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Confections of a Closet Master Baker: One Woman's Sweet Journey from Unhappy Hollywood Executive to Contented Country Baker
A former Hollywood insider trades the Hollywood Hills for Green Acres and lives to tell about it in this hilarious, poignant treat of a memoir. As head of her celebrity sister's production company, Gesine Bullock-Prado had a closet full of designer clothes and the ear of all the influential studio heads, but she was miserable. The only solace she found was in her secret baking. With every sugary, buttery confection to emerge from her oven, Gesine took one step away from her glittery, empty existence—and one step closer to her true destiny. Before long, she and her husband left the trappings of their Hollywood lifestyle behind, ending up in Vermont, where they started the gem known as Gesine Confectionary. And they never looked back.
Confections of a Closet Master Baker follows Gesine's journey from sugar-obsessed child to miserable, awkward Hollywood insider to reluctant master baker. Chock-full of eccentric characters, be
Confections of a Closet Master Baker follows Gesine's journey from sugar-obsessed child to miserable, awkward Hollywood insider to reluctant master baker. Chock-full of eccentric characters, be
226 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2009
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October 31, 2017
Confections of a Closet Master Baker can be an abrasive, no-holds-barred memoir about the dark and impersonal underbelly of Hollywood, at times. At others, it is a poignant reminiscence and heartfelt cookbook by a woman who still mourns her mother.
I wouldn't call it "hilarious." This memoir is sarcastic and unapologetic about it.
"As a matter of fact, I have only two truisms that I apply to humanity. Never trust anyone who drives an Astro van. And never trust anyone who doesn't drink beer or coffee unless they have a doctor's note." pg 17, ebook.
All the same, I felt privileged to be allowed a glimpse into the highly-introverted life of a woman who described herself as so socially adverse that she believes she's "pathologically shy with severe misanthropic tendencies." pg 24, ebook.
I saw the title of this ebook and checked it out of the online library without noticing the name of the author. She kept mentioning, "my famous sister" and "Sandy." I thought, did Sandy Duncan have a sister? and then felt like an idiot when I enlarged the cover and saw the hyphenated last name. Duh, Heidi.
"Each year, I wrestled with the knowledge that no matter how well I did my job, no one looked at me as anything but "her sister" with nothing to offer but a fancy job title born of nepotism and access to a movie star." pg 100, ebook.
Gesine carries some serious angst about her Hollywood experience. She needed a life change, so she moved to Vermont and opened a bakery.
"No road rage, no cell phones, no fake tits or tans, no prestige handbags, no billboards, no stoplights, no braking, no traffic, no nothing. Welcome to Vermont. Just heaven." pg 13, ebook.
Serious bakers may find a lot to love as Gesine includes many of her customer favorite recipes after each chapter.
Personally, I loved learning about what it's like to have an A-list sibling. Gesine's story about baking Sandra's wedding cake was my favorite.
She also includes personal details about her childhood and relationship with her mother. "I saw the devil at age three and he gave me chocolate. It changed my life forever." pg 5, ebook.
A large part of the complicated relationship Gesine had with her mother was about food. Her mother was a German opera singer and a strict vegan. She adhered to a restrictive diet and ate foods that Gesine thought were disgusting.
Sadly, she died of colon cancer. Gesine is still devastated by that. Her mother did everything she could to exercise and eat right, and it didn't seem to matter.
Gesine seemed to swing the other direction and celebrate sugar, butter and all manner of naughty baked goods. Part of that is because she was raised on such a strict diet as a child. The other part is, baking is what she loves to do and how she shows love to others.
Confections of a Closet Master Baker is not for the faint of heart. Don't read it if you're easily offended because she doesn't hold back. I think Gesine would approve of this sentiment: if you can't stand the heat, then get out of the kitchen.
I wouldn't call it "hilarious." This memoir is sarcastic and unapologetic about it.
"As a matter of fact, I have only two truisms that I apply to humanity. Never trust anyone who drives an Astro van. And never trust anyone who doesn't drink beer or coffee unless they have a doctor's note." pg 17, ebook.
All the same, I felt privileged to be allowed a glimpse into the highly-introverted life of a woman who described herself as so socially adverse that she believes she's "pathologically shy with severe misanthropic tendencies." pg 24, ebook.
I saw the title of this ebook and checked it out of the online library without noticing the name of the author. She kept mentioning, "my famous sister" and "Sandy." I thought, did Sandy Duncan have a sister? and then felt like an idiot when I enlarged the cover and saw the hyphenated last name. Duh, Heidi.
"Each year, I wrestled with the knowledge that no matter how well I did my job, no one looked at me as anything but "her sister" with nothing to offer but a fancy job title born of nepotism and access to a movie star." pg 100, ebook.
Gesine carries some serious angst about her Hollywood experience. She needed a life change, so she moved to Vermont and opened a bakery.
"No road rage, no cell phones, no fake tits or tans, no prestige handbags, no billboards, no stoplights, no braking, no traffic, no nothing. Welcome to Vermont. Just heaven." pg 13, ebook.
Serious bakers may find a lot to love as Gesine includes many of her customer favorite recipes after each chapter.
Personally, I loved learning about what it's like to have an A-list sibling. Gesine's story about baking Sandra's wedding cake was my favorite.
She also includes personal details about her childhood and relationship with her mother. "I saw the devil at age three and he gave me chocolate. It changed my life forever." pg 5, ebook.
A large part of the complicated relationship Gesine had with her mother was about food. Her mother was a German opera singer and a strict vegan. She adhered to a restrictive diet and ate foods that Gesine thought were disgusting.
Sadly, she died of colon cancer. Gesine is still devastated by that. Her mother did everything she could to exercise and eat right, and it didn't seem to matter.
Gesine seemed to swing the other direction and celebrate sugar, butter and all manner of naughty baked goods. Part of that is because she was raised on such a strict diet as a child. The other part is, baking is what she loves to do and how she shows love to others.
Confections of a Closet Master Baker is not for the faint of heart. Don't read it if you're easily offended because she doesn't hold back. I think Gesine would approve of this sentiment: if you can't stand the heat, then get out of the kitchen.
December 20, 2009
I really wanted to say I enjoyed this book because I loved the entire concept. However, in order for me to really dig deep into a memoir I need to feel a sense of connection to the writer. I absolutley commend her for leaving a high profile job to follow her dream in becoming a professional baker. However, she just didn't sound like the warmest person and in some cases came across as down right arrogant. I began to wonder if she is quite the smart a-- and I am just not understanding her humor? Although, I then took into consideration that this is a woman who has just about everything there is in life, yet her outlook remained fairly negative and her continual slashes out on Hollywood, co-workers, customers, and people in general became irritating.
January 15, 2011
When I was given this book the first thing I asked the person who gave it to me was, “Why’d you get me a book about baking? I’m a vegan.” And I was told it was because from what she’d seen, the author loved baking; people, not so much, just like me.
