AbstractBaker’s yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae has been used in the production of food and alcoholic beverages since ancient times. In the last century it emerged as a leading model organism for studying molecular processes in eukaryotic cells, and it still is a very powerful experimental system in 21^st century biology. The remarkable features of this unicellular fungus made its astonishing journey from the brewery and bakery to the research laboratory possible.