Dominika Zielinska, Baker for three years. A historian by training who earns her living in the marketing world, Dominika felt driven to train at Roland Feuillas's mill and bakery in Cucugnan by her passion for traditional wheat farming techniques. That is where she fell in love with bread. She began honing her skills at home, got her professional qualification, worked alongside other bakers, and from then on, was inspired to take the plunge into this world.
Dominika Zielinska's bakery by Frédéric Aguilhon / ReportagePhotosSociété nationale des Meilleurs Ouvriers de France
The turning point
"When I understood that wheat diversity leads to a diversity of aromas and textures. Bread is a universe in and of itself, an adventure that I wanted to be part of."
Dominika Zielinska's bakery by Frédéric Aguilhon / ReportagePhotosSociété nationale des Meilleurs Ouvriers de France
Her current mindset
"Being a woman baker means hearing all too often that 'your husband makes excellent bread.' This is a stereotype that I'm battling against every day."
Fournil Zielinska
4-6, rue Jules Gilly
06300 Nice (Vieux Nice)
Kinga Kłusak, baker for four years. After getting a film school diploma in Poland, Kinga worked as a commercial, movie and documentary producer, for more than 8 years During a vacation in France, in the picturesque village of Marnay-sur-Seine, she decided to stay there out of love for the place. She got her professional baker's qualification in 2018 as an independent candidate, and reveals that she has always been enticed by breadmaking.
Portrait Kinga Klusak dans son fournil by Abril M BarruecosSociété nationale des Meilleurs Ouvriers de France
The turning point:
"I wanted to work with my hands and develop my own project"
Portrait Kinga Klusak dans son fournil by Abril M BarruecosSociété nationale des Meilleurs Ouvriers de France
Her state of mind today :
A quote from Samuel Beckett "Try again. Fail again. Fail better."
"I'd rather work with longer fermentation periods because I believe that the more time we give the bread to develop, the longer it lasts."
Les pains de Kinga
4 Grande rue
10400 Marnay-sur-Seine
Marie Vay, winner best apprentice bakery 2023Société nationale des Meilleurs Ouvriers de France
Marie Vay, 21 years old, baker in the making
At the age of 21, listening to this young Norman woman share her passion and experiences, one would gladly give her a string of extra years. Mature, voluntary, combative, passionate, inhabited, so many adjectives that only partly describe her.
Her background is already atypical and prestigious: with a Literary Baccalaureate in her pocket, she started studying law at 15 ½ years old. Studies that generated a lot of tension "the more stressed I was, the more I cooked to calm myself, I decided to do something with it". She opted for pastry making, after a one year training, she launched herself into the preparation of a team competition; a constructive step for this great loner doped with adrenaline.
Then followed the butter croissant competition, to finish 1st regional, then 1st national in 2020. A large part of her training was done in the bakery, which is where her love of baking was born. In baking, you need a lot of techniques but also a close interest in the product, it was a revelation for Marie.
She then went on to obtain a CAP in baking, and took the Best Apprentices of France (MAF) competition, organized by the Best Workers of France Society; Marie won the regional gold medal, and then passed the national competition.
But what could stop her? Not much, since she is currently taking a professional bakery diploma, with the firm intention of being able to pass on her skills one day.
For this young woman who gets up every day at 3am, nothing was written, but it is obvious that bread and her were made to get along.
Vincent Ferniot