I really started liking the book right out of the gate, with the mention of the nightmare inducing book Struwwelpeter, which my sister and I were also subjected to (by our non-German family) when we were kids. Bullock-Prado does a nice job of weaving in stories of her youth spent in Germany and the U.S., of how Hollywood seemed to suck the will to live out of her and how she found solace and sanity in baking, finally leaving California to open a bakery in Vermont. She discusses the ins and outs of running a bakery; sprinkled throughout we meet some of the cast of characters she’s come to know on the east coast. She even includes recipes which, according to her, are faithful to the ones she uses. For the most part I liked her snarky, better-with-flour-than-people personality (Though if you’re going to complain endlessly about Americans mispronouncing your German name, put the correct pronunciation in the beginning of the book!). After all of that, though, I do agree with at least one other reviewer who was a bit surprised at how the book ended; it definitely left me saying, “Wait, what?”
Why, then, did the book get two stars? She chose to bash vegans, which I’m used to. However, she had the…nerve to say she had nothing but love for vegans then proceeded to rant against us and describe how her mother, who supposedly lived much of her life as a dedicated vegan, went on an epic, animal product filled bender when she was diagnosed with colon cancer because she was angry that she’d been denying herself for so many years. It seemed like she thought describing it was getting back at us vegans. All that was missing was a “So there!” First, no ethical vegan is denying himself or herself anything. Second, I do feel for Bullock-Prado and what she went through with her mother (my aunt died in 2009 three weeks after she found out she had a tumor and she collected owls, which come up a lot because the it’s the store’s logo, so this book wasn’t an easy read at times), but I think she mistakenly lays blame and takes her anger about her mother’s death out on vegans. Despite the rant, and the fact that it fell between griping about sexual deviants and the fame hunters that come into her store (nothing but love, uh-huh), I decided to grumble every five pages but keep reading. Then, not 20 pages later, she says she gets offended when someone requests something vegan (though she later talks about a customer’s numerous allergies and doesn’t mind making a nut, dairy and gluten free cake for him) and, for the second time, mentions whipping her clog at a vegan’s head (With love, I’m sure. Bet she’d be thrilled to know I plan on veganizing at least one of her recipes.)
I’m quite sure this won’t bother too many people, and it would’ve been a three and a half star rating for me otherwise.
I really started liking the book right out of the gate, with the mention of the nightmare inducing book Struwwelpeter, which my sister and I were also subjected to (by our non-German family) when we were kids. Bullock-Prado does a nice job of weaving in stories of her youth spent in Germany and the U.S., of how Hollywood seemed to suck the will to live out of her and how she found solace and sanity in baking, finally leaving California to open a bakery in Vermont. She discusses the ins and outs of running a bakery; sprinkled throughout we meet some of the cast of characters she’s come to know on the east coast. She even includes recipes which, according to her, are faithful to the ones she uses. For the most part I liked her snarky, better-with-flour-than-people personality (Though if you’re going to complain endlessly about Americans mispronouncing your German name, put the correct pronunciation in the beginning of the book!). After all of that, though, I do agree with at least one other reviewer who was a bit surprised at how the book ended; it definitely left me saying, “Wait, what?”
Why, then, did the book get two stars? She chose to bash vegans, which I’m used to. However, she had the…nerve to say she had nothing but love for vegans then proceeded to rant against us and describe how her mother, who supposedly lived much of her life as a dedicated vegan, went on an epic, animal product filled bender when she was diagnosed with colon cancer because she was angry that she’d been denying herself for so many years. It seemed like she thought describing it was getting back at us vegans. All that was missing was a “So there!” First, no ethical vegan is denying himself or herself anything. Second, I do feel for Bullock-Prado and what she went through with her mother (my aunt died in 2009 three weeks after she found out she had a tumor and she collected owls, which come up a lot because the it’s the store’s logo, so this book wasn’t an easy read at times), but I think she mistakenly lays blame and takes her anger about her mother’s death out on vegans. Despite the rant, and the fact that it fell between griping about sexual deviants and the fame hunters that come into her store (nothing but love, uh-huh), I decided to grumble every five pages but keep reading. Then, not 20 pages later, she says she gets offended when someone requests something vegan (though she later talks about a customer’s numerous allergies and doesn’t mind making a nut, dairy and gluten free cake for him) and, for the second time, mentions whipping her clog at a vegan’s head (With love, I’m sure. Bet she’d be thrilled to know I plan on veganizing at least one of her recipes.)
I’m quite sure this won’t bother too many people, and it would’ve been a three and a half star rating for me otherwise.
July 12, 2010
5 stars might be a little much but I really, really enjoyed this. I read it in a weekend-no small feat considering it was my son's 4th birthday.
I took this book out from the library not realizing it was written by Sandra Bullock's sister. I'm not so dim that I couldn't have put two and two together-there was a "New Book" sticker over the top where the author's name was written and I didn't really look much closer until I finally started to read it.
I don't know that I would have picked this up as readily if I knew it was by Bullock's sister so I guess I'm glad I didn't find that out until later. Not that I don't like Sandra Bullock, I do, but I don't know that I would have chosen to intentionally read something written by her sister, especially in light of all the media attention the poor woman has been getting right now. I'm glad I didn't pass this one up.
Bullock-Prado had been living in Hollywood working for her sister's production company and baking for friends on the side. She eventually tires of the phoniness and decides she wants to spend all her time baking so she and her husband move to Vermont and open a bakery. Each chapter is about a different time of day in the bakery and it items that are baked at that time. She weaves in stories about her past life in Hollywood, her life in Vermont, her customers, and her family, especially her mother. She talks about the traditions and customs from their life in Germany and the desserts her mother and grandmother would make on holidays and special occasions. Bullock-Prado talks about baking as an expression of love and a way to honor her mother's memory. Each chapter ends with a recipe.
I almost feel like the book jacket didn't do this one justice. The way it was described I was expecting lots of lame stories about Hollywood with stuff about baking thrown in there as an afterthought. I was pleasantly surprised by how little there was about Hollywood-her life in the bakery is really the central focus. Bullock-Prado writes with warmth and affection for her family and the importance of tradition. Many stories are surprisingly moving-I feel like a got a lot more than I was expecting in this one.
I took this book out from the library not realizing it was written by Sandra Bullock's sister. I'm not so dim that I couldn't have put two and two together-there was a "New Book" sticker over the top where the author's name was written and I didn't really look much closer until I finally started to read it.
I don't know that I would have picked this up as readily if I knew it was by Bullock's sister so I guess I'm glad I didn't find that out until later. Not that I don't like Sandra Bullock, I do, but I don't know that I would have chosen to intentionally read something written by her sister, especially in light of all the media attention the poor woman has been getting right now. I'm glad I didn't pass this one up.
