Choosing a future profession because of the love of sweets
Alexander Seleznev was born in Podolsk. His birthday coincides with International Women's Day - March 8th. Now the man is almost 44 years old, and he is known as a true master of confectionery art. Alexander Seleznev's cakes are truly masterpieces; he puts all his imagination and love into their preparation.
The boy developed a love for making desserts in early childhood. His grandmother always greeted her grandson with pies, cupcakes, and pastries that she prepared with her own hands. Sasha loved to watch how his grandmother created beautiful, tasty products from an incomprehensible mass of dough, he helped her, and soon realized that he wanted to be a professional in this matter.
Alexander Seleznev now
In 2015, Alexander set off to conquer Monaco. He opened two confectionery shops in Monte Carlo, and now the Russian confectioner is famous in that area. In establishments, Seleznev plays the role of chef, director, and manager. He even coordinates delivery.
In 2021, Princess Charlene looked into the sweet world of the master. Alexander considers the princess's visit an achievement.
Alexander Seleznev about his dream: to work at a breakneck pace for another five years, and then go on a trip around the world.
The cook still has a collection of telescopes in his house near Moscow.
Practice
Difficult 90s: the factory in the village collapsed, there was not enough money for food and the guy felt responsible for his younger brother and mother. One day he saw his mother’s friend making products using a knitting machine, and then Alexander Seleznev said: “I can do this too.” To implement his plan, the guy completed sewing knitting courses and began to produce warm clothes on a large scale, the shortage of which Soviet women felt and were ready to pay 8 rubles for tights. This helped the Seleznev family live well in difficult times for the country.
The culinary college where Sasha studied collaborated with well-known restaurants and hotels at that time, where students of the educational institution could do internships. But not everyone got there, but only those who had blat (a completely appropriate word for the dashing 90s). Alexander Seleznev, whose personal life is built on determination and knowledge of the best, did not miss his chance to get an internship in a famous restaurant this time. At first he was entrusted with menial work: preparing minced meat, cutting salads, frying pancakes. Then for six months Alexander rolled out truffles in a confectionery shop, in general, free practice taught the guy everything, even cutting a cake into 10 pieces of exactly 150 grams each piece.
Personal life
Fans are interested in the details of the personal life of the famous confectionery guru. Alexander is single. And the romantic relationships of Alexander Seleznev are a closed topic. He himself says that his career and constant employment robbed him of the time when he had a chance to start a family.
Alexander Seleznev and Zhorik
He has a house in which there is a place for the dog Zhorik. Seleznev admits that he does not like small decorative dogs. Since childhood, he wanted to have a big pet, a kind and faithful friend. The Bernese Mountain Dog Zhorik is exactly like that.
The chef also loves to travel. In other countries, he draws strength and pleasant emotions and improves as a cook.
Judging by the pictures on Instagram, Alexander acquired a cat, Murka. He often takes pictures of his beloved pet and posts photos on the Internet.
After college
After completing his studies, Alexander Seleznev began working at the Metropol Hotel, and a year later he was selected for the vacant position of cook at the Eldorado restaurant. By the age of thirty, the already experienced chef was able to create his own “A. Seleznev’s Confectionery House.”
Now the man is the host of the TV show “Sweet Stories”, sharing recipes with everyone on the waves of Radio Alla. He can also be seen in the show “Culinary Star” on the TV channel “Russia-1”.
Alexander Seleznev, whose recipes every housewife wants to have for their own use, develops his own cooking ideas and publishes them in the form of collections of recipes. He has won numerous awards and his talent has been recognized by the world's leading chefs.
Many fans want to know about Sasha’s personal life, but he himself doesn’t talk much about this topic. It is known that Alexander Seleznev is a lover of large breeds of dogs. The pastry chef's shaggy friends live with him in a country house. The man always dreamed of living outside the city so that he could take a break from the noise and raise dogs.
