Appropriately for a film about cake, Laura Gabbert's documentary brings a raft of different flavours to her documentary, which follows chef Yotam Ottolenghi as plans and brings to fruition a dessert-based celebration of the opulent court of Versailles at New York's Metropolitan Museum of Art in 2018. The trouble with flavours is, however, that if you use too many at once, it can spoil the whole batch. And Gabbert throws practically an entire spice rack at this. Part of the film concerning itself with the mechanics of the exhibition itself - who is involved, along with those chefs' backstories - alongside Ottolenghi espousing his own background and influences while also offering a historic grounding, through his interviews with expert Deborah Krohn, in the French court from 1682 to 1789.
It's a lot to fit into 75 minutes and while there's plenty here that is interesting, it's a shame Gabbert didn't distil things down.
It's a lot to fit into 75 minutes and while there's plenty here that is interesting, it's a shame Gabbert didn't distil things down.
- 12/22/2020
- by Amber Wilkinson
- eyeforfilm.co.uk
The Food Network & Cooking Channel New York City Wine & Food Festival presented by Capital One (Nycwff) returns for its 13th annual edition this Fall, October 2 – 11, 2020.
The Festival will look and feel different this year, but the commitment is unchanged – to support the New York City hospitality community and serve as a resource that connects people with world class chefs, restaurants and bars all while continuing the fight to end hunger for No Kid Hungry and Food Bank For New York City, whose missions are now more crucial than ever. With more than 60 events taking place over nine days, this year’s Festival offers a robust lineup of virtual and live programming including Behind the Burger Bash, Nycwff Goes Virtual presented by Capital One, an Intimate Dinner Series and an Online Wine Auction all for a good cause.
“As a Festival, we understand the power of food and its ability to bring people together,...
The Festival will look and feel different this year, but the commitment is unchanged – to support the New York City hospitality community and serve as a resource that connects people with world class chefs, restaurants and bars all while continuing the fight to end hunger for No Kid Hungry and Food Bank For New York City, whose missions are now more crucial than ever. With more than 60 events taking place over nine days, this year’s Festival offers a robust lineup of virtual and live programming including Behind the Burger Bash, Nycwff Goes Virtual presented by Capital One, an Intimate Dinner Series and an Online Wine Auction all for a good cause.
“As a Festival, we understand the power of food and its ability to bring people together,...
- 10/2/2020
- Look to the Stars
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 2020 has taught us anything that we didn’t already know, it’s that everything is cake. This roll of toilet paper? Cake. This pit bull? Cake. This human butt? Definitely cake. The realization that all matter in our universe is actually cake raises a handful of questions, some practical (is this review a cake?), and some existential (am I a cake?), and some historical — if everything in the present is cake, does that mean we can eat history with a fork?
As is so often the case, however, Yotam Ottolenghi got there first. The revered Israeli-born chef, restaurateur, and food writer has become one of the most influential cookbook authors in the world not just on the strength of his recipes, but also because he thinks of them as a link to the past — as an experiential way to reanimate faded eras through taste, smell, and any other sensations that books,...
As is so often the case, however, Yotam Ottolenghi got there first. The revered Israeli-born chef, restaurateur, and food writer has become one of the most influential cookbook authors in the world not just on the strength of his recipes, but also because he thinks of them as a link to the past — as an experiential way to reanimate faded eras through taste, smell, and any other sensations that books,...
- 9/25/2020
- by David Ehrlich
- Indiewire
Sundance vet Laura Gabbert is no stranger to the foodie world, having directed 2015’s City of Gold, which follows the Pulitzer Prize-winning food writer Jonathan Gold on his culinary excursions throughout LA. Now, with Ottolenghi and the Cakes of Versailles, Gabbert turns her lens to the other coast and across the pond, globetrotting through time and space with seven-time NY Times bestselling cookbook author and renowned restauranteur Yotam Ottolenghi. Though the Israeli Jew (whose business partner is a Jerusalem-born Muslim) is based in London, he’s invited by the Met to curate an edible, cake-centric exhibition […]...
