This page follows the professional journey of Lyuba Kuzmicheva: training, masterclasses, food photography, and the key milestones in the growth of the YouTube project.
2026 — the YouTube channel started releasing video recipes dubbed into 14 languages in addition to the original Russian version. This became a major milestone for the project and made the original recipes accessible to a wide international audience.
2025 — I reached the final of the PRO Konditer competition at Novikov School, becoming one of 8 finalists out of more than 600 participants from across the country. At the final in Moscow, I presented my own signature dessert.
2025 — I won a Dzen competition for the most inspiring article about my journey and professional growth. The award recognized the ability to inspire an audience with experience, growth, and dedication to the craft.
I regularly study at Vera Nikandrova's online school and take part in marathons. I have won marathons focused on tartlets, mousse bento cakes, and an original presentation of the Kartoshka pastry
2024 — I won a Dzen competition with an original recipe. One of the requirements was a step-by-step presentation with a photo of every stage. The win highlighted the originality of the idea and the ability to present a recipe professionally, clearly, and beautifully for a broad audience.
2024 — I took part in chef Vera Nikandrova's three-day in-person masterclass on modern mousse desserts, tarts, and cakes. The training deepened my professional knowledge, broadened my view of modern pastry techniques, and gave me valuable hands-on experience.
Graduating from Maria Selyanina's international pastry school, Pastry Campus, became a defining step in my career. After several years of intensive study from 2021 to 2024, I earned my pastry chef diploma.
The Pastry Chef program was extensive and covered fundamentals, bread and baking, chocolate, modern pastry, plated desserts, and ice cream. To move faster, I studied some courses in parallel.
Over that time, I passed six theory exams, completed 36 required practical assignments, and finished many intermediate projects. The program ended with a large diploma project that brought together all the knowledge and skills I had built. Total study time: 2.5 years.
In 2023, I completed a food video production course with Olga Avetisyants. By then I already had noticeable experience in this field, and it was important for me to look at video production from a different angle. That kind of exchange always refreshes your perspective and helps you grow.
At the beginning of 2022, I received the YouTube Silver Play Button, an award for creators who reach an audience of 100,000 subscribers. For me, it was an important confirmation of viewer interest, support, and the value of the content I create.
In October 2021, I attended a three-day masterclass with internationally recognized chef and pastry professional Vera Nikandrova. It was one of the brightest milestones in my pastry career. Vera became a strong source of inspiration for me, and I continue learning from her through online courses at her school.
In 2021, I completed a food photography course at one of Daria Kalugina's best-known schools. This stage became an important part of my visual development and strongly influenced how I present desserts on camera.
In 2019, I completed my first major program at Alina Makarova's online Cake School. It was my first serious immersion into pastry theory. That was also when I first started making modern pastry items beyond classic cakes. The program ended with an exam project and a certificate.
From 2018 to 2020, I worked actively on client orders, paying special attention to cake design and decoration. During that period, I attended Olesya Yashina's masterclasses three times and expanded my pastry skills.
That was where I mastered watercolor cake painting and wafer floristry. These techniques helped me shape a recognizable style and create more refined, individual decoration.
In February 2018, at the very beginning of my journey, I attended a masterclass with Andrey Rudkov (Andy Chef). The experience was extremely important for me: I saw how multidimensional and exciting pastry could be.
At the masterclass, I learned new techniques, discovered ingredients I had never worked with before, and gained strong motivation to keep growing in this field.
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