Cooking
Alexander Seleznev kept his promise. The young pastry chef graduated from college with honors. The young man, as the best student, was invited to the kitchen of the famous Metropol Hotel. This is how the culinary biography of Alexander Seleznev began.
Alexander Seleznev in the kitchen
However, he did not immediately start baking delicious cakes and preparing unique desserts. At first, the young cook peeled mountains of potatoes and washed centners of fruit. A little later, Alexander begged the head of the confectionery shop in the same Metropol to hire the young man.
Finally, he was entrusted with doing what Seleznev loved and strived for - desserts. He rolled truffles for days. Then Sasha was allowed to participate in complex cooking processes.
Confectioner Alexander Seleznev
When the Eldorado restaurant opened, the young chef had the chance to get a job in the culinary workshop. After Metropol, Alexander was accepted immediately. Here he learned a lot. He was lucky to work with the Japanese master Hedeki Morikawa. Hedeki taught his Russian colleague the masterful technique of mixing Japanese and Austrian confectionery schools. Together with Morikawa, Seleznev prepared culinary hits.
Over time, Alexander Seleznev realized that the cook’s culinary knowledge was not great. To fill in the gaps, he went to France, then to Belgium and Switzerland. He completed culinary courses in these countries. I learned how to make unsurpassed cakes, exclusive huge-sized cakes, petit fours, chocolate mousses and candies. In Lausanne, Seleznev perfectly mastered the technique of baking truffles, and at the Swiss Fabia school he was shown the English technique of sculpting flowers onto cakes.
The knowledge gained and diplomas from famous schools helped Alexander Seleznev become the leader of dozens, if not hundreds of competitions and culinary festivals.
In 2004, Seleznev created the Confectionery House of Alexander Seleznev. And the following year, the genius’s first book, “Sweet Stories,” was published and became popular. The master decided not to stop, and today he has a library of his own works, which includes more than 20 books.
Now the Alexander Confectionery House has created an official website. Anyone can choose a sweet to their liking and order it home or to the office. Alexander Seleznev does not shy away from holidays, in honor of which he makes themed desserts. For example, as Easter approaches, the House opens orders for Easter cupcakes and Easter cakes.
Alexander Seleznev and Alla Pugacheva
Seleznev also tried himself as a TV presenter. He hosts the popular program “Sweet Stories,” which airs on the Domashny channel. Among the recipes of the culinary master there are easy-to-make desserts that every housewife can do. Thus, you can learn unique recipes for cookies, pies and rolls from Alexander.
Then Alexander was invited to host a program with the same name on Radio Alla. Here the talented chef was noticed by the Russian pop diva. Alexander Seleznev baked cakes for her more than once for holiday celebrations. Rumor has it that Alla Borisovna was pleasantly surprised by their taste and appearance.
Alexander Seleznev and his cake with roses
For the Diva's anniversary, the maestro made an 8-tier cake with a million red roses. It took two months to complete the masterpiece. Alexander himself whipped the cream and sculpted flowers from mastic. It took 10 people to bring the delicious dessert onto the stage.
About the transfer
The program is broadcast on the “Home” channel and is an extensive master class. Seleznev Alexander Anatolyevich tells viewers how to work with biscuit, puff pastry, shortbread and yeast dough, how to whip cream, considers possible failures and explains how to avoid them in the future.
Thanks to his work, many viewers had the opportunity to go beyond store-bought treats and start cooking for their loved ones on their own. This is especially valuable because confectionery art does not tolerate the word “approximately” and requires meticulousness, especially at first.
According to parents' instructions
Sasha’s parents never supported their son in his chosen profession, and after two unsuccessful attempts to enter a culinary college, they sent the boy to study textiles. The young man studied at this academy for three years and again went to try his hand at the Tsaritsyn Culinary College. The third attempt was successful, and he was accepted to study fine confectionery skills.
