Jacquy Pfeiffer (born 1961)Judy Hevrdejs
"Perfecting pastry,"
''

Chicago Tribune The ''Chicago Tribune'' is a daily newspaper based in Chicago, Illinois, United States, owned by Tribune Publishing. Founded in 1847, and formerly self-styled as the "World's Greatest Newspaper" (a slogan for which WGN radio and television ar ...

'', December 11, 2013. is a French master

pastry chef A pastry chef or pâtissier (; the French female version of the word is pâtissière ), 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, bi ...

and teacher. He co-founded the

French Pastry School 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,Ben Goldberger“New Chef ...

Chicago (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name ...

, and co-authored ''The Art of French Pastry'' cookbook. He is the primary subject of the 2010 documentary '' Kings of Pastry''.

Early life and education

Pfeiffer was born and raised in the small village of

Marlenheim Marlenheim () is a commune in the Bas-Rhin department and Grand Est region of north-eastern France. Twin towns Marlenheim is twinned with Bouillante (Guadeloupe, France). See also * Communes of the Bas-Rhin department The following i ...

in the

Alsace Alsace (, ; ; Low Alemannic German/ gsw-FR, Elsàss ; german: Elsass ; la, Alsatia) is a cultural region and a territorial collectivity in eastern France, on the west bank of the upper Rhine next to Germany and Switzerland. In 2020, it had ...

region in

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...

.Todd A. Price
"Renowned pastry chef Jacquy Pfeiffer visits New Orleans,"
'' The Times-Picayune'', January 28, 2014. He learned to bake in his father's bakery.Betty Hallock
"'The Art of French Pastry': Going deep in pastry making,"
''

Los Angeles Times The ''Los Angeles Times'' (abbreviated as ''LA Times'') is a daily newspaper that started publishing in Los Angeles in 1881. Based in the LA-adjacent suburb of El Segundo since 2018, it is the sixth-largest newspaper by circulation in the Un ...

'', December 18, 2013. At 15, Pfeiffer became an apprentice at Jean Clauss Pâtisserie in Strasbourg, France.Jacquy Pfeiffer with Martha Rose Shulman, ''The Art of French Pastry'', New York:

Alfred A. Knopf Alfred A. Knopf, Inc. () is an American publishing house that was founded by Alfred A. Knopf Sr. and Blanche Knopf in 1915. Blanche and Alfred traveled abroad regularly and were known for publishing European, Asian, and Latin American writers in ...

, 2013, p. xi. He studied food technology at Baldung Grien College in France, where he was named Best ApprenticeLori Fredrich
"A chat with world famous pastry chef Jacquy Pfeiffer,"

OnMilwaukee.com ''OnMilwaukee'' is a digital media company and online magazine that provides lifestyle and culture news about Milwaukee, Wisconsin. The site features approximately 10-15 articles, blogs and briefs each day, focusing on dining, arts and entertainm ...

, November 27, 2013. and received a degree in

pastry Pastry is baked food made with a dough of flour, water and shortening (solid fats, including butter or lard) that may be savoury or sweetened. Sweetened pastries are often described as '' bakers' confectionery''. The word "pastries" suggests ma ...

science."An Interview with Pastry Chef Jacquy Pfeiffer,"
Cooking Schools. Accessed May 10, 2016.

Career

Personal pastry chef, hotels and restaurants

Pfeiffer spent a year as a pastry chef on an oil tanker in the

French Navy The French Navy (french: Marine nationale, lit=National Navy), informally , is the maritime arm of the French Armed Forces and one of the five military service branches of France. It is among the largest and most powerful naval forces in t ...

, and worked in several pastry shops in Alsace, including Chocolaterie Egli and Pâtisserie Naegel. He then served as executive pastry chef for the

Sultan of Brunei The sultan of Brunei is the monarchical head of state of Brunei and head of government in his capacity as prime minister of Brunei. Since independence from the British in 1984, only one sultan has reigned, though the royal institution dates bac ...

