“Kings of Pastry” (Directed by Chris Hegedus and D.A. Pennebaker, 2010)

Winning the collar to being named a Meilleur Ouvrier de France (France’s finest craftsman) is both a  dream and an obsession. “Kings of Pastry” tells the stories of passionate pastry chefs competing to be named as one of France’s top artisans. Hegedus and Pennebaker create a mouthwatering film that engages all of the senses, redefining what it means to be an artist.

After 70 contestants had been whittled down, sixteen remain in the race to being named a Meilleur Ouvrier de France (MOF). The film focuses on three dedicated and skilled chefs: Jacquy Pfeiffer, Regis Lazard , and Philippe Rigollot.  More than one person can earn the title of MOF, but the judges (who are MOFs themselves) must find contestants who uphold the values of the craft during three intense days of a nerve wracking competition. “It’s like the olympics, you have to be good on that day,” says Jacquy Pfeiffer. The contestants compete in three categories: presentation, cakes and pastries, and creating an intricate sugar sculpture.

Watching the intensity and immense dedication for the preparation for this competition is both inspiring and unsettling. Some of these chefs have built their entire lives and homes around this exam. Many of the chefs own their own patisseries, and when their work day is done, they go home and continue to create pastries to practice for the MOF.

Working with only edible materials, these chefs create dazzling and delectable works of art, that would rival the beauty of even a sculpture made by Rodin. “Kings of Pastry” shows that the chef’s dedication to their craft mirrors that of any other artist, and that they deserve the respect as well.

It’s difficult not to feel for these chefs. Watching Jacquy fervently readjust recipes before the competition is tense, and makes us want to scream out  watching him toss out an entire cake in frustration.

The latter part of the film focuses on the competition itself. The chefs are tested not only in their ability to make tasty treats, but to focus on their amount of waste and tidiness under a tight time constraint. Watching them contend in this exam is something way more important than anything you’d see on the food network. These people aren’t your Rachel Rays and Bobby Flays. This is the highest honor you can earn as a pastry chef in France. People who wear the collar of a MOF who have not earned the title can even be arrested.

“Kings of Pastry” is convincing and shows that these men are truly artists in their own right. The chefs are no different than any other artists. Their medium just happens to be sugar, flour and frosting. Hegedus and Pennebaker show us architects and scientists as well as artists. In this film we are reminded how important it to stop and appreciate the finer things in life. Why shouldn’t what we eat make us just as speechless as a painting by Monet or be as finely crafted as an award winning film by Coppola?

Reminding us of the emotion and patience that goes into any work of art, “Kings of Pastry” is more than just a film about goodies and cakes. This is a film about the fire that resides in all artists and the lengths that a person will go to to achieve their dreams. “Kings of Pastry” also successfully shows that making pastries doesn’t make you a cream puff. These chef’s have the backbone to make jaw dropping sculptures and try daring ideas, even if it may spell disaster.

RTA Thesis Pop Art

Since its inception in the late 1950s, Pop Art has been influenced and inspired by society. From Campbell's soup cans to Tony Abruzzo's comic strips, artists sought out culture, current events, and advertising for subject matter. Today, art and culture are experiencing a shift. Pop art was being reflective of culture, now culture is looking to artists for the creation of advertisments and endorsements. Art is determining pop culture.

Outline:

Intro
A. Breif history of pop-art. Context.
- What it is
- Where it came from.
B.  Idea number one: Art reflecting culture
- Andy Warhol's Soup Labels
- Roy Lichtenstein Comic Strips

C. Idea number two: The transition.
- Where did art begin to dictate culture?
- Andy Warhol's Beatles' Poster
-Art beginning to determine and become iconic as pop culture. Album Art?