Upon entering the chosen institution, the guy promised that he would be able to graduate with honors, and he kept his promise.
Homemade tiramisu in a strawberry basket
Necessary:
Heavy cream – 200 ml, powdered sugar – 50 g, mascarpone – 250 g, strawberries – 150 g, lemon zest, butter – 100 g, flour – 75 g, sugar – 150 g, sponge cookies.
Preparation:
Mix 200 ml of heavy cream with 0.5 cups of powdered sugar, beat with an immersion blender with a whisk attachment, add 250 g of mascarpone, a little lemon zest, mix with a spatula, put in a plastic bag and put in the refrigerator. Place frozen strawberries in a food processor bowl and puree with lemon juice.
Divide the resulting mixture in half. We use one part to prepare strawberry dough: add 100 grams of butter, 75 grams of flour, sugar. Place the dough in circles on a baking sheet lined with parchment and place in the oven. Bake for 2-3 minutes at 180 degrees. Form baskets from the set dough. Fill them with strawberry puree, cream, add cookies - and that's it! The original homemade tiramisu is ready!
Strawberry cake
The cake is designed for a mold with a diameter of 22 cm.
- Preheat the oven to 1800 C.
- Melt the butter and cool.
- Line the pan with baking paper.
- Beat the eggs until fluffy, gradually adding sugar.
- Sift the flour and cocoa into the egg mixture and carefully mix with a spatula from bottom to top. . Pour oil into the biscuit mixture, mix again
- Pour oil into the biscuit mixture and mix again.
- Pour the batter into the prepared pan and place in the oven.
- Bake until tested on a dry toothpick.
- Let the biscuit cool completely, then remove it from the mold, wrap it in cling film and keep it in a cool place for several hours.
- For the cream, mix the yolks, water, condensed milk and vanilla sugar. Place on the fire and cook until thickened, stirring constantly. Cool.
- Beat the butter until white. Add cocoa, beat again. With the mixer running, add milk syrup little by little. You should have a strong, shiny cream. It is worth noting that it is oil cream that Alexander Seleznev most often uses. The cake recipes that he offers to the audience primarily have references to GOST, and there butter was held in high esteem.
- For the syrup, mix water with sugar, bring to a boil, remove from heat and add cognac.
- Cut the biscuit lengthwise into 3 parts.
- Lightly soak the bottom cake with syrup and add 1/3 of the cream. Flatten and press with the second cake layer.
- Soak the biscuit a little again, add 1/3 of the cream, press with the remaining cake layer.
- Spread the remaining cream evenly over the sides of the cake.
- Heat and brush evenly over the top of the cake. Yes, Alexander Seleznev’s culinary recipes do not deviate from international standards - and the Austrian Sacher uses this method to isolate the sponge cake from the glaze.
- Place the workpiece in the cold and start glazing.
- For the glaze, bring the cream to a boil, pour it over the chopped chocolate and stir until the latter is completely dissolved.
- Pour it over the cake, trying to cover both the top and the sides.
- Place in the cold again - the glaze should harden.
- Garnish with berries and serve.
Alexander Seleznev: “You just need to love your job very much”
There is a crowd of guests on the threshold of the Pâtisserie Riviera confectionery: many universities have ended the academic year ahead of schedule and Monegasques want to please their children with personalized cakes. Here’s a friendly client sharing her joy with us: her daughter came from London, she’s taking the session online in absentia, and the fluffy cream cake languishing in front of us in the window is intended for a family celebration.
We exchange a few phrases and smiles. After the lockdown is lifted, going to a pastry shop for fresh cakes is comparable to going out to a social dinner during Formula 1. We are allowed into the very heart of the pastry. Here, every day from five in the morning, work is in full swing: before opening, you need to knead the dough, prepare the cream, do everything so that the croissants come out airy and become an excellent start to the day for the residents of the Principality. Everything in the workshop is so sterile that you are afraid to touch your glass of water again.