, who was at the time the richest man in the world; for the Royal Family in

Riyadh, Saudi Arabia Riyadh (, ar, الرياض, 'ar-Riyāḍ, lit.: 'The Gardens' Najdi pronunciation: ), formerly known as Hajr al-Yamamah, is the capital and largest city of Saudi Arabia. It is also the capital of the Riyadh Province and the centre of the R ...

; and at the Hyatt Regency Hong Kong.Linda Avery
"The Art of French Pastry,"
WITF-FM, April 30, 2014. He moved to the United States in 1991 and became executive pastry chef at the Sheraton Hotel and then the Fairmont Hotel in Chicago."Chef Jacquy Pfeiffer,"
frenchpastryschool.com, August 27, 2014. 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."Kings of Pastry,"

PBS The Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) is an American public broadcasting, public broadcaster and Non-commercial activity, non-commercial, Terrestrial television, free-to-air television network based in Arlington, Virginia. PBS is a publicly fu ...

, June 21, 2011. He was inducted into the Pastry Hall of Fame by ''Dessert Professional'' magazine in 2011. Pfeiffer is a co-owner of Pierre Zimmerman's French bakery La Fournette, which opened in 2012.

French Pastry School

The

was founded in

Chicago, Illinois (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name ...

, in 1995 by Pfeiffer and fellow master pastry chef Sébastien Canonne. The vocational secondary school was founded to teach traditional French pastry-making.Ben Goldberger
"New Chef Will Help Pastry Level to Rise,"
''

New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid d ...

'', February 6, 2010. It is the only school in the United States dedicated entirely to teaching pastry. Pfeiffer serves as dean of student affairs and is also a pastry instructor at the school.Joe Gray
"Jacquy Pfeiffer nominated for James Beard award,"
''Chicago Tribune'', March 18, 2014.

''Kings of Pastry''

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 Lyon,, ; Occitan: ''Lion'', hist. ''Lionés'' also spelled in English as Lyons, is the third-largest city and second-largest metropolitan area of France. It is located at the confluence of the rivers Rhône and Saône, to the northwest of th ...

. The film was directed by

Chris Hegedus Chris Hegedus (born April 23, 1952) is an American documentary filmmaker. She and her husband, filmmaker D. A. Pennebaker, founded the company Pennebaker Hegedus Films. Hegedus was nominated for an Academy Award for ''The War Room'', a behind-th ...

and

D.A. Pennebaker Donn Alan Pennebaker (; July 15, 1925 – August 1, 2019) was an American documentary filmmaker and one of the pioneers of direct cinema. Performing arts and politics were his primary subjects. In 2013, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sc ...

. In the ''

San Francisco Chronicle The ''San Francisco Chronicle'' is a newspaper serving primarily the San Francisco Bay Area of Northern California. It was founded in 1865 as ''The Daily Dramatic Chronicle'' by teenage brothers Charles de Young and M. H. de Young, Michael H. de ...

'' review, Pfeiffer was singled out as "a wonderful lead character… understated, warm and intelligent."

''The Art of French Pastry''

Pfeiffer and ''

'' 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. The book won the 2014 James Beard Foundation Book Award for Best Cookbook in the Baking and Dessert category,Whitney Filloon
"Winners: 2014 James Beard Foundation Broadcast & Journalism Awards,"
Eater.com, May 3, 2014. and the 2014 International Association of Culinary Professionals Award for Best Cookbook in the Baking category."Cookbook Awards - 2014,"
IACP, 2014.

Personal life

Pfeiffer lives in Chicago and has one daughter.Kristine M. Kierzek

''

Milwaukee Journal Sentinel The ''Milwaukee Journal Sentinel'' is a daily morning broadsheet printed in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, where it is the primary newspaper. It is also the largest newspaper in the state of Wisconsin, where it is widely distributed. It is currently o ...

'', December 3, 2013.

Bibliography

* ''The Art of French Pastry'' - with Martha Rose Shulman (

, 2013)

References

External links

Biography at French Pastry School
{{DEFAULTSORT:Pfeiffer, Jacquy 1961 births Living people People from Bas-Rhin Pastry chefs French chefs French food writers Founders of American schools and colleges Chefs from Chicago James Beard Foundation Award winners Educators from Illinois American women educators 21st-century American women