Bullock-Prado had been living in Hollywood working for her sister's production company and baking for friends on the side. She eventually tires of the phoniness and decides she wants to spend all her time baking so she and her husband move to Vermont and open a bakery. Each chapter is about a different time of day in the bakery and it items that are baked at that time. She weaves in stories about her past life in Hollywood, her life in Vermont, her customers, and her family, especially her mother. She talks about the traditions and customs from their life in Germany and the desserts her mother and grandmother would make on holidays and special occasions. Bullock-Prado talks about baking as an expression of love and a way to honor her mother's memory. Each chapter ends with a recipe.
I almost feel like the book jacket didn't do this one justice. The way it was described I was expecting lots of lame stories about Hollywood with stuff about baking thrown in there as an afterthought. I was pleasantly surprised by how little there was about Hollywood-her life in the bakery is really the central focus. Bullock-Prado writes with warmth and affection for her family and the importance of tradition. Many stories are surprisingly moving-I feel like a got a lot more than I was expecting in this one.
September 20, 2012
I don't mean to insult the author when I say this, but I suspect that the biggest reason this book was published is that her sister is (very) famous.
I've seen it written -- and I believe -- that memoirs are published for one or more of three reasons: the writing is brilliant, the author is famous, or the story is unique. In this case it seems to be fame-by-proxy.
It's not that the writing's bad -- the stories are cute. The story isn't tremendously unique -- lots of people switch careers -- but it could have been pretty interesting. I think I kind of expected the story to be more about that transition than it was, though...her being in Hollywood, making the choice to change paths, rather than that all being backstory.
In any case, the issue I had was that, cute stories or no, nothing happens. Career changes, her mother's passing -- all backstory. The most tension we get goes something like this: the chapter opens as the person manning the coffee discovers that they're completely out of soy milk, and it'll be impossible to make soy drinks and so on. Oh no! What to do? The author will have to (wait for it, wait for it) drive to the store, just like she does several times a week! End of lukewarm tension. Segue into cute-story mode.
(I have nothing against cute stories. I just like them better when at some point there's something at stake.)
So: meh.
I've seen it written -- and I believe -- that memoirs are published for one or more of three reasons: the writing is brilliant, the author is famous, or the story is unique. In this case it seems to be fame-by-proxy.
It's not that the writing's bad -- the stories are cute. The story isn't tremendously unique -- lots of people switch careers -- but it could have been pretty interesting. I think I kind of expected the story to be more about that transition than it was, though...her being in Hollywood, making the choice to change paths, rather than that all being backstory.
In any case, the issue I had was that, cute stories or no, nothing happens. Career changes, her mother's passing -- all backstory. The most tension we get goes something like this: the chapter opens as the person manning the coffee discovers that they're completely out of soy milk, and it'll be impossible to make soy drinks and so on. Oh no! What to do? The author will have to (wait for it, wait for it) drive to the store, just like she does several times a week! End of lukewarm tension. Segue into cute-story mode.
(I have nothing against cute stories. I just like them better when at some point there's something at stake.)
So: meh.
February 20, 2010
The alleged charm of this book was lost on me. The lauded opening, "I saw the devil at age three and he gave me chocolate. It changed my life forever," is followed by the clunker, "And in the end it was the example of unlikely angels and the power of confections that led me on a sweet path to happiness and grace in my adult life," to close out the first chapter. Shudder. That's oddly saccharine for a book you named "Master Baker" with bawdy intent.
Despite the structure of each chapter being an hour in the baker's day, Bullock-Prado struggles to reign her stories along that theme. Bullock-Prado employs a heavy hand with snark and manages to make pursuing one's true passion seem rife with drudgery (its subtitle, "One woman's sweet journey [...:] to contented country baker" is not the book I read). Much is hinged on the reader finding it shocking/hilarious/ironic that she started baking in LA, and baked goods are filled with CARBS and also eggs, butter and dairy, which are not VEGAN. Oh the horror. This book, not that tired trope.
Despite the structure of each chapter being an hour in the baker's day, Bullock-Prado struggles to reign her stories along that theme. Bullock-Prado employs a heavy hand with snark and manages to make pursuing one's true passion seem rife with drudgery (its subtitle, "One woman's sweet journey [...:] to contented country baker" is not the book I read). Much is hinged on the reader finding it shocking/hilarious/ironic that she started baking in LA, and baked goods are filled with CARBS and also eggs, butter and dairy, which are not VEGAN. Oh the horror. This book, not that tired trope.
December 9, 2017
Despite it's odd structure, so-so writing, and clear stink of privilege (I'm not too sympathetic to the start-up trials and tribulations of business owners funded and promoted by the Hollywood elite), I was sort of on board with this book. I always like a story about someone finding her calling and pursuing her dreams (even when those dreams are bankrolled by your sis). But I just couldn't get behind the weird chapter about Bullock-Prado's disdain for fat people and her attempts to make her baked goods "morally superior" to the processed stuff eaten by the random fatties who certainly aren't frequenting her shop *gag, gag*
November 11, 2009
Title: Confections of a Closet Master Baker
Author: Gesine Bullock-Prado
ISBN: 978-0-7679-3268-4
Pages: 223
Release Date: September 2009
Publisher: Broadway Books
Genre: Memoir
Rating: 4.5 out of 5
Publisher: As head of her celebrity sister’s production company, Gesine Bullock-Prado had a closet full of designer clothes and the ear of all the influential studio heads, but she was miserable. The only solace she found was in her secret hobby: baking. With every sugary, buttery confection to emerge from her oven, Gesine took one step away from her glittery, empty existence—and one step closer to her true destiny. Before long, she and her husband left the trappings of their Hollywood lifestyle behind, ending up in Vermont, where they started the gem known as Gesine Confectionary. And they never looked back. Confections of a Closet Master Baker follows Gesine's journey from sugar-obsessed child to miserable, awkward Hollywood insider to reluctant master baker. Chock-full of eccentric characters, beautifully detailed descriptions of her baking process, ceaselessly funny renditions of Hollywood nonsense, and recipes, the ingredients of her story will appeal to anyone who has ever considered leaving the life they know and completely starting over.
My review: "I saw the Devil at age three and he gave me chocolate. It changed my life forever."
The opening sentences of Confections of a Closet Master Baker guarantee this book will be a humorous, delicious and interesting story of a woman and her love of pastry. Gesine Bullock-Prado relays her life story and her history with sweets from a young age up until she is the master baker of her own shop. Every chapter details a part of her life and the significance of a special baked good. The author writes with humor and honesty, drawing readers in to her story and rewards them with the gift of a recipe at the end of each chapter. However, be warned: if you read this book while hungry, you may regret it. But you have the opportunity to try out your baking talents using the author's recipes, complete with details and extra instructions gleaned during the times she baked them.