The old dream of Alexander Seleznev
This morning it was especially crowded. Alexander Seleznev and his colleagues, pastry chefs George and Frank, began their working day at sunrise. “The relationship with the local public develops in the process of daily work. On my social networks they see that I go out at five in the morning and start preparing brioche and cakes. It was very difficult for me to get used to it, I still haven’t gotten used to this regime.”
He has dozens of victories in culinary competitions and festivals, the best courses in France, Belgium, Switzerland and the title of chief confectioner of Russia. Alexander was forced to leave the Confectionery House, his own TV show and social life by an old dream: a patisserie on the French Riviera.
Fate was favorable to these plans: in the very center of Monte Carlo, a confectionery shop became vacant: the previous owners left the family business and retired. However, the Russian confectioner had to earn the trust of Monegasques through daily hard work.
“I participated in various charity events. My cakes were sold under the hammer, the money went into funds.”
Clients care about their health
Five years ago, on November 1, “Pâtisserie Riviera” opened under the leadership of Alexander Seleznev. “The assortment was classic French: macarons, mille-feuilles. I began to introduce “Russian” cakes: honey cake, Kiev cake, poppy cake, with the expectation that Russian clients would come.”
It turned out that Alexander’s compatriots were not used to pampering themselves with brioche and croissants. Russian clients abandoned sugar and flour and began to come for desserts only with the introduction of “no sugar”, “gluten free” and “low lactose” items to the menu.
“Gluten-free cakes are sold first. We replace regular flour with rice, corn, and hazelnut flour. We buy German sweetener"
Confectionery art
But special occasions still require classic confectionery skills. For the high-profile wedding of Louis Ducruet and Marie Chevallier in Monte Carlo, Alexander prepared a seven-story cake “Three meters high, all covered in sugar flowers. “Everything in Monaco was buzzing, the cake was all over social media.”
The pastry chef recalls his most ambitious project, a real work of confectionery art: a private order for a birthday at Gostiny Dvor in Moscow: “The cake had fountains, lighting, and live fish swimming. The most difficult thing was to assemble it and connect the water: special motors directed the water flows upward.”
About free time
Alexander admits that he is so tired from work that he simply has no energy left for gastronomic feats in ordinary life: “I get up early, drink a glass of water, coffee. I don’t have any diet, but I rarely eat desserts! After work, I need to come and cook something quickly: steak or steamed fish.”
But Alexander still organizes a culinary show in his kitchen: every Thursday at 14:00 live on his Instagram page you can join the famous pastry chef and jointly master the recipe for French apple tart or quiche with creamy egg filling. “It doesn’t matter where you are, in Luxembourg or New York. People cook at the same time as me. When I retire, I want to go into Internet television.”
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A post shared by ALEXANDER SELEZNEV (@chefalexmonaco) on Jul 29, 2019 at 4:09pm PDT
About work during quarantine
The lockdown turned out to be a real test for the patessery. And the point is not at all in restrictive measures, but in the fact that there was no end to customers. Pâtisserie Riviera has new regular guests. “We received a letter that we have the right to operate as a store. They sent us how we should dress: hats, masks, how the workshop should be processed. About a week after the measures were announced, people began to slowly come. We started working a lot more."
Pastry shops in the neighborhood closed their doors during the quarantine. Some preparations were delivered from Milan, others were waiting for desserts from Paris. Belgian chocolate has stopped being imported due to border closures. Only local production has a chance. “Life will no longer be the same as before, everything unnecessary has been eliminated. I think we need to pay attention to what is produced locally."
About plans for the future
The confectioner does not plan to open a franchise around the world. “At first I thought about expanding, but I’m such a person, I’m already so used to it here, I can’t put someone else in my place. It's a different psychology."
When asked how to find motivation, get up at the first rays of the sun and devote yourself entirely to work, Alexander replies: “You just need to love your job very much.”
Natalia Bezruk
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