The office girl with a dream of baking the best cakes in the city: Pastry chef Anežka Janurová on her unexpected journey

Myšák: Pastry shops on both banks of the Vltava River

Welcome to the sweet factory, led by Lukáš Pohl and his team. Each dessert is made to be finished in two bites, so you can taste more than one. At our confectioneries in Vodičkova and Holešovice, you will find traditional Czech delicacies such as Indian cakes, cream rolls, and cream puffs. Accompany them with speciality coffee, prepared by our baristas, and grab some baked goods to go, too.

Take your pick

Anežka, how did a girl from the front desk end up getting an offer to lead the pastry team at the new Myšák at the Castle?

It was a series of coincidences. I started helping František Skopec (Ed. note: Ambiente’s creative head chef) with his knife-skills classes, and he told me he has this tradition — every Saturday he goes to Letec espresso bar for kolache. I told him I used to work there and that I’d baked those cookies with the girls. He was thrilled to meet someone who’d made them, and he had no idea I had a background in the restaurant industry. That’s when the idea started to take shape. He kept telling me that I should go back to working in the kitchen, but I was against it. I felt like I’d already had my time in the restaurant business.

Then, during Ambiente’s 30th anniversary, Lukáš Pohl, the executive pastry chef at Myšák, and Tomáš Hrušovský came up to me and offered me the position of head pastry chef at Myšák at Prague Castle. For the first few seconds, I thought it was a good joke.

But they were serious. Did you think about the offer for a long time, or did you know right away that you’d take it?

I was taken by surprise. Plus, at one of my previous jobs, at William Thomas Bakery (WTB), I ended up leaving partly because I had carpal tunnel syndrome in both hands and physically couldn’t handle it anymore. In the end, though, I told myself that this was a huge opportunity that simply couldn’t be turned down, and that working with Lukáš Pohl, the Hrušovský brothers, and Matěj Pína would be great.

You may also be interested in...

You may also be interested in...

Myšák pastry shop opens a third location at Prague Castle

After you left WTB, you moved to the front desk at Ambiente. Did you learn anything there that you’re now putting to use at Myšák?

When I started at the front desk, I knew that I wanted to stay close to the kitchen, but I didn’t want to be running around the floor anymore. Working at the front desk suited me incredibly well. I enjoyed taking care of people in the office in the best sense of the word. I’m definitely bringing that into the kitchen, communicating with people and taking care of them. Since I know how physically and mentally demanding work in the food service industry is, I want my team members to feel comfortable. And I want them to know they can come to me anytime.

From cakes to fine pastry

Let’s go all the way back to the beginning. When did you fall in love with baking?

I wanted to study pastry arts in Prague, but I didn’t enjoy it at all. I started school when I was almost eighteen because I wanted a vocational education, but the teachers’ attitude discouraged me so much that I decided to go straight to work. I’ve loved baking since I was a child. I remember how my mom would take cakes out of the old oven at our cottage while I picked fruit for them in the garden. That was the beginning of my love for baking. I then started an internship at Spojka in Karlín, where I worked my first shifts as an inexperienced pastry chef.

Later, you worked at Letec espresso bar and William Thomas Bakery. What kinds of things did you get to try your hand at there?

I spent about two years at Letec and even managed the bakery for a while. There, I was mainly working with dough, which I absolutely love—we made double-filled kolache and loupáky, and even baked our own bread. It was small and family-run. In contrast, William Thomas Bakery, which I helped open in Prague and spent about nine months at, is much larger. There, I learned how to make croissants, laminate dough, and we baked an incredible number of bread loaves and French baguettes. It was, again, a completely different direction, especially working with sourdough.

Baking and fine pastry making are two different worlds. Was it a big leap?

It’s true that I used to be closer to baking. I’ve been fully dedicated to fine pastry-making only since November 2025, when I started at Myšák to learn the ropes. But baking has its place even where I am now —take that yeast dough, for example.

A baptism of fire: Training at Myšák and the Christmas rush

How did you prepare for your new role?

I started full-time at Myšák’s location on Vodičkova street. It was incredibly interesting to be there as production moved from Vodičkova to Tusarova street, and everything had to be done differently - an entirely new system was implemented. It was a valuable experience for me because I got to see firsthand what I’d soon be facing. Even though Myšák at the Castle is still Myšák, it’s a completely new, different operation.

As a newcomer, you also got to experience the Christmas rush right away. What was that like?

I started in autumn, and from November onwards, it was all about Christmas cookies. There was an unbelievable amount! We’d make, say, thirty kilos of dough at a time, and I felt like it would never end. After that, I didn’t even want to see cookies anymore, but it was actually great to experience that huge pre-holiday rush.

