Imagine spending four years of your life preparing for a competition that is so competitive only 16 people are invited to participate, it spans three entire days, and the winner is crowned by the President of France. If you’re thinking of a French Olympic team, good guess, but no. Athletic training is no match for the craft and skill required by French pastry chef’s who compete to win the title of Meilleurs Ouvriers de France (Best Craftsman in France) or more commonly referred to as MOF. The art of pastry is a serious profession, especially in France, and just like the Olympics, the MOF only comes around every four years and requires a serious level of dedication.
The intense journey to earn the title of MOF, and the red, white, and blue collar that comes with it, has been documented for the first time on film in Chris Hegedus and D A Pennebaker’s documentary Kings of Pastry that premiered in New York City last week. I had the pleasure of attending the opening night screening of the film at the Flim Forum last Wednesday, along with an introduction by the filmmaker’s themselves and MOF judge and FCI Dean of Pastry Arts Jacques Torres.
The film follows the journey of three of the 16 MOF contests, including chef Jacquy Pfeiffer. co-founder of Chicago’s French Pastry School, as they train, practice, and compete in what can only be described as the most nail-bitting, nerve-wracking, 84 minutes of film i’ve seen in quite some time. As you begin to learn about the dedication and sacrifice that these chef’s have endured to make it to the competition you can’t help but become invested in their success and hopeful that each one takes the title. When the competition begins, you are on the edge of your seat as each chef hustles to create a variety of sugar, chocolate, and pastry masterpieces in the three day window and attempts to walk each delicate, and oh so fragile piece to the judging area free from falls and disasters. Well that’s the goal anyway, you will have to watch for yourself to see how each chef fares.
Whether you love pastry, hate pastry, or could really care less about it all together, Kings of Pastry is a film worth watching. Human struggle and sacrifice, big or small, is a fascinating thing to observe on screen and witnessing people willing to risk it all in order to win a prestigious title will have you talking and give you a new perspective on passion. Kings of Pastry is screening here in New York City until September 28th, then moves on to a variety of cities across the country throughout the rest of the year.
To judge for yourself, check out the official trailer below and visit http://kingsofpastry.com/ to learn more and find out when Kings of Pastry is playing in a theatre near you.
KINGS OF PASTRY Theatrical Trailer from Pennebaker Hegedus Films on Vimeo.
Tara O'Keeffe