up to that point had been greatly appreciated.’

Polish pastry chef Michał Doroszkiewicz makes ‘hautepatisserie’. Every treat in his range is finished by hand. So he is well aware of how indispensable his hands are in his business. ‘My hands translate my thoughts and philosophy into my products. They can talk! My hands tell my clients exactly what I had in mind.’

The appreciation for his work gave Michał the confidence to start his own businesses. He set up his training and consulting company Pastry Lab, and in 2021, he opened his own pastry shop: OVO Pracownia. ‘Winning the Industry Personality of the Year award gave me the motivation to keep sharing and promoting my knowledge, talent and experience on an even broader scale. The fact that this was rewarded with the even more prestigious Hermes Award in 2023, is a tremendous accolade for my work. It motivates me to continue on the path I’ve chosen to pursue. I’m sure, because of the awards I’ve won, that this is the right path for me.’ Michał has gained knowledge and experience all over the world and closely follows the latest trends and styles. But in his own pastry shop, he prefers to take a very personal, individualised approach. ‘Everything is about enticing your customers. You have to get people interested in coming to your shop. This is why I’ve set up my shop with great care and attention. We communicate with our customers via social media in a very personal manner. People often say that they can feel the heart we’ve put into our products: they notice the love that goes into creating them. We take great care in presenting these products in the shop as well as in how they’re packaged. I show my ideas and my philosophy through the OVO Pracownia brand. This creates a highly valued sense of authenticity that can be seen in everything we do and sell. Customers know who they are visiting, who they can meet, and what products they can expect. Creating a relationship with your customer calls for an individualised approach. It should never revolve around marketing alone.’

In 2003, Debic’s products came into Michał’s hands for the first time during his participation in the Pasty World Cup contest in Lyon. “I was immediately charmed by the consistent quality and stability of the products. The cream remains very good even after freezing or during the transportation of the products. The different types of butter allow you to work with various techniques in your bakery. I am very proud to be an ambassador for Debic these days. We share our knowledge and experiences, and that’s precisely what I appreciate the most about the brand: it’s not just about sales but also about helping chefs and pastry chefs improve worldwide.'

Michał sees great challenges in his sector and in his country. ‘We’re dealing with our neighbouring country Ukraine being at war. We’re seeing rising inflation. We can hardly get any staff. These are challenging and economically uncertain times. This should lead to higher prices, but at the same time, there is a limit to what customers are able and willing to pay. This is another reason why it is enormously important that we, as pastry chefs, continue to communicate at a personal level. Show what you can do and make, and remind your customers about the beautiful moments you can create for them with your hand-crafted products. Show who you are! No marketing trick can beat that.’