I don’t want to scare you, but that kind of hustle and bustle is probably the norm at the Castle, right?

It’ll be like that every day. When the guys (Editor’s note: Tomáš Hrušovský and Matěj Pína) gave me specific numbers and their projections for visitor numbers, I felt a little queasy. But we told ourselves we could pull it off. We just have to!

Myšák is a well-established brand with a long tradition. How quickly were you able to learn the recipes?

I definitely don’t have them down 100 percent, that’s not even possible in such a short time. Lukáš explained to me that it’ll take several years before I’ll know all the recipes flawlessly and by heart. I did, however, spend a lot of time working on the choux pastry. I think I've mastered that one. 

The concept, team, and inspiration from Paris

You must have had to build a new team around you. How many people do you work with?

I have four talented pastry chefs, one baker, and an assistant, who's sort of my sous-pastry chef.

How well do you get along with the colleagues you’ll be launching with? Did you know each other before?

It was great that, back when I was still in the office, I was working on the onboarding materials for the Kuchyň restaurant, so I already knew the guys (Editor’s note: Matěj Pína and Filip Hrušovský previously worked at Kuchyň). I was thrilled to be working with Filip Hrušovský, whom I really like. The Hrušovský brothers are wonderful, just like Matěj Pína, who is a good friend of mine. I couldn’t have asked for a better team. When I discussed this with Kateřina Kukučková (Editor’s note: CEO of AMBI CZ), she laughed and said she probably wouldn’t have put me on any other team.

You’re the only woman in senior management. Were you looking forward to it?

I have to say that I was actually looking forward to working with a team of men. In the office, it was all girls, and sometimes that wasn’t exactly easy. Plus, when I found out that at the Castle there would be a space for baking cakes, which I really enjoy, and the boys were thrilled with the idea, two things just clicked into place for me. At that moment, I knew that was it.

So the cakes are a completely new thing for Myšák?

Exactly. We’ll gradually be testing various leavened cakes , and Lukáš Pohl and I would like to focus on seasonality, using fresh fruit according to the season. There are even wild suggestions that we should pull warm cakes out of the oven every time the castle guard changes. To that I told them, “Guys, thanks a lot—you’ve really planned that out nicely for me.” We’d definitely like to include Prague cake on our menu in the future, you rarely see it in bakeries these days. 

Are you planning anything else special for the Castle that we won’t find anywhere else?

We’ll gradually be focusing on so-called travel cakes, or desserts for travellers. We know that we’ll be getting a lot of tourists, and we’d like them to be able to take a piece of Myšák home with them. They’ll be packaged in beautiful boxes so they’ll survive even a longer trip. We’re also planning to offer bundt cakes.

You went to Paris with the team, searching for inspiration. What did you find?

We tasted dozens of desserts, but what we took away most was the customer service. We observed how the staff interacted with guests, and whether we were in a simple café or the most expensive establishment, the service was exemplary.

We agreed that this is exactly the path we want to take. So that our guests feel special, and our Myšák to becomes a place you visit on special occasions. You’ll have a glass of champagne and leave absolutely thrilled.

4:30 in the morning, and 14 hours on my feet

With your new role, your daily routine has probably changed drastically. How do you handle getting up so early?

I get up at half past four. At first I kept thinking: How is it possible that I’m still so tired?! Even if you sit at a computer for eight hours, you get tired, but this is something else entirely. You’re on your feet for 12 to 14 hours, carrying heavy things, and you have to stay focused the whole time. As soon as your mind wanders, it shows right away — you lose efficiency and the quality of your work goes down. The first few weeks, I just slept all the time during my time off; I felt like I’d never catch up on my sleep.

What did your days look like right before the opening?

Ever since I got back from Paris, I feel like I've just been on a roll. Paris was a breath of fresh air and a break from the daily grind of work shifts. I've spent a lot of time going to meetings and conducting interviews, which is also a new challenge for me. I’m so glad Matěj Pína is helping me with this. Lukáš and Tomáš consult with me on everything, so I owe them a big thank you, too.

If you imagine Myšák at the Castle a year from now, what do you see?

I really hope it’ll be a success. I hope people come specifically for the most beautiful view, the great brunches and desserts, and that I’ll be surrounded by a team of people who truly enjoy their work.

What dessert would you serve the president if he happened to stop by for an afternoon coffee?

Yeah, the guys would really love that! (laughs) I’d definitely go with a Prague cake, or maybe a good, hearty bundt cake.

And where do you get your energy from when you’re not baking?

I like to go climb at the climbing wall, it really does me a world of good. I have to focus on every move, so my mind completely shuts off. I’m also looking forward to cycling now that the weather is finally nice. And in my free time, surprisingly, I enjoy cooking for myself.