The author adored sugar as a child. She was shy, awkward and quiet, not overly fond of people but extremely fond of sweets. If they were offered to her by a relative or caretaker, she would do almost anything they asked with little objection. Confections in the form of beautifully wrapped chocolates, gummi bears, marzipan and even store bought Oreos made her happy and for the first five years of her life, sugar was a regular part of her diet. But at the age of five, when Gesine moved to Arlington VA with her family, sweets were relegated to special occasion status as her now retired professional opera singing mother put the family on a vegan diet. In the author's words: "whole-grain tofu-laced, sucrose-free hell". Complete hell for a sugar-loving child, except on holidays and birthdays when her mother, the master baker, created wonderful sweets from her cookbooks. Goodies better than anything the stores had to offer.
The sugar-obsessed little girl grew up and moved to be near her sister, the actress Sandra Bullock, in Los Angeles. (I was unaware of this relation when I started reading the book.) Gesine went to law school and upon graduation took a job heading her sister's film production company. She doesn't flaunt her famous family connection but couldn't avoid mentioning it because of their close relationship and importance in each other's lives.
Although Gesine met her husband at a production meeting, made very good money and traveled first class to beautiful places, over the years the grown up woman was reminded of the self-conscious and awkward little girl, the one who generally disliked bi-peds. And eventually she came to resent and dislike the vapid, materialistic, self-centered, arrogant and unkind people in Hollywood she came in contact with on a daily basis. She was floundering , wanting to be happy and to like and understand people. But how?
A painful tragedy signaled Gesine's life on the road to change, a change that came about slowly, beginning the day she pulled out her long-ago abandoned cookbooks with notes scribbled in the margins by her mother, perfecting the recipes. And Gesine began to bake because:
"Back then in Hollywood, I was resentful of healthy living and becoming so emotionally guarded that I didn't trust the sincerity of anyone's motives, so I baked in search of balance and hope. And when I baked, the gentle sweetness and soft sponge of a well-made sticky bun soothed my growing bitterness at God and humanity."
Gesine was a closet baker at first, refusing to share her cakes, cookies, muffins and pies with just anyone. Fear of the health-conscious sugar hating masses of Hollywood stopped her from bringing her creations to meetings and sets. But there was only so much her family and friends could eat, so eventually she needed an outlet for the accumulation. She also remembered what her mother, never far from her thoughts, always told her: to live loud and proud. Once she began to share, the requests came in for a particular pie or a kind of cookie that couldn't be found on the West Coast. Gesine discovered that pastry, cakes and pies could make people happy. She had a talent that found the small, happy child inside every person and brought it to the surface. It was her way of connecting with people.
Gesine was content to remain at her executive position, baking after hours at home. But even pastry can't rid people of arrogance born of insecurity and ego-driven nastiness. She and her husband, Ray, periodically escaped to the East Coast for a break from LA. On one such trip they discovered Vermont, which reminded Gesine of the German country-side she loved. And soon they had themselves a pretty country house with a big fireplace and three beautiful dogs. Not too long after moving, with some encouragement Gesine and her husband bought a small shop and Gesine's Confectionary was born.
Ever-mindful of her mother and hoping to one day be the master baker her mother was, Gesine chose for the store logo a large gold owl, a reminder of her mother who was nicknamed Eule, which is owl in German. Gesine becomes more than head baker in the shop when her concern for and love of her employees and regulars brings out her maternal side, an aspect of her personality she believed to be defunct. The author devotes several chapters to regaling us with stories of her employees and her regulars. Some of the passages are laugh-out-loud funny, a few bring a tear to your eye, but all of them are told with love and concern from a woman who doesn't seem awkward or insecure anymore.
Gesine has to wake very early, dresses in "baker's casual", no more expensive suits, fancy shoes and $2,000 bags and spends 10 hours a day baking, beginning with the early morning bake which she considers not so much a routine as a meditation and a chance to make things better than the day before. In fact, she does a great job of telling us what goes into the every day life of being a baker without once making it seem boring or tedious. She injects a lightness and humor that lets us see into what's motivating her and how she sees her life, then and now. Often times I found myself fantasizing about doing the same thing!
She takes this time to think of the people she loves and has loved for so long. Gesine has found her calling, she's doing what she's supposed to do. Some days it's aggravating, occasionally things break down, orders go missing, cakes fall apart but despite this, most days life is pretty near perfect.
Confections of a Closet Master Baker is a story about love and happiness and following your dream. It's a wonderful book about relationships and being able to rely on the people you love and their influence in your life. Gesine didn't always understand the lessons she learned from her mother as a child and young woman, but as she worked to open a business and create her confections her mother's words came back to her. The author shares the ups and downs of following her heart to find her calling and the hard work required in relying on her talent to bring happiness to others. Gesine took the chance to break out of the life she knew to try something different and exciting and, in doing so, she found her nirvana.
Author: Gesine Bullock-Prado
ISBN: 978-0-7679-3268-4
Pages: 223
Release Date: September 2009
Publisher: Broadway Books
Genre: Memoir
Rating: 4.5 out of 5
Publisher: As head of her celebrity sister’s production company, Gesine Bullock-Prado had a closet full of designer clothes and the ear of all the influential studio heads, but she was miserable. The only solace she found was in her secret hobby: baking. With every sugary, buttery confection to emerge from her oven, Gesine took one step away from her glittery, empty existence—and one step closer to her true destiny. Before long, she and her husband left the trappings of their Hollywood lifestyle behind, ending up in Vermont, where they started the gem known as Gesine Confectionary. And they never looked back. Confections of a Closet Master Baker follows Gesine's journey from sugar-obsessed child to miserable, awkward Hollywood insider to reluctant master baker. Chock-full of eccentric characters, beautifully detailed descriptions of her baking process, ceaselessly funny renditions of Hollywood nonsense, and recipes, the ingredients of her story will appeal to anyone who has ever considered leaving the life they know and completely starting over.
My review: "I saw the Devil at age three and he gave me chocolate. It changed my life forever."
The opening sentences of Confections of a Closet Master Baker guarantee this book will be a humorous, delicious and interesting story of a woman and her love of pastry. Gesine Bullock-Prado relays her life story and her history with sweets from a young age up until she is the master baker of her own shop. Every chapter details a part of her life and the significance of a special baked good. The author writes with humor and honesty, drawing readers in to her story and rewards them with the gift of a recipe at the end of each chapter. However, be warned: if you read this book while hungry, you may regret it. But you have the opportunity to try out your baking talents using the author's recipes, complete with details and extra instructions gleaned during the times she baked them.
The author adored sugar as a child. She was shy, awkward and quiet, not overly fond of people but extremely fond of sweets. If they were offered to her by a relative or caretaker, she would do almost anything they asked with little objection. Confections in the form of beautifully wrapped chocolates, gummi bears, marzipan and even store bought Oreos made her happy and for the first five years of her life, sugar was a regular part of her diet. But at the age of five, when Gesine moved to Arlington VA with her family, sweets were relegated to special occasion status as her now retired professional opera singing mother put the family on a vegan diet. In the author's words: "whole-grain tofu-laced, sucrose-free hell". Complete hell for a sugar-loving child, except on holidays and birthdays when her mother, the master baker, created wonderful sweets from her cookbooks. Goodies better than anything the stores had to offer.
