Jacquy Pfeiffer | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | 1961 (age 61–62) |
| Education | Jean Clauss Pâtisserie Baldung Grien College |
| Culinary career | |
| Cooking style | French |
Previous restaurant(s)
| |
Award(s) won
| |
Jacquy Pfeiffer (born 1961) [1] is a French master pastry chef and teacher. He co-founded the French Pastry School in Chicago, and co-authored The Art of French Pastry cookbook. He is the primary subject of the 2010 documentary Kings of Pastry .
Pfeiffer was born and raised in the small village of Marlenheim in the Alsace region in France. [1] [2] He learned to bake in his father's bakery. [2] [3] At 15, Pfeiffer became an apprentice at Jean Clauss Pâtisserie in Strasbourg, France. [1] [4] He studied food technology at Baldung Grien College in France, where he was named Best Apprentice [5] and received a degree in pastry science. [6]
Pfeiffer spent a year as a pastry chef on an oil tanker in the French Navy, [3] [7] and worked in several pastry shops in Alsace, including Chocolaterie Egli and Pâtisserie Naegel. [5] He then served as executive pastry chef for the Sultan of Brunei, who was at the time the richest man in the world; for the Royal Family in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia; and at the Hyatt Regency Hong Kong. [4] [5] [8] He moved to the United States in 1991 and became executive pastry chef at the Sheraton Hotel and then the Fairmont Hotel in Chicago. [4] [9]
In 2010, Pfeiffer received the Bretzel d'Or from the Institute of Arts and Popular Traditions of Alsace, recognizing Alsatians who preserve the arts and traditions of Alsace. [10] He was inducted into the Pastry Hall of Fame by Dessert Professional magazine in 2011. [10] Pfeiffer is a co-owner of Pierre Zimmerman's French bakery La Fournette, which opened in 2012. [11] [12]
The French Pastry School was founded in Chicago, Illinois, in 1995 by Pfeiffer and fellow master pastry chef Sébastien Canonne. The vocational secondary school was founded to teach traditional French pastry-making. [13] It is the only school in the United States dedicated entirely to teaching pastry. [6] [8] Pfeiffer serves as dean of student affairs and is also a pastry instructor at the school. [14]
The 2010 documentary film Kings of Pastry focuses on Pfeiffer as he pursues the coveted Meilleurs Ouvriers de France, the highest artisanal accolade in France, in a competition held once every three or four years in Lyon, France. The film was directed by Chris Hegedus and D.A. Pennebaker. [15] [16] In the San Francisco Chronicle review, Pfeiffer was singled out as "a wonderful lead character… understated, warm and intelligent." [17]
Pfeiffer and New York Times food columnist Martha Rose Shulman co-authored the 2013 cookbook The Art of French Pastry, which presents recipes and a detailed look at classic French pastries. It includes anecdotes from Pfeiffer about growing up in a bakery family, and lessons learned in his years as an apprentice. [3] [14]
The book won the 2014 James Beard Foundation Book Award for Best Cookbook in the Baking and Dessert category, [18] and the 2014 International Association of Culinary Professionals Award for Best Cookbook in the Baking category. [19]
Pfeiffer lives in Chicago and has one daughter. [20]
A pastry chef or pâtissier, is a station chef in a professional kitchen, skilled in the making of pastries, desserts, breads and other baked goods. They are employed in large hotels, bistros, restaurants, bakeries, and some cafés.
A financier is a small French almond cake, flavoured with beurre noisette, usually baked in a small mold. Light and moist with a crisp, eggshell-like exterior, the traditional financier also contains egg whites, flour, and powdered sugar. The molds are usually small rectangular loaves similar in size to petits fours.
The St. Honoré cake, usually known by its French name gâteau St-Honoré, and also sometimes called St. Honoratus cake, is a pastry dessert named for the French patron saint of bakers and pastry chefs, Saint Honoré or Honoratus, Bishop of Amiens. In 1847, it was invented by Auguste Julien, at the Chiboust bakery on Rue Saint-Honoré in Paris.
