The Richard H. Driehaus Museum, 40 East Erie Street, Chicago
3:30 - 5:30 p.m. (also on February 18 and March 17)
$165 (museum members) and $185 for all three sessions
As space is limited, advance ticket purchase is required. Tickets may be purchased online by visiting DriehausMuseum.org/programs or over the phone, by calling 312-482-8933, ext. 21.

Long before competitive culinary shows like Top Chef and Iron Chef, pâtissiers battled in the real-life, high-stakes Meilleurs Ouvriers de France competition. This winter the Driehaus Museum, in partnership with the French Pastry School of Kennedy-King College, Chicago, IL, presents a special three-part culinary program, Steeped in Tradition: The Kings of Pastry. Inspired by the 2009 documentary film The Kings of Pastry, which offered unprecedented behind-the-scenes access into the prestigious Meilleurs Ouvriers de France competition, this program features demonstrations by Chefs Jacquy Pfeiffer and Sébastien Canonne, M.O.F., co-founders of the renowned French Pastry School.

“This series will showcase the art and design of fine French pastry much like the Nickerson Mansion exemplifies the remarkable architecture and design that governed late nineteenth-century America,” says Driehaus Museum director Lise Dubé-Scherr. “We are delighted to partner with the film’s producer Flora Lazar and the French Pastry School Chefs Pfeiffer and Canonne, to present this unique program designed for pastry enthusiasts of all levels.”

In the first session, Chef Pfeiffer will demonstrate how to create the perfect cream puff; session two explores the luscious world of caramel; and the third session will teach basic sugar sculpture techniques. Each session includes tastings of sweet and savory fare, and attending pastry enthusiasts will take home printed recipes for recreation in their own kitchens. Participants will also receive a complimentary DVD of The Kings of Pastry for viewing prior to the start of the series. Flora Lazar, a culinary historian and the film’s producer, will give the introduction to each session.

“Chicago has become the finest center of French pastry education outside of France thanks to the efforts of Chefs Pfeiffer and Canonne,” Lazar says. “Watching these world-renowned chefs in action was an unimaginable treat during the filming of Kings of Pastry and is a rare opportunity for the Chicago public.”

About the French Pastry School

The French Pastry School of Kennedy-King College is the premier international institution of pastry arts education. Superb instruction, superior equipment, and top quality ingredients enable the co-founders, Chefs Jacquy Pfeiffer and Sébastien Canonne, M.O.F., to uphold an exceptional educational facility for all things sweet and baked. The French Pastry School’s team of award-winning instructors has grown to a faculty of many renowned chefs. Over one thousand students and pastry professionals are enrolled in hands-on classes each year in addition to the continuing education course designed for pastry enthusiasts.

About Flora Lazar

Flora Lazar, a writer, historian, and pastry chef, is the producer of Kings of Pastry and the owner of Flora Confections, a Chicago-based French confectionery. She spent more than thirty years in research and public policy, most recently at the University of Chicago, before pursuing a life-long dream of becoming a French pastry chef.  A graduate of the French Pastry School’s L’Art de la Pâtisserie program, Ms. Lazar has traveled extensively in France interviewing, observing, and writing about French pastry chefs. When she is not overseeing the production of hand-crafted French confections, she is working on a book about the Meilleurs Ouvriers de France.



About the Driehaus Museum

Steps away from Chicago’s Magnificent Mile, the Driehaus Museum is a fascinating and rare example of the palatial homes erected by the wealthy of America’s Gilded Age. The galleries are elegantly furnished with pieces from the most celebrated designers of the late 19th and early 20th century, such as Louis Comfort Tiffany and the Herter Brothers. These objets d’art are presented in harmony with the immaculately-restored interiors and surviving furnishings of the Samuel M. Nickerson Mansion, which was designated as a Chicago landmark in 1977.

For more information about the Museum, its collection or offerings, please visit DriehausMuseum.org or call 312-482-8933, ext. 21.

The program will take place in the Driehaus Museum Ballroom on Saturday January 28, February 18, and March 17 from 3:30 to 5:30 p.m. The ticket price of $165 (for Museum members) and $185 (for the public) includes all three sessions, tastings, recipes, and complimentary DVD.