D. Idea number three: Artists determining pop culture. Advertisements.
- Ridley Scott's 1984 Apple Commercial
- Wes Anderson's Hundai commercial.
- Paula Scher?
E. Tie togeter
F.Conclusion


Why did andy warhol make the soup labels?
Pop art reflecting culture rather than determining it.
Soup Cans
Comic Strips
Artists are explivtly given the matter to create
darkside sym w/pop culture even if it  wasn't associated with pink floyd. name of album etc.
--art work created for pop culture

drawing from orig sources to create pop culture

The Boathouse, Winona Lake, Indiana

The Boathouse, Winona Lake, Indiana

Winona Lake is filled with an array of fish including perch, bluegill, cod, walleye. To no surprise, The Boathouse is known for its extensive seafood menu and fine dining. As a vegetarian in the fish house, I thought I would have a hard time finding something to eat that isn’t french fries or a head of lettuce. The Boathouse was more than a happy accident, it was fate. I stumbled upon a restaurant with fine dining, great service, and mouth-watering meals.

I discovered The Boathouse on a girls’ day out on the way back from a road trip to Ft. Wayne. Becoming delirious with hunger, the next stop became the stop to get lunch. Usually food-crazed decision making results in eating at some has-this-place-passed-health-inspection sort of restaurant, leaving you saying the same words as Job Bluth: “I’ve made a huge mistake.”

The entrance to the restaurant was impressive. It was modern, but not overly fancy. I still felt appropriately dressed in my jeans and nice shirt. Being seated immediately, our waitress promptly served us drinks as she nervously mentioned that it was her first day.

Again, I don’t eat meat. And yes, fish does count as meat in my book. I don’t buy into the Catholic idea of meat, and the fish on Fridays thing. So, finding a filling meal that I could eat is sometimes a daunting task. Thoughtfully, The Boathouse had marked each vegetarian friendly item with a “v,” making my search easier. Looking at the menu, I saw the typical vegetarian go-tos. There were veggie burgers and salads, but these didn’t seem like anything special.

Then, what caught my eye, was the Ravioli Espanol, “filled with mozzarella, parmesan, and ricotta cheese, over a scallion cream sauce.” It sounded good, but I was skeptical. This was a seafood restaurant after all. “You don’t go to a steakhouse and order a fish,” is a common phrase, except I was in the fish house ordering pasta. Well, how bad could it be?

Waiting for our meals to be prepared, our waitress made sure that our glasses were never empty. If she didn’t say this was her first day, you never would have guessed. She brought out our meal and I was again impressed by the efficient service.

The Ravioli Espanol was nothing I was expecting, but the plate was not disappointing in the slightest. It was plated beautifully, creating a flower shape around the dish with the center being a stack of cherry tomatoes marinated in a tangy balsamic vinaigrette. This was much different than the ravioli I was was expecting because each of the pieces were breaded and baked, encasing the creamy mozzarella and ricotta cheese inside. The ravioli paired perfectly with the balsamic tomatoes, enhancing the rich flavor of each ingredient.

The cream sauce with scallions on its own didn’t have much taste, but teamed with the balsamic, however, it allowed the taste of zesty vinaigrette to spread easily to the other parts of the plate, giving a balance between lush and piquant. With everyone who had fish on their plate asking to try a bite, the dish was the belle of the ball at my table. For a split second, I was embarrassed that I had doubted the integrity of my meal, but it quickly faded as satisfaction took its place. The vegetarian has succeeded in the fish house.

Being a vegetarian can sometimes be a headache when it comes to going out to eat. It can even cause you to leave a restaurant because there are no menu options. The Boathouse was genuine and accommodating, and on my next road trip I would gladly make the stop again. I was lucky my food-crazed decision making skills led me to The Boathouse.

"Face Off", Syfy, Season 6, 2014

Face Off Review

Down to the final five, this week's episode of Face Off (The Industrial Revolution) is unlike any other challenge they've had before on the show. Testing their skills in fabrication, Daran, Rashaad, Tyler, George, and Niko are creating incredible robots. This challenge is unlike any other because the artists are given an extra day (four instead of three) to assure they have enough time to create these metal titans.

