1979, the year that pastry-making entered my life... So many years ago, and everything was so different. Raw materials, tools, recipes... So many years later, the fundamental principles have remained so stable and unwavering. Precision, discipline, expertise... These contrasts define it and ultimately make it so beloved and interesting.

So, all these years, it has held, alongside my admiration, perhaps the largest part of my life, resulting in a mutual relationship where the craftsman and the art interact and influence each other. Guided by continuous exploration, closely watching the changes and developments step by step, I have gathered considerable knowledge and continue unceasingly to this day.

The essence of this knowledge I have been sharing with you in various ways over the years, starting with my first shop, and then with the books that followed, along with the countless recipes in the magazines you loved, such as 'Gastronomy,' 'Sweet Stories,' with the television show 'Sweet Alchemies,' and also with the seminars every year, where the interaction becomes more direct.

For those who are enchanted by this art and enjoy experimenting and creating, this notebook can serve as a personal archive, gathering within it favorite recipes. For a good start, for a potential pastry chef, I believe that the right foundations are essential. That is why I thought, I would be the first to write down some of the most fundamental pastry recipes for you.