The sugar-obsessed little girl grew up and moved to be near her sister, the actress Sandra Bullock, in Los Angeles. (I was unaware of this relation when I started reading the book.) Gesine went to law school and upon graduation took a job heading her sister's film production company. She doesn't flaunt her famous family connection but couldn't avoid mentioning it because of their close relationship and importance in each other's lives.
Although Gesine met her husband at a production meeting, made very good money and traveled first class to beautiful places, over the years the grown up woman was reminded of the self-conscious and awkward little girl, the one who generally disliked bi-peds. And eventually she came to resent and dislike the vapid, materialistic, self-centered, arrogant and unkind people in Hollywood she came in contact with on a daily basis. She was floundering , wanting to be happy and to like and understand people. But how?
A painful tragedy signaled Gesine's life on the road to change, a change that came about slowly, beginning the day she pulled out her long-ago abandoned cookbooks with notes scribbled in the margins by her mother, perfecting the recipes. And Gesine began to bake because:
"Back then in Hollywood, I was resentful of healthy living and becoming so emotionally guarded that I didn't trust the sincerity of anyone's motives, so I baked in search of balance and hope. And when I baked, the gentle sweetness and soft sponge of a well-made sticky bun soothed my growing bitterness at God and humanity."
Gesine was a closet baker at first, refusing to share her cakes, cookies, muffins and pies with just anyone. Fear of the health-conscious sugar hating masses of Hollywood stopped her from bringing her creations to meetings and sets. But there was only so much her family and friends could eat, so eventually she needed an outlet for the accumulation. She also remembered what her mother, never far from her thoughts, always told her: to live loud and proud. Once she began to share, the requests came in for a particular pie or a kind of cookie that couldn't be found on the West Coast. Gesine discovered that pastry, cakes and pies could make people happy. She had a talent that found the small, happy child inside every person and brought it to the surface. It was her way of connecting with people.
Gesine was content to remain at her executive position, baking after hours at home. But even pastry can't rid people of arrogance born of insecurity and ego-driven nastiness. She and her husband, Ray, periodically escaped to the East Coast for a break from LA. On one such trip they discovered Vermont, which reminded Gesine of the German country-side she loved. And soon they had themselves a pretty country house with a big fireplace and three beautiful dogs. Not too long after moving, with some encouragement Gesine and her husband bought a small shop and Gesine's Confectionary was born.
Ever-mindful of her mother and hoping to one day be the master baker her mother was, Gesine chose for the store logo a large gold owl, a reminder of her mother who was nicknamed Eule, which is owl in German. Gesine becomes more than head baker in the shop when her concern for and love of her employees and regulars brings out her maternal side, an aspect of her personality she believed to be defunct. The author devotes several chapters to regaling us with stories of her employees and her regulars. Some of the passages are laugh-out-loud funny, a few bring a tear to your eye, but all of them are told with love and concern from a woman who doesn't seem awkward or insecure anymore.
Gesine has to wake very early, dresses in "baker's casual", no more expensive suits, fancy shoes and $2,000 bags and spends 10 hours a day baking, beginning with the early morning bake which she considers not so much a routine as a meditation and a chance to make things better than the day before. In fact, she does a great job of telling us what goes into the every day life of being a baker without once making it seem boring or tedious. She injects a lightness and humor that lets us see into what's motivating her and how she sees her life, then and now. Often times I found myself fantasizing about doing the same thing!
She takes this time to think of the people she loves and has loved for so long. Gesine has found her calling, she's doing what she's supposed to do. Some days it's aggravating, occasionally things break down, orders go missing, cakes fall apart but despite this, most days life is pretty near perfect.
Confections of a Closet Master Baker is a story about love and happiness and following your dream. It's a wonderful book about relationships and being able to rely on the people you love and their influence in your life. Gesine didn't always understand the lessons she learned from her mother as a child and young woman, but as she worked to open a business and create her confections her mother's words came back to her. The author shares the ups and downs of following her heart to find her calling and the hard work required in relying on her talent to bring happiness to others. Gesine took the chance to break out of the life she knew to try something different and exciting and, in doing so, she found her nirvana.
May 1, 2018
”I am searching for my car keys and I look out the kitchen window to see where the moon hangs. If it is just above our first ridge of pine, lighting my path to the barn door, I am making good time. Any hint of daylight and I’m screwed
This is a lovely way of looking at having to get up before the world. I only hope that the author is really referring to one particular early morning, not every time she has to be at her bakery by 5:00 in the morning. The story about the moon can only be true one day out of 28. The moon follows a cycle and you can’t count on moonlight early every time you go to work.
I know I am being picky, but I expect people to pay attention to the world around them. I want my books to be accurate if they are set in this world. So, when I encountered this quote, I almost quit reading this book.
I had already been taken by surprise with this memoir because I didn’t know who Bullock-Prado is and I certainly had no idea that Sandra Bullock is her sister. I picked up this story because it is about food. I enjoyed what Bullock-Prado has to say about baking, her mother and her move to Montpelier, VT. However, I am not conversant with a lot of pop culture. I now know more about Sandra Bullock than I ever needed to know.
All in all, I am glad I read this book, just a bit astonished by how it turned out. Serendipity is a good thing. If you are interested in baking, recipes and the Bullock family, this will be right up your alley.
This is a lovely way of looking at having to get up before the world. I only hope that the author is really referring to one particular early morning, not every time she has to be at her bakery by 5:00 in the morning. The story about the moon can only be true one day out of 28. The moon follows a cycle and you can’t count on moonlight early every time you go to work.
I know I am being picky, but I expect people to pay attention to the world around them. I want my books to be accurate if they are set in this world. So, when I encountered this quote, I almost quit reading this book.
I had already been taken by surprise with this memoir because I didn’t know who Bullock-Prado is and I certainly had no idea that Sandra Bullock is her sister. I picked up this story because it is about food. I enjoyed what Bullock-Prado has to say about baking, her mother and her move to Montpelier, VT. However, I am not conversant with a lot of pop culture. I now know more about Sandra Bullock than I ever needed to know.
All in all, I am glad I read this book, just a bit astonished by how it turned out. Serendipity is a good thing. If you are interested in baking, recipes and the Bullock family, this will be right up your alley.
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September 8, 2009Jackie says:
This book had me at it's very short but very memorable first paragraph: "I saw the devil at the age of three and he gave me chocolate. It changed my life forever."