- 9/25/2020
- by Lauren Wissot
- Filmmaker Magazine-Director Interviews
Sundance vet Laura Gabbert is no stranger to the foodie world, having directed 2015’s City of Gold, which follows the Pulitzer Prize-winning food writer Jonathan Gold on his culinary excursions throughout LA. Now, with Ottolenghi and the Cakes of Versailles, Gabbert turns her lens to the other coast and across the pond, globetrotting through time and space with seven-time NY Times bestselling cookbook author and renowned restauranteur Yotam Ottolenghi. Though the Israeli Jew (whose business partner is a Jerusalem-born Muslim) is based in London, he’s invited by the Met to curate an edible, cake-centric exhibition […]...
- 9/25/2020
- by Lauren Wissot
- Filmmaker Magazine - Blog
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
"You tell a story through a cake." IFC Films has unveiled the first official trailer for a G-rated pastry chef documentary titled Ottolenghi and the Cakes of Versailles, which first premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival earlier this year. Documenting the collaboration between world renowned chef Yotam Ottolenghi and the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, this feature film follows five visionary pastry makers as they endeavor to construct an extravagant food gala based on the art exhibit "Visitors to Versailles." Exploring the relationship between modern-day social media and the open court of the French Monarchy, the film studies the alarmingly cyclical intersection between food, culture, and history. From acclaimed filmmaker Laura Gabbert, Ottolenghi and the Cakes of Versailles perfectly captures the heights of human achievement and the frailty of decadence, adding taste as one more sense with which to experience the Met. This looks fun, but most of all,...
- 8/20/2020
- by Alex Billington
- firstshowing.net
If you can’t eat dessert, the next best thing might be to watch a dessert-themed gala. “Ottolenghi and the Cakes of Versailles” brings the dessert right to your living room. The documentary follows celebrity chef Yotam Ottolenghi as he recruits A-list pastry chefs to put on a Versailles-themed gala of food at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York. “Ottolenghi and the Cakes of Versailles” features chefs such as the James Beard Award-winning baker Dominique Ansel, “sensory magicians” Sam Bompas and Harry Parr, Janice Wong, a two-time winner of Asia’s Best Pastry Chef, and more.
Continue reading ‘Ottolenghi & The Cakes Of Versailles’ Trailer: Laura Gabbert’s Doc Will Make Your Mouth Water at The Playlist.
Continue reading ‘Ottolenghi & The Cakes Of Versailles’ Trailer: Laura Gabbert’s Doc Will Make Your Mouth Water at The Playlist.
- 8/20/2020
- by Brynne Ramella
- The Playlist
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
IFC Films has acquired the U.S. rights to “Ottolenghi and the Cakes of Versailles,” the latest documentary film from “City of Gold” Laura Gabbert.
“Cakes of Versailles” follows the London-based Israeli chef and cookbook author Yotam Ottolenghi as he preps to organize a food gala for the Met exhibit “Visitors to Versailles.” In preparation, he travels to the actual Palace of Versailles and is possessed by a child-like curiosity as he gets a glimpse of the French monarchy’s decadence.
IFC Films plans to release “Ottolenghi and the Cakes of Versailles” in September 2020.
Also Read: The New Look of Documentary Film in a Coronavirus World
The documentary was produced by Steve Robillard and Mohamed AlRafi and executive produced by Paula Manzanedo-Schmit and Original Productions’ Jeff Hasler, Ernie Avila, and Brian Lovett.
Also appearing in the documentary is the mastermind of the “cronut” Dominique Ansel, and together he and Ottolenghi...
“Cakes of Versailles” follows the London-based Israeli chef and cookbook author Yotam Ottolenghi as he preps to organize a food gala for the Met exhibit “Visitors to Versailles.” In preparation, he travels to the actual Palace of Versailles and is possessed by a child-like curiosity as he gets a glimpse of the French monarchy’s decadence.
