The making of “Ottolenghi and the Cakes of Versailles” was as complex as the confections created by the renowned pastry chefs it focuses on — and the result is equal parts beauty for both food and film.
The IFC Films documentary (in select theaters and on demand Sept. 25) follows chef Yotam Ottolenghi as he assembles an Avengers-like team of pastry chefs to bring the splendor and beauty of Versailles, in dessert form, to New York’s Metropolitan Museum of Art for the opening of a special exhibit about the French palace.
Helmer Laura Gabbert had read Ottolenghi’s unique recipe books; when she heard that he was the subject of the film, she wanted to be a part of the project. “I just kind of knew that any documentary placing him at the center would be special,” she says.
Audiences see Ottolenghi traveling around the world, tapping Dominique Ansel, who...
The IFC Films documentary (in select theaters and on demand Sept. 25) follows chef Yotam Ottolenghi as he assembles an Avengers-like team of pastry chefs to bring the splendor and beauty of Versailles, in dessert form, to New York’s Metropolitan Museum of Art for the opening of a special exhibit about the French palace.
Helmer Laura Gabbert had read Ottolenghi’s unique recipe books; when she heard that he was the subject of the film, she wanted to be a part of the project. “I just kind of knew that any documentary placing him at the center would be special,” she says.
Audiences see Ottolenghi traveling around the world, tapping Dominique Ansel, who...
- 9/25/2020
- by Carole Horst
- Variety Film + TV
If you’re one of those people who’ve been using the pandemic to start working on your sourdough bread starter, “Ottolenghi and the Cakes of Versailles” might make you feel like something of a slacker. Or maybe it’ll send you to your local bakery for a to-go order. Or maybe you’ll just sit there watching it and drooling.
Whatever reaction it inspires, the IFC documentary from Laura Gabbert that opens in select theaters and on-demand on Sept. 25 will involve your taste buds more than a usual movie. Awash in impossibly elaborate desserts inspired by the French court of Versailles, it shows us a series of pastries or jellies that look too good to eat but too delicious not to. To watch it at home where you have to make do with whatever’s in the fridge, or in a theater where you have to wear a mask...
Whatever reaction it inspires, the IFC documentary from Laura Gabbert that opens in select theaters and on-demand on Sept. 25 will involve your taste buds more than a usual movie. Awash in impossibly elaborate desserts inspired by the French court of Versailles, it shows us a series of pastries or jellies that look too good to eat but too delicious not to. To watch it at home where you have to make do with whatever’s in the fridge, or in a theater where you have to wear a mask...
- 9/22/2020
- by Steve Pond
- The Wrap
During quarantine, perhaps you’ve tried your hand at baking some bread or pastries. A new documentary is now arriving that will offer some major inspiration to strive towards for your next culinary confection. Renowned chef Yotam Ottolenghi was asked by Metropolitan Museum of Art to collaborate on an exhibition entitled Visitors to Versailles (1682-1789) in which he would represent the famous château in cake form. The process was captured in Ottolenghi and the Cakes of Versailles, a new documentary by City of Gold director Laura Gabbert. The Tribeca and Hot Docs selection will now arrive next month from IFC Films, and today brings the first trailer.
Jared Mobarak said in our review, “Laura Gabbert’s companion film Ottolenghi and the Cakes of Versailles arrives to document the event and its myriad moving pieces while also allowing the general public a look at the splendor of what those lucky few enjoyed that June.
Jared Mobarak said in our review, “Laura Gabbert’s companion film Ottolenghi and the Cakes of Versailles arrives to document the event and its myriad moving pieces while also allowing the general public a look at the splendor of what those lucky few enjoyed that June.
- 8/20/2020
- by Jordan Raup
- The Film Stage
The choice of “medium” was easy for renowned chef Yotam Ottolenghi when asked by the Metropolitan Museum of Art to collaborate on their upcoming 2018 exhibition entitled Visitors to Versailles (1682-1789). Whether or not Marie Antoinette actually said the infamous line with which she’ll forever be entangled, the excessive decadence and bloody decline of the Château de Versailles as royal court cannot escape its confectionary marriage with cake. So Ottolenghi set his sights on selecting five of the most innovative and unique pastry chefs from his Instagram follow list to take up the challenge of embodying the period in sugar on a grand artistic scale at one of the art world’s most revered establishments. Billed as performance art, their creations would provide a two-night sensory experience.
Laura Gabbert’s companion film Ottolenghi and the Cakes of Versailles arrives to document the event and its myriad moving pieces while also...
Laura Gabbert’s companion film Ottolenghi and the Cakes of Versailles arrives to document the event and its myriad moving pieces while also...
- 5/14/2020
- by Jared Mobarak
- The Film Stage
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