The episode kicks off, like always, with McKenzie Westmore introducing this mammoth challenge. The wrench is thrown in when McKenzie announces that each one of their robots will have a present day profession that has been futurized so there is no need for its human counterpart. The artists are then released to start sketching out a concept.

Niko has been assigned a construction worker, and promptly begins to create a bulky robot that resembles something you'd find on Easter Island. Donning an obnoxious light on top off its head, Niko's man of steel lacks luster and looks like an oaf. It becomes evident that the execution is a struggle for Niko as he glues the joints of his robot together leaving little to no room for his model to move, causing him to nearly start over as Rashaad has to give him basic pointers to piece it back together. Out of the five, Niko seems to have the least amount of skill and has spent much of his time in the bottom two, barely escaping elimination.  Each week another artist is slightly worse, moving him to the next round. This challenge is forcing Niko to bite off more than he can chew, and at this point in the competition, it is paramount to up your game.

George has been given the task of turning a hairdresser into an iron dame of the future. When George begins sketching his concept, he doesn't seem to realize that he's gone for the "lowest hanging fruit" (a mistake that judge, Glenn Hetrick, scolded eliminated competitor, Graham, for). George is seriously considering giving his chrome lady a pair of blow dryers in exchange for a pair of breasts. Not getting the hint that this design choice is tasteless, mentor Michael Westmore (Star Trek), thankfully puts the kibosh on this and suggests that George should sculpt one dryer. After struggling with nerve pain, George is worried about his place in the competition. Fearing his medical issues are a hindrance, he pushes on, determined to finish his robot.  Adding some cosmetic accoutrements, his Fembot of the future is ready for all beauty emergencies any future gal may have.

Tyler creates a medical specialist. Giving his robot a humanesque face to comfort patients while receiving medical attention, he makes the small mistake of fabricating a robot meant for a six foot tall model while his model stands a mere five feet. Consistently well constructed makeups and solid concepts seem to be Tyler’s forte, and he easily corrects his potentially disastrous error. His robot could easily fit in a movie such as Alex Proyas’  “I, Robot” or be an ally in an episode of Dr. Who.  It’s no surprise that Tyler has once again hit the mark for this challenge.

Rashaad makes a firefighter of the future and really knocks it out of the park. His man of steel is well crafted and adorned in scorch marks, a hose for extinguishing flames, and an eagle representing his firefighting squad of the future. Transformers pale in comparison to Rashaad’s veteran flame fighter. It’s almost as if the toy everyone fought over as a child is standing next to Rashaad. “I created a makeup that my son would want to play with as a toy,” Rashaad says easily making everyone else green with envy. The stature, profile, and sheer capability to create this piece leaves audiences and judges alike speechless.

Finally, Daran creates a photographer robot. Having no experience in fabrication whatsoever, Daran takes a crack at creating his unique robot. Normally known for his off-the-wall creations and concepts, Daran attempts to build a robot whose body serves as a camera. Unfortunately, it’s apparent that Daran is not a fabricator, but what is more unfortunate is that he doesn’t seem to want to be one either. Narrowly escaping elimination last week, the judges gave Daran a second wind, interested in what he would come up with next. Sadly, Daran’s metal man is camera shy, and relatively plain sporting minimal camera features and oddly lacking in concept.

Judges, Glenn Hetrick (Optic Nerve Makeup, Hunger Games), Ve Neill (Beetlejuice, Edward Scissorhands), and Neville Page (Creature and Concept Designer) greet the artists as they do every week as last looks grows nearer.  After showing off their labored looks, the judges determine that Rashaad’s tough firefighter is the clear winner of this challenge. Niko is in the bottom two (again!) along with Daran leaving George and Tyler safe to continue on next week. Coming down to Daran’s lack of work compared to Niko’s skill set, the judges struggle to determine who should be eliminated. When it becomes clear to the judges that Daran doesn’t want to learn how to fabricate, the choice becomes easy and Daran is sent home. Niko again barely slips into the next round, surviving another week.