From Geodesy to Her Own Café – An Interview with Pastry Chef Zuzana Prášková

January 2022

 

Zuzka Prášková decided some time ago to completely change her career path when she left her job as a surveyor and became a pastry chef. Instead of maps, she now creates amazing homemade cakes and pastries  at the family-run Zrnko Cafe in Soběslav, which she has managed with her husband Tomáš since 2016.

They went through difficult beginnings and an even more challenging period during the coronavirus crisis. I dare say, however, that they emerged from this battle as winners. And because their story is inspiring in many ways, I am bringing you this interview, which may also motivate you not to be afraid to make radical changes in your life.

Zuzka, what actually led you to change careers, leave all your education and experience behind, and embark on something completely different?

The answer is simple. It just happened somehow. When I was on maternity leave, my husband became enthusiastic about café culture and wanted to try opening his own café.  At first, we thought we would source the desserts from outside suppliers, but we could never be 100% satisfied with them. We had a different idea in mind, so there was nothing left to do but make them ourselves.

Did you ever regret that you could have been sitting comfortably in an office somewhere, looking at maps, but instead you are rushing around trying to bake cakes on time?

I had already spent enough time sitting at a computer. There is no time to sit in pastry making. When you are on maternity leave, your priorities change a lot, and you want to make the most of your time “without the children.” The rushing around probably comes more naturally to me; I really enjoy being active.

Why a café, anyway? It is quite a long way from geodesy… Have you always been interested in baking?

Ever since puberty, I have loved discovering all kinds of cafés and trying their desserts. I was also always baking something at home, much to the delight of the whole family. I used to do quite a lot of sports, and to this day I cannot do without sweets and exercise. I am becoming increasingly more selective, though, and now I prefer only truly high-quality food. I do not want to cheat myself with some artificial substitute. We need to value our bodies. You would not put bad fuel in your luxury car either.

That is nicely put… And do you now feel that you are finally doing what you have always wanted to do?

To be honest, I never knew exactly what I wanted to do. I spent a long time trying to find myself. I tried quite a few options, from geodesy and information technology to project management, nutritional counseling, and even teaching aerobics 🙂 . I have to admit that pastry making is what I enjoy most and what makes the most sense, because making people happy is the best. I appreciate that on such important days as weddings and birthdays, people choose my cake when they have so many other options.

What do you enjoy most? The baking itself, decorating, coming up with ideas… ?

I probably enjoy coming up with ideas the most. I always get a craving for something and absolutely need to dream it up and make it according to my own vision. Decorating is, of course, always the reward. In pastry making, you see the results of your work fairly quickly, which is fulfilling. It is a warm feeling when you know that your work might make someone’s day better. That the person can stop for a moment and do something nice for themselves. And that is the best part of it.

That is a great motivation. But the competition is fierce; hats off to you for taking the plunge. What did you struggle with most at the very beginning?

First, we had to renovate the premises, which took the longest. Then the hardest part was learning how to manage everything; we had no experience, and there were plenty of things we had not even thought of in advance. For example, how difficult it is to calmly serve a full café quickly and well 🙂 . Obtaining the various permits and dealing with all the paperwork was also quite exhausting. On the other hand, choosing the coffee and the ingredients we would use was the enjoyable part.

And on top of that, two small children…

That is obviously quite difficult at times, when you also have to manage everything involving the children. Fortunately, the production kitchen is mine alone, so I can catch up there even at night when necessary.

That must be demanding! How do you manage all the stress that comes with it?  After all, you have deadlines booked in advance, and you cannot afford for a cake not to turn out or not to be ready on time.

Fortunately, the stress decreases over time as you get used to things, but I am not saying it never happens. You can also stress yourself out quite a lot when there is not enough time. Transporting a three-tier wedding cake is still a nightmare for me.  I usually go for a run afterward.

From my own experience, I know that your cakes and pastries are truly fabulous. Where did you learn all of this?

Thank you, but there is always room for improvement. I attended several courses with Iveta Fabešová, who is a great role model for me: a strong, talented, and charming woman. The rest was often a matter of trial and error, along with many long hours of self-study and drawing inspiration.

What principles did you bring to pastry making and opening the café?

We wanted to make and sell only the quality we ourselves enjoy, so that we could stand behind everything with confidence. The desserts contain no chemicals, no artificial colorings, and no various quick-setting mixes. Simply “just” basic, high-quality ingredients and pure, natural flavors with less sugar.

Is it not a risk to pursue 100% quality these days? After all, it involves fairly high production costs…

It certainly is a risk, but we would not want to do it any other way. We try to plan everything so that we do not have to compromise on quality while keeping the prices affordable even in a small town.  I have always seen it this way: when I want to treat myself, I will always choose quality.

Two years ago, the COVID crisis hit hard. How did you cope with it? It must have been difficult: a relatively new café suddenly closed, and you were operating only through a takeaway window… But I feel that it did not bring you down; quite the opposite. Did you learn anything from that period?

We tried to at least hand out boxes of desserts and cakes made to order. We somehow made it through because the support from our regular customers was amazing, something we appreciate enormously. We realized that in the daily rush, people often forget to be grateful for what they already have. We need to remind ourselves of that more often.

Looking back, would you do it all again now that you know everything you do today?

Probably yes 🙂 .

And do you have a message for everyone who is thinking about changing careers and would like to follow their own path as well?

I do not feel qualified to give anyone advice. But it is certainly good to be brave and give it a try. Without trying, you can never find out whether it is truly right for you.

Thank you very much for the interview, and I wish you lots of success!

Romana

www.mamysrozumem.cz

Photo: Renata Vaňková

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