Kings of Pastry
Kings of Pastry | |
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Directed by | Chris Hegedus D. A. Pennebaker |
Produced by | Frazer Pennebaker Flora Lazar |
Starring |
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Music by | Sebastien Giniaux |
Production company | |
Distributed by | First Run Features |
Release dates |
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Running time | 84 minutes |
Country | United States |
Language | English |
Kings of Pastry is a film by
Plot
The film features Jacquy Pfeiffer, Regis Lazard, Philippe Rigollot, and Sébastien Canonne, M.O.F. and begins at the French Pastry School in Chicago, where Pfeiffer prepares for the 2007 competition. While there, the school's co-founder and fellow teacher, Chef Cannone, a previous winner, serves as Pfeiffer's mentor. The theme of this year's competition is marriage, and the competition requires that all competitors create a wedding buffet consisting of a wedding cake, a chocolate sculpture, a sugar sculpture, cream puffs, chocolate candies, breakfast pastries and jam, tea pastries, a restaurant-style dessert plate, and a small sculpture (known as the "bijou") to commemorate the competition.[3] Everything in the buffet, with the exception of the bijou, must be made from scratch and assembled in front of the judges over a three-day period.[2] Keeping in mind that the presentation of his buffet will be judged on par with its taste, Pfeiffer works to develop close to forty recipes that are as visually exquisite as they are delicious.
Once his recipes and training regiment are established, Pfeiffer returns to his childhood home in Alsace where he adjusts his recipes to account for the nuances in French-quality baking ingredients.[3] He is aware that the differences between French and American ingredients can affect the structure of his pastries as well as their taste. For example, French butter tends to have a higher fat and lower water content than American butter, and that slight variation can cause tremendous chemical complications in the baking process.[3] While Pfeiffer is prepared to adjust his recipes, he does not foresee the timing challenges that will require him to rapidly revise his wedding cake and sugar sculpture in time for the fast-approaching competition.
While in France, the film introduces two other competing chefs, Regis Lazard and Philippe Rigollot. Lazard, who worked at Gerard Cayotte's patisserie in Luxembourg, is coached by the pastry chef for French President Nicolas Sarkozy. This is his second time competing. Rigollot is the pastry chef at the renowned Valence restaurant, Maison Pic, which is the only three-star restaurant in France owned by a woman. This is Rigollot's first time competing.[3] Shortly after the 2007 competition, Rigollot opened his own pastry shop in Annecy, Pâtisserie Philippe Rigollot.
Following the preparation period, the film continues on to Lyon for the final competition. Over the course of three grueling days, the sixteen finalists meticulously assemble their buffets under the constant scrutiny of the judges, among whom are world-renowned pastry chefs
Philippe Rigollot's sugar sculpture collapses in the kitchen, devastating him and saddening the MOF judges, but he decides to soldier on and earns an MOF through high marks in the other categories. The other two main characters are not selected for the title. Jacquy Pfeiffer plans to take the test again and marries his girlfriend. Regis Lazard's future regarding MOF is not certain.
Pfeiffer opted not to take the exam again in 2011.[4]
Cast
- Jacquy Pfeiffer
- Regis Lazard
- Philippe Rigollot
- Sébastien Canonne
Production
Kings of Pastry is the first visual documentation of the competition, which had never before been captured on film. It was produced by Frazer Pennebaker (
Music for the film was supervised by Alex Toledano and scored in part by Sebastien Giniaux, who also contributed an original arrangement of "La Marseillaise." The soundtrack includes Django Reinhardt's "Keep Cool," "The World is Waiting For The Sunrise," "Menilmontant," and "Bricktop."[5]
Reception
Prior to its release, Kings of Pastry was screened at the
The film received favorable reviews from, among others, the
Chef Jacquy Pfeiffer
Following the release of Kings of Pastry, Jacquy Pfeiffer has been featured in a number of culinary publications and exhibitions. He appeared on Good Morning America, was named Dessert Professional’s 2011 Pastry Hall of Fame Honoree, and is featured at the Victoria and Albert Museum in London as part of the Power of Making exhibition.[9] Jacquy also coached the winning team at the National Pastry Championship, which will represent the United States in the 2012 World Pastry Championship. He continues to teach at Chicago’s French Pastry School.
Kings of Pastry and Education
In the opening scene of Kings of Pastry, French President Nicolas Sarkozy addresses the newly-honored MOFs at their initiation ceremony. He calls for a blurring of the line that has divided trade professions from their intellectual counterparts, and reminds his audience not to think of "manual knowledge to be less noble than academic knowledge, less capable to create wealth and well being."[2] Indeed, the dedication to their craft demonstrated by the Kings of Pastry chefs exemplifies the sort of lifelong commitment to learning and achievement that a vocational education can bring. These chefs sacrifice tremendous amounts of time and money to their profession in the hopes of achieving a level of knowledge that will forever distinguish them as the best in their field. Their perseverance and hard work reminds the film's audience that an education, of any kind, is never complete, but an evolving and boundless pursuit.
In the United States, vocational education is not often considered to be a suitable, satisfying alternative to a traditional academic curriculum.[2] Notwithstanding the high college drop-out rates that incur from the enormous cost of higher education, and the disengagement many students feel from their academic studies, American high school students are encouraged to enroll in traditional Four Year degree programs. Kings of Pastry documents an alternative to that approach, and captures a group of craftsmen who have found the type of success and gratification in their careers that is typically associated with higher degree professions.
See also
References
- ^ "rebecca - Kings of Pastry". kingsofpastry.com. Retrieved 29 June 2020.
- ^ a b c d "Discussion Guide" (PDF). Kings of Pastry. Point of View. PBS.
- ^ a b c d e f Pennebaker-Hegedus. "Press Book" (PDF). Kings of Pastry.
- ^ "POV - Kings of Pastry . Film Update". PBS.org. Archived from the original on 2011-07-05.
- ^ "Kings of Pastry Production Credits". Kings of Pastry. Point of View. PBS. Retrieved 2020-04-10.
- Huffington Post.
- ^ "Kings of Pastry 2010". Rotten Tomatoes.
- ^ "Kings of Pastry". Metacritic.
- ^ "Power of Making". Victoria and Albert Museum. Archived from the original on 2011-09-25.
External links
- Kings of Pastry at IMDb
- Official website
- Kings of Pastry on Facebook
- Why Apprenticeships Work, by Jacquy Pfeiffer