Gesine (pronounced geh see neh--don't mess it up because it makes her crazy when you do) had a glamourous Hollywood life running a production company with her sister Sandra Bullock. Red carpets, "doing" lunch, meetings and schmoozing made up her daily life. And she was miserable. To make herself feel better, she turned to an old love, pastries. Specifically, making, even inventing, them. When, in a meeting, she referred to casting a movie as being like finding the right spices for an apple pie, she knew it was time to get out.
She and her husband Rick Prado (a movie illustrator and barista extraordinaire) fell in love with Vermont and decided to make it their home. They found an old general store, gutted it and it became
"Gesine's". It opened on Aug 4, 2004 to lines longer than anyone could have imagined thanks to a casual mention of the fabulous French macaroons Gesine makes (which are almond, not coconut) in an interview in In Style magazine. Well, that and the fact that Sandy manned the register that first day. Gesine stayed in the back, being a self proclaimed "socially retarded misanthrope", and followed her passion for baking. They might have come the first time to see a movie star. They kept coming back because Gesine is a magician with flour and sugar and chocolate.
Her passion comes through in her book as well. There are fantastic recipes in it, but it's the reasons and rememeberances, the stories and the history that really make this book something special. Gesine is rather blunt at times, but I actually admired her for her honesty and her wit. This is a book about the importance of baking, the love and
intention that goes into it all. It's also about the importance of sitting down with people, especially people you love, and enjoying fine things with one another in the middle of our too hectic lives. It's both a fantastic read and a fantastic cookbook--I highly recommend this book!
This book had me at it's very short but very memorable first paragraph: "I saw the devil at the age of three and he gave me chocolate. It changed my life forever."
Gesine (pronounced geh see neh--don't mess it up because it makes her crazy when you do) had a glamourous Hollywood life running a production company with her sister Sandra Bullock. Red carpets, "doing" lunch, meetings and schmoozing made up her daily life. And she was miserable. To make herself feel better, she turned to an old love, pastries. Specifically, making, even inventing, them. When, in a meeting, she referred to casting a movie as being like finding the right spices for an apple pie, she knew it was time to get out.
She and her husband Rick Prado (a movie illustrator and barista extraordinaire) fell in love with Vermont and decided to make it their home. They found an old general store, gutted it and it became
"Gesine's". It opened on Aug 4, 2004 to lines longer than anyone could have imagined thanks to a casual mention of the fabulous French macaroons Gesine makes (which are almond, not coconut) in an interview in In Style magazine. Well, that and the fact that Sandy manned the register that first day. Gesine stayed in the back, being a self proclaimed "socially retarded misanthrope", and followed her passion for baking. They might have come the first time to see a movie star. They kept coming back because Gesine is a magician with flour and sugar and chocolate.
Her passion comes through in her book as well. There are fantastic recipes in it, but it's the reasons and rememeberances, the stories and the history that really make this book something special. Gesine is rather blunt at times, but I actually admired her for her honesty and her wit. This is a book about the importance of baking, the love and
intention that goes into it all. It's also about the importance of sitting down with people, especially people you love, and enjoying fine things with one another in the middle of our too hectic lives. It's both a fantastic read and a fantastic cookbook--I highly recommend this book!
March 10, 2013
This is a wonderful little book which I savoured over two weeks (pun intended!). Gesine, the author has a passion for baking and using quality ingredients which is felt throughout the book. Each chapter of the book is an hour in the day of a professional baker, starting at 4.00am when she stumbles out of bed. At the end of each chapter she includes a wonderful recipe. The memoir is part reminising about her childhood in Germany, her German Opera singing, vegetarian, marathon running mother and how she hated her life in Hollywood(she is Sandra Bullock's sister which I didn't realise until I started reading the book). She now lives in Vermont and runs an amazing litle bakery producing the most mouth-watering pastries and cakes. The book was also very funny in parts and I liked her down-to-earth outlook on life. Anyone who likes to bake, is thinking of setting up their own bakery business, with family ties to Germany (the story brought back fond memeories of 3pm coffee and cake with my German aunties and uncles) or just feels like reading something a little different would enjoy this book. Off now to bake a chocolate cake with my son - yes, be warned you may bake and consume more than usual as a result of reading this book!
November 8, 2009
I loved, loved, loved this book. It's not just about the fact Gesine is Sandra Bullock's sister, or her life in Hollywood, or the pains of starting/running a bakery in Vermont. It's about family and making people happy with good food and the memories we all have when we smell something specific baking or cooking and how sometimes that smell can even hurt a little because we miss that person so much.
This book is lovely. Gesine sounds like several people I know--not a people person, but has some amazing talent that makes you like them anyway. I don't have a desire to meet her, but I so want to visit her bakery and try everything!
This book is lovely. Gesine sounds like several people I know--not a people person, but has some amazing talent that makes you like them anyway. I don't have a desire to meet her, but I so want to visit her bakery and try everything!
September 19, 2020
The author is the sister of Sandra Bullock. She leaves her high flutin' job in Hollywood running her sister's production company to settle in Vermont and open up a bakery with her husband.
Great little read.
Great little read.
February 22, 2021
This is a sometimes snarky but enjoyable memoir written by a lawyer-turned-professional baker, who happens to be Sandra Bullock’s sister. I discovered her tv show “Baked in Vermont” and proceeded to binge every episode. While currently in a transitional career period myself, I could relate to her feelings of burn out and dissatisfaction in the field she was working in, and desiring a more peaceful and fulfilling career path. While I don’t plan on owning a bakery, it has always been a dream of mine to professionally bake, and I’ve considered going back to school for baking and pastry art. I found this memoir at the perfect time. I love stories about people making their dreams come true by taking a leap of faith and following their heart- it’s so inspiring! The author provides a look into the good, the bad, and the ugly of being a professional baker while opening and operating her own bakeshop. There are a few interesting stories involving her famous sister too, if that interests you.
March 12, 2017
A surprisingly readable account of opening and running a bakery in Vermont. I do quibble with calling the author a "country baker" as her store was in downtown Montpelier, which is the state's capital and is home to 8,000 people. In contrast, I live in a town that doesn't have a stoplight. Bits of our dirt road keep washing into the creek. But that's a minor quibble.
What made this book so readable is not just that the author writes vividly and well, but she writes about more than running a bakery (a subject I admit I will never tire of reading about). She writes about her late mother, a German opera singer, her extended family and their lives in Germany. She writes about Montpelier, and why she left Hollywood. And the author does write exceedingly well, which never hurts a story.
There are recipes sprinkled throughout the book (I'm planning on trying the focaccia one this afternoon) and enlivened with the author's own commentary on how they should come out ("Opera cake is traditionally made with layers of almond sponge cake. Common practice is to soak the sponge with simple syrup; I think this is utter horseshit. Why not use a moist almond cake to start?") There are illustrations for each chapter, done by the author's husband, and they are really quite lovely.
