FILM-RELATED WEBSITES
Kings of Pastry
The filmmaker website for Kings of Pastry features updated news on the chefs featured in the film, as well as postings about screenings and theatrical runs.
Pennebaker Hegedus Films
The website for Chris Hegedus and D A Pennebaker's production company features a section on all their films, as well as a history of their careers.
RESOURCES
Culinary Societies and Competitions
Société des Meilleurs Ouvriers de France
Only available in French, this website outlines the philosophy, history and details of the MOF.
Académie Culinaire de France
The Académie Culinaire de France was founded in 1883 by Joseph Favre, a Swiss chemist living in Paris who had a particular interest in food. Today, its members can be found all over the world from the United Kingdom to the United States, as well as in Canada, Japan, Australia and the Benelux countries. There is also a French version of the site.
American Culinary Federation (ACF)
The American Culinary Federation (ACF) is the largest professional chef organization in North America, with more than 20,000 members and 225 chapters. It provides a range of services designed to enhance professional growth, including accredited educational programs, certifications competitions and networking. One of the many annual ACF competitions is for the title of ACF Pastry Chef of the Year.
"M.O.F. or Best Craftsman of France," Le Cordon Bleu.
This short article from the Le Cordon Bleu culinary schools explains the origin and mission of the Meilleurs Ouvriers de France society and the prestigious honor it bestows.
National Pastry Team Championship
This competition features up to 12 three-person pastry teams from the United States. The winning team goes on to represent the United States in the World Pastry Team Championship the following year. Teams have a total of 13 hours to complete a required list of elements, which are then judged by a panel of experts on artistry and technical merit, work ethic and hygiene and degustation.
World Chocolate Masters
With a history that stretches back over a quarter of a century, the World Chocolate Masters was created in 2005 out of a merger of Le Grand Prix International de la Chocolaterie, organized in France by Cacao Barry, and the International Belgium Chocolate Award, organized by Callebaut. Recently, the World Chocolate Masters has emerged as one of the leading culinary competitions in the world and an occasion for the world's greatest chocolate craftspeople to compete for national and international recognition as the very best in their profession.
French Pastry
Allrecipes.com: "Top 20 French Desserts"
This website offers a list of the top 20 recipes for French desserts (as rated by users).
French Professional Pastry Series, Roland Bilheaux and Alain Escoffier. (Wiley, 2998).
This classic series, translated from the French, provides a complete overview of basic techniques and applications for French pastry and is a standard text for professional pastry chefs. Volumes in the series cover topics such as creams, doughs, meringues, petits fours and chocolate frozen desserts.
Fox News: "Macarons, the Daddy Mac of Cookies," November 30, 2009.
This article catches up on the current macaron trend expanding throughout the United States. With the treats becoming more popular, one culinary school graduate set out to make the perfect macaron in order to draw some attention in Austin, Texas.
Desserts by Pierre Hermé, Dorie Greenspan. (Little, Brown, 1998).
Pierre Hermé is acknowledged to be the greatest pastry chef in France, and this cookbook divulges his recipes for more than 100 desserts, many surprisingly easy to prepare.
POV: Glossary of Pastry Terms
Have you ever wondered what the difference is between a coulis and ganache? Our glossary offers you definitions of the most delectable words you'll need the next time you want to sample the créme de la créme of French pastries.
Culinary School and Career Education
The French Pastry School
The website for the school founded and operated by chefs Jacquy Pfeiffer and Sébastien Canonne, MOF, features information about programs and classes.
Association for Career and Technical Education (ACTE)
The Association for Career and Technical Education (ACTE) is the largest national education association dedicated to the advancement of education that prepares youth and adults for careers. ACTE is comprised of more than 27,000 career and technical educators, administrators, researchers, guidance counselors and others involved in planning and conducting career and technical education programs at secondary, post-secondary and adult levels.
C-CAP Careers Through Culinary Arts Program
The Careers Through Culinary Arts Program (C-CAP) works with public schools across the country to prepare underserved high school students for college and for career opportunities in the restaurant and hospitality industry.
Cookingschools.com: "What to Expect as a Cooking of Culinary Arts Student"
Many members of the so-called "career changer" demographic of people in the 35- to 50-year-old age range tend to put an emphasis on flexibility and creativity, finding culinary careers appealing. This article examines the reasons these and other people are choosing to pursue culinary degrees.
The Christian Science Monitor, "Suddenly, Vocational Training Back in Vogue"
Challenging the common wisdom that attending a four-year college is the best way to find a job and achieve success, Daniel B. Wood investigates a renaissance in vocational and technical education in the United States.
PBS / NPR
NPR
"American Pastry Chef Introduces Her Culture to Berlin"
When a Columbia graduate needed a change after moving to Berlin, she decided to put American sweets on the map by opening up her own pastry shop.
Weekend Edition Sunday: "The 'Kings of Pastry' Are No Cream Puffs"
In an interview with Liane Hansen, Kings of Pastry filmmakers Chris Hegedus and D A Pennebaker discuss their film and the competition it portrays.
Weekend Edition Sunday: "Yum! The Sweet History of Sweets"
Writer Adam Gopnik gave up sweets to help his waistline. The lack of sugar led him to write about desserts in the December 27, 2010 edition of The New Yorker. He explores confections, pastries, spun sugar and the balance of sweet and salty.