Magomet Albotov
Five years ago, I was a wrestler who didn’t know how to make cookies! And now I’m a pastry chef at Ladurée!
“Before coming to FERRANDI, I had never cooked before. I was a professional wrestler for 12 years, so this was very new for me.” Magomet joined the Intensive Professional Program in French Pastry in 2015 at age 21. He had been training in his home country of Russia to become a professional wrestler since the age of 9 and has been a part of the Russian national wrestling team.
While visiting family friends in France, they suggested he train at Ferrandi “because I ate a lot of pastries and asked a lot of questions about pastries!” Magomet was looking for changes and the family friends planted a seed in his mind. “When I came back to Russia, I thought about it more and more and decided to apply.”
In Russia, Magomet explains pastry is considered a woman’s job. “It was very unusual for me. But in France, it was very different than in Russia. I didn’t know what to expect before coming to Ferrandi. I was not sure I would enjoy it. I got the visa 3 days before I started the studies. When I arrived, I saw a lot of people who were very motivated and I was less prepared,” he explains.
But his 13 classmates (from Indonesia, Taiwan, Philippines, China, Hong Kong, Brazil, Australia, US and Holland) helped translate and get accustomed to life in Paris. They also helped him grow and become more open-minded. He also enjoyed his Chef Instructor, Didier Averty (now retired) who always cracked jokes and made working fun. “At the same time, he always answered our questions in a very professional and smart way.”
After his training, Magomet interned at La Grande Epicerie and at Sébastien Gaudard. These internships taught him how to work hard and work with passion.
Upon graduating, Magomet joined Ladurée at its opening in Russia. He started as chef de partie and then 6 month later, became a sous chef for 2 years. He’s been a pastry chef at Ladurée Russia for over a year managing 12 other sous chefs. He is the first Russian professional pastry chef to have been promoted to this position at Ladurée
His advice to future students considering a career in pastry? “Just try it! Ferrandi will help you find the right way. Ferrandi will help to find what you want.”