The author's bakery is now closed, but I did wind up visiting it, accidentally, a few years ago. The ambiance was stilted and super-formal, with lots of open floor space and few tables. I was too intimidated to get more than coffee. It was decent but nothing special. Thankfully, the book is much better.
What made this book so readable is not just that the author writes vividly and well, but she writes about more than running a bakery (a subject I admit I will never tire of reading about). She writes about her late mother, a German opera singer, her extended family and their lives in Germany. She writes about Montpelier, and why she left Hollywood. And the author does write exceedingly well, which never hurts a story.
There are recipes sprinkled throughout the book (I'm planning on trying the focaccia one this afternoon) and enlivened with the author's own commentary on how they should come out ("Opera cake is traditionally made with layers of almond sponge cake. Common practice is to soak the sponge with simple syrup; I think this is utter horseshit. Why not use a moist almond cake to start?") There are illustrations for each chapter, done by the author's husband, and they are really quite lovely.
The author's bakery is now closed, but I did wind up visiting it, accidentally, a few years ago. The ambiance was stilted and super-formal, with lots of open floor space and few tables. I was too intimidated to get more than coffee. It was decent but nothing special. Thankfully, the book is much better.
August 11, 2018
I loved this memoir about Gesine Bullock-Prado and her baking life. It was interesting to see how baking became her life and she writes in such a humorous and unique way that it makes it hard to put this down. I usually don't have any problem putting down a nonfiction book. This made me want to see her show on Food Network and would love to visit her bakery some day.
August 3, 2022
I really like Gesine and was interested in how she made the big life decision to drop her law aspirations and hollywood job to become a full-time baker. I'm always interested in stories like this - how people make that big leap to something more meaningful. I enjoyed it, plus, she has a really great sense of humor. Enjoyed hearing more about her family, too.
August 7, 2018
I enjoy Gesine's baking show Baked in Vermont. I knew she had a career in Hollywood so I was anxious to read her story. She is a hoot. A bit harsher than I am, so in several places, I shivered a bit, but all-in-all it was a very interesting story. I know that the baking business is grueling and you really have to love it. On her television show, she makes baking fun.
August 18, 2021
Clever in concept but repetitive.
I did not like the author, which is a bit of an issue in a biography.
I did not like the author, which is a bit of an issue in a biography.
December 6, 2022
Love the recipes in this book!
May 28, 2013
This was one of those books sitting on my TBR for so long I had forgotten what it was about and why I added it. I vaguely knew from the book description that it was about a woman running a bakery who had a famous sister. It wasn't until the mention of "Sandy" that I realized, Oh duh, Gesine Bullock-Rrado is Sandra Bullock's sister. Thaaaat makes sense, what with the last name and the author photo where you can see the resemblance.
Still can't remember for the life of me why it was added to my TBR list, but it was an enjoyable read. Bullock-Prado is a proficient writer. And I’m not saying that in a snide or rude way. She’s not a professional writer and it shows, but she has a breezy enough style, the few anecdotes she relates she does well, and I thought the introductions to her recipes were actually the best bits of writing in the book, style-wise. I’d read Bullock-Prado's cookbook or blog.
On the other hand, Bullock-Prado has actually lived a really interesting life and really needs a proper memoir-writer to do it justice - a professional journalist or ghost writer. Instead, Bullock-Prado skims along the surface level of her life. I know she has a husband who she adores and is super helpful – but that’s about it. I’ve got no sense of personality from him except “good husband, nice guy.” I know she HATES Hollywood and thinks it’s a shallow, superficial, catty mess but the actual examples are few and far between. Tell me stories! And as much as I’d love more Hollywood gossip, I’d settle for just more day-to-day insight into what it’s really like to be an outside-insider – connected to fame, but still treated like the help by most people. Don’t just tell me people in Hollywood are judgmental and always peddling something – show me! The few anecdotes Bullock-Prado does throw in are great and she can write them well (like the time she went out to dinner with a group of people that helped make a big movie happen – and she was the only one not given a T-shirt, because she wasn’t considered important enough for even that).
The same thing happened when Bullock-Prado was in Vermont with her small bakery. Montpelier seems fun and quirky. This could be like Gilmore Girls' Stars Hollow or whatever other charmingly-weird-small-town reference point you want to use. But in this book there would be only a sentence or a paragraph about the regulars or the workers, which is a damn shame because some of them were really interesting. Tell me more about Everyone’s Favorite Regular – the grumpy old guy with the heart of gold! Tell me more about the crazy female worker who turned out to be a registered sex offender! Tell me more about what it’s like to live in a town with no law against public nudity! Make this town come alive!
There is also a lot more to be mined from Bullock-Prado’s family life. What’s it like to be the sibling of someone so famous? I get that you have to deal with crazy people trying to get to your celebrity sibling through you, but what else? I think Bullock-Prado handled the telling of how her mother died of cancer after doing everything “right” to stay healthy – organic food, marathons, etc., etc. – very well. But there might be something more there. And her father is barely touched on.
I would love to read a real biography of Bullock-Prado (or a fictional story based off her life).
Still can't remember for the life of me why it was added to my TBR list, but it was an enjoyable read. Bullock-Prado is a proficient writer. And I’m not saying that in a snide or rude way. She’s not a professional writer and it shows, but she has a breezy enough style, the few anecdotes she relates she does well, and I thought the introductions to her recipes were actually the best bits of writing in the book, style-wise. I’d read Bullock-Prado's cookbook or blog.
On the other hand, Bullock-Prado has actually lived a really interesting life and really needs a proper memoir-writer to do it justice - a professional journalist or ghost writer. Instead, Bullock-Prado skims along the surface level of her life. I know she has a husband who she adores and is super helpful – but that’s about it. I’ve got no sense of personality from him except “good husband, nice guy.” I know she HATES Hollywood and thinks it’s a shallow, superficial, catty mess but the actual examples are few and far between. Tell me stories! And as much as I’d love more Hollywood gossip, I’d settle for just more day-to-day insight into what it’s really like to be an outside-insider – connected to fame, but still treated like the help by most people. Don’t just tell me people in Hollywood are judgmental and always peddling something – show me! The few anecdotes Bullock-Prado does throw in are great and she can write them well (like the time she went out to dinner with a group of people that helped make a big movie happen – and she was the only one not given a T-shirt, because she wasn’t considered important enough for even that).
The same thing happened when Bullock-Prado was in Vermont with her small bakery. Montpelier seems fun and quirky. This could be like Gilmore Girls' Stars Hollow or whatever other charmingly-weird-small-town reference point you want to use. But in this book there would be only a sentence or a paragraph about the regulars or the workers, which is a damn shame because some of them were really interesting. Tell me more about Everyone’s Favorite Regular – the grumpy old guy with the heart of gold! Tell me more about the crazy female worker who turned out to be a registered sex offender! Tell me more about what it’s like to live in a town with no law against public nudity! Make this town come alive!
