SLIFF 2010 Review: KINGS OF PASTRY

Review by Dana Jung

If you, like my family, enjoy the Food Network and shows like Chocolate Challenges and Sugar Showpiece, then KINGS OF PASTRY, a new documentary showing at SLIFF, should provide a satisfying 90 minutes of dessert delight.

The Meilleur Ouvrier de France (or MOFs, as they are affectionately known) is the highest order of pastry chef in a country known for pastry. The award is a red-white-and-blue collar that is earned through three grueling days of baking, cooking, judging, and creating sugary masterpieces that are very nearly works of art. Like the Olympics, the event is held only once every four years, and a limited number of applicants are chosen to compete. The MOFs are national heroes, greeted by the President of France just as our own Olympic champions visit the White House. The film follows three of the sixteen chefs who are vying for this rare prize and the status and recognition that go along with it.

The comparison to the Olympics is an apt one, as these chefs are not so much competing against each other as trying to achieve perfection. (Some chefs have tried 3 or 4 times — that’s 16 years of trying.) All the men have families who support them, friends and fellow chefs who coach them, and a dedication to their craft that is admirable. The sacrifices they make, and the toll all the practice and preparation takes on their families is woven throughout the movie. One wife emotionally recalls how their home was designed around a special kitchen in the basement where her husband spends all his free time to practice. When the competition is over, she says, “It will be nice to see my husband again.”

Of course, life is full of disappointments, and KINGS OF PASTRY does not end happily for all the chefs. Part of the competition is to precariously move their huge 4 or 5 foot creations made almost entirely of spun sugar from the kitchen, down a long hall, and to the presentation room. You cannot help but hold your breath for these chefs every step of the way, hoping that their delicate artistry will somehow make the trip.

KINGS OF PASTRY played during the 19th Annual Stella Artois St. Louis International Film Festival.