IFC Films plans to release “Ottolenghi and the Cakes of Versailles” in September 2020.
Also Read: The New Look of Documentary Film in a Coronavirus World
The documentary was produced by Steve Robillard and Mohamed AlRafi and executive produced by Paula Manzanedo-Schmit and Original Productions’ Jeff Hasler, Ernie Avila, and Brian Lovett.
Also appearing in the documentary is the mastermind of the “cronut” Dominique Ansel, and together he and Ottolenghi...
- 6/26/2020
- by Brian Welk
- The Wrap
IFC Films has acquired U.S. rights to “Ottolenghi and the Cakes of Versailles,” a documentary about one Isreali chef’s attempts to recreate some of the French Monarchy’s most delicious desserts.
The film is the latest work from Laura Gabbert, who previously teamed with IFC Films on “City of Gold,” a look at the late food critic Jonathan Gold and his connection to the culinary scene of Los Angeles. “Ottolenghi and the Cakes of Versailles” will be released in September 2020.
The film follows Yotam Ottolenghi, the London-based Isreali chef and celebrated author of the cookbooks “Jerusalem” and “Plenty,” as he is enlisted by New York’s Metropolitan Museum of Art to organize a food gala inspired by the museum’s exhibit “Visitors to Versailles.” In preparation for the event, Ottolenghi travels to the Palace of Versailles to conduct his research. He teams with famous pastry chefs such as...
The film is the latest work from Laura Gabbert, who previously teamed with IFC Films on “City of Gold,” a look at the late food critic Jonathan Gold and his connection to the culinary scene of Los Angeles. “Ottolenghi and the Cakes of Versailles” will be released in September 2020.
The film follows Yotam Ottolenghi, the London-based Isreali chef and celebrated author of the cookbooks “Jerusalem” and “Plenty,” as he is enlisted by New York’s Metropolitan Museum of Art to organize a food gala inspired by the museum’s exhibit “Visitors to Versailles.” In preparation for the event, Ottolenghi travels to the Palace of Versailles to conduct his research. He teams with famous pastry chefs such as...
- 6/26/2020
- by Brent Lang
- Variety Film + TV
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
Great British Bake Off winner Candice Brown to make guest appearance.
Celia Imrie has signed to star in Love Sarah, a feel-good drama from first-time filmmaker Eliza Schroeder, written by Jake Brunger, an alumnus of the BBC’s 2017 New Talent Hotlist and BBC TV Drama Writers’ Programme.
The film is about a young woman who enlists the help of her mother’s best friend and her eccentric estranged grandmother to fulfil her late mother’s dream of opening a bakery in Notting Hill. It is now shooting in London.
Bill Paterson, Shannon Tarbet, Shelley Conn and Rupert Penry-Jones will co-star and Candice Brown,...
Celia Imrie has signed to star in Love Sarah, a feel-good drama from first-time filmmaker Eliza Schroeder, written by Jake Brunger, an alumnus of the BBC’s 2017 New Talent Hotlist and BBC TV Drama Writers’ Programme.
The film is about a young woman who enlists the help of her mother’s best friend and her eccentric estranged grandmother to fulfil her late mother’s dream of opening a bakery in Notting Hill. It is now shooting in London.
Bill Paterson, Shannon Tarbet, Shelley Conn and Rupert Penry-Jones will co-star and Candice Brown,...
- 1/22/2019
- by Tom Grater
- ScreenDaily
IMDb.com, Inc. takes no responsibility for the content or accuracy of the above news articles, Tweets, or blog posts. This content is published for the entertainment of our users only. The news articles, Tweets, and blog posts do not represent IMDb's opinions nor can we guarantee that the reporting therein is completely factual. Please visit the source responsible for the item in question to report any concerns you may have regarding content or accuracy.