Paris trained Pierre Charkos founded La Renaissance Patisserie, together with his wife Sally in 1974 in East Roseville, a northern suburb of Sydney, where they had found a closed down cake shop complete with antiquated equipment. They soon transformed the shop, enhancing it with Parisian flair. Their traditional French products were an immediate hit and, from the beginning, queues formed at the entrance. Pierre quickly established his reputation for creating exquisite French food, with an unspoken motto that "nothing but the best ingredients will do". Some of his customers persuaded him to teach them his skills, and so the cooking school was born in the commercial kitchen in Roseville. For ten years from 1975, thousands of students acquired a basic knowledge of classical French cooking. Some of the students then went on to establish their own catering business or cooking school, an indication of Pierre's influence on Sydney's growing appreciation of French food. In the nineties, they were able to move to a beautiful location in Sydney's historic area, the Rocks. New, elaborate cakes emerged and were named according to French artists: Picasso, Monet, Van Gogh. Underpinning it all was Pierre's discipline in developing his art of cooking - he was forever researching new recipes. He showed great enthusiasm for new ideas without losing track of the old classical principles. He knew to surround himself with quality personnel whom he trusted, and who had great respect for him. Throughout his long illness, his team of skilled patissiers, led by head pastry chef James Luo, maintained the highest standards set by Pierre. Since his death in June 2005, they have all continued to work for La Renaissance, and they provide the link between his expertise and the next generation of the Charkos family, his three sons, who plan to join the business once they have completed their training in Paris. "Adieu Pierre... his contribution to the local food scene was enormous" Short Black, Good Living SYDNEY MORNING HERALD June 2005