Jeffrey Adam "Duff" Goldman is a pastry chef, television personality, and cookbook author. He is the executive chef of the Baltimore-based Charm City Cakes shop, which was featured in the Food Network reality television show Ace of Cakes, and his second, Los Angeles-based, shop Charm City Cakes West, which is featured in Food Network's Duff Till Dawn and "Cake Masters" series. His work has also been featured on the Food Network Challenge, Iron Chef America, Oprah, The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, Man v. Food, Buddy vs. Duff, Duff Takes the Cake, and Duff's Happy Fun Bake Time.
Michael Carl Ruhlman is an American author, home cook and entrepreneur.
Nancy Silverton is an American chef, baker, and author. The winner of the James Beard Foundation's Outstanding Chef Award in 2014, Silverton is recognized for her role in popularizing sourdough and artisan breads in the United States.
François Payard is a former pastry chef at some of the world's finest restaurants, including Le Bernardin and Daniel in New York City. He was the owner of Payard Patisserie & Bistro, FP Patisserie, and FP bakery in New York City; he resigned as chief executive in 2016, and they closed after about a decade of existence in January 2018.
The San Francisco Baking Institute (SFBI) is a private, unaccredited culinary school in South San Francisco, California founded by Michel Suas and his wife Evelyne Suas in 1996. The school hosts bread and pastry classes for professional and amateur bakers, as well as baking instructors.
Kings of Pastry is a film by D.A. Pennebaker and Chris Hegedus that follows a group of world-class French pastry chefs as they compete for France's most prestigious craftsmen award: Meilleur Ouvrier de France, awarded by former French President Nicolas Sarkozy. The competition, which takes place in Lyon, France, features a diverse range of creative trade professions, from carpentry to jewelry design to pastry making. The honor of wearing the blue, white and red striped collar given to the winners is considered to be the ultimate recognition of excellence in the pastry field. The film focuses primarily on Chef Jacquy Pfeiffer, co-founder of Chicago’s French Pastry School, and one of the sixteen finalist chefs competing — the sixteen finalists were selected from eighty semi-finalists during the semi-final rounds that took place in the months prior to the final competition.
Marcela Luz Valladolid is an American chef and author. She was the host of the Food Network television series Mexican Made Easy, and a judge on the Food Network series Best Baker in America.
Antonio Bachour is a Puerto Rican pastry chef. In 2011, he was named one of the ten best pastry chefs in America, and subsequently won the 2012 Zest Award for Baking & Pastry Innovator after having been nominated for the 2011 award. Zagat has described him as a "confection master".
Johnny Iuzzini /u-zee-nee/ is a New York City-based American pastry chef, television celebrity, and cookbook author. He served as executive pastry chef at Daniel from 2001 through 2002 and at Jean Georges from 2002 through 2011. Iuzzini is the author of two cookbooks and was a judge on the first three seasons of The Great American Baking Show. On November 29, 2017, Iuzzini was accused of sexual harassment by four former employees and the third season of The Great American Baking Show was pulled after one episode.
Christina Tosi is an American chef and cookbook author. She is founder and co-owner with Momofuku of Milk Bar and serves as its chef and chief executive officer. Food & Wine magazine included her in their 2014 list of "Most Innovative Women in Food and Drink".
Roy Fares is a Lebanese-born Swedish pastry chef, author and TV personality.
The French Pastry School (FPS) is a vocational secondary school located in Chicago, Illinois, in the United States. Its courses cover pastry, baking and confectionery arts. The French Pastry School is a for-profit school, and the only culinary school in the United States dedicated exclusively to teaching pastry.
Sébastien Canonne, M.O.F. is a French master pastry chef and co-founder of the French Pastry School in Chicago. In 2004, he earned the elite title of Meilleur Ouvrier de France, and in 2015 was named a Knight by the French government in the National Order of the Legion of Honour.
Stéphane Tréand is a French pastry chef from Brignoles, France, Meilleur Ouvrier de France recipient, pastry instructor, and restaurateur residing in California, USA.
State Bird Provisions is a San Francisco restaurant founded by chef-owners Stuart Brioza and Nicole Krasinski.
Amaury Guichon is a French-Swiss pastry chef. He is known for his pastry designs and chocolate sculptures.