There is also a lot more to be mined from Bullock-Prado’s family life. What’s it like to be the sibling of someone so famous? I get that you have to deal with crazy people trying to get to your celebrity sibling through you, but what else? I think Bullock-Prado handled the telling of how her mother died of cancer after doing everything “right” to stay healthy – organic food, marathons, etc., etc. – very well. But there might be something more there. And her father is barely touched on.
I would love to read a real biography of Bullock-Prado (or a fictional story based off her life).
September 10, 2010
Note: If you are looking for this book in paperback, they changed the title. It's now called "My Life from Scratch." I've never seen that before, not sure why....
Gesine takes the reader through the day of a baker, starting at 3 a.m. and all the goings on during this time. Each essay ends with a recipe that she talks about making in the chapter, clearly written for even the novice baker. I found this book to actually be a love letter to her mother and the city of Montpelier, Vermont. A self described "Mama's girl," Gesine fondly speaks of her mother, Helga, who passed away several years ago from colon cancer. A German-vegan-marathon running-opera singer, Helga also was a baker, and Gesine feels closest to her when she is baking and running. This was very touching; it was apparent they shared a special bond that was solidified over flour, butter, and sugar. At 3 p.m., they would share a sweet and coffee. Montpelier, Vermont (where I grew up) is a quirky, little city and she lovingly describes the characters who become regulars and friends.
Her sharp-witted personality shines in this, ignoring people mispronounce her name (it's GAY-zeen-a, not JAY-zeen), and when customers give suggestions, like she should start making vegan cookies (she thinks about taking her clog off and throwing it at his head!) She admits her employees would keep her in the back baking, as she wasn't a people person.
(A gossip magazine aside, Gesine is actress Sandra Bullock's sister, and there is a chapter devoted to the calamity surrounding making her wedding cake. That was a bummer, since we now know the outcome of that union, but "Sandy," as she calls her seems quite sweet, and spent the first week the bakery opened helping her sister in the shop, much to the excitement of Montpelier.)
This isn't to say this book is not without its flaws. First off, each essay is written as a stand alone, which also makes for a lot of repetition. As far as I know, these are never before published essays, so I shake my head at her editor as to why certain people and scenes need to be introduced yet again. I also thought the ending was abrupt. First she is at the middle school during career day, next thing she is looking at her bakery and thinking about her next step in life. She did close her bakery in Montpelier, although I believe she has a new one in the southern part of the state. Every chapter felt like it had a natural ending; the last one felt like someone told her to hurry up and finish.
Gesine doesn't sugar-coat (pun intended) what it takes to run a bakery. It is hard work, very long hours. When you start to become successful, that means more employees, hence the loss of whatever extra income you would make. But for this cook, who isn't a baker, it was a fun look at a day in the life of a small town shop where friends and family can share a little sweet. I went to her bakery just twice before it closed, both times late Saturday afternoon, and only grabbed a cup of coffee. After reading about all her delicious treats, I'm sorry I didn't splurge a little!
Gesine takes the reader through the day of a baker, starting at 3 a.m. and all the goings on during this time. Each essay ends with a recipe that she talks about making in the chapter, clearly written for even the novice baker. I found this book to actually be a love letter to her mother and the city of Montpelier, Vermont. A self described "Mama's girl," Gesine fondly speaks of her mother, Helga, who passed away several years ago from colon cancer. A German-vegan-marathon running-opera singer, Helga also was a baker, and Gesine feels closest to her when she is baking and running. This was very touching; it was apparent they shared a special bond that was solidified over flour, butter, and sugar. At 3 p.m., they would share a sweet and coffee. Montpelier, Vermont (where I grew up) is a quirky, little city and she lovingly describes the characters who become regulars and friends.
Her sharp-witted personality shines in this, ignoring people mispronounce her name (it's GAY-zeen-a, not JAY-zeen), and when customers give suggestions, like she should start making vegan cookies (she thinks about taking her clog off and throwing it at his head!) She admits her employees would keep her in the back baking, as she wasn't a people person.
(A gossip magazine aside, Gesine is actress Sandra Bullock's sister, and there is a chapter devoted to the calamity surrounding making her wedding cake. That was a bummer, since we now know the outcome of that union, but "Sandy," as she calls her seems quite sweet, and spent the first week the bakery opened helping her sister in the shop, much to the excitement of Montpelier.)
This isn't to say this book is not without its flaws. First off, each essay is written as a stand alone, which also makes for a lot of repetition. As far as I know, these are never before published essays, so I shake my head at her editor as to why certain people and scenes need to be introduced yet again. I also thought the ending was abrupt. First she is at the middle school during career day, next thing she is looking at her bakery and thinking about her next step in life. She did close her bakery in Montpelier, although I believe she has a new one in the southern part of the state. Every chapter felt like it had a natural ending; the last one felt like someone told her to hurry up and finish.
Gesine doesn't sugar-coat (pun intended) what it takes to run a bakery. It is hard work, very long hours. When you start to become successful, that means more employees, hence the loss of whatever extra income you would make. But for this cook, who isn't a baker, it was a fun look at a day in the life of a small town shop where friends and family can share a little sweet. I went to her bakery just twice before it closed, both times late Saturday afternoon, and only grabbed a cup of coffee. After reading about all her delicious treats, I'm sorry I didn't splurge a little!
June 25, 2014
Once a high-powered Hollywood movie executive, Gesine Bullock-Prado was never very happy with her career. She used to sit in meetings and create recipes and grocery lists. Eventually, Bullock-Prado took control of her future by taking the plunge out of Hollywood and into Montpelier, Vermont, where she opened her own small bakery.
However, being sister to the famous Sandra Bullock, Gesine’s bakery, Gesine Confectionary, didn’t stay a small little sweet shop for long. In “Confections of a Closet Master Baker.” Bullock-Prado explains her decision to leave glamorous Hollywood for hippie-land, as well as give out recipes that go along with her tales.
Gesine grew up the daughter of an American father and German mother, whose parents did not always live on the same continent. Sometimes Gesine would live in the southern U.S. with her father, sometimes in Germany and Austria with her mother and that side of the family. When living with her mother, her diet was very restricted, including a ban on sugar of any sort unless her mother was in a generous mood.
Her mother loved to bake, however being a famous singer, she couldn’t afford to gain any weight by eating the things she created. She therefore didn’t want any kind of sugar temptation in the house, inadvertently creating a sugar hound out of her deprived daughter, Gesine. Gesine tells a story about going to a friend’s house and sneaking an entire bag of Oreos out of the house only to eat them all, then go on a sugar-infused rampage to rival nothing else seen.
Now the Gesine is all grown up, she and her husband took on the job of refurbishing the only shop available on main street Montpelier, making it the place where people go to get breakfast, lunch and snacktime in town.
She talks about getting up before dawn, working like crazy all day, going for a run after work, then dinner with her husband and early to bed so she can start all over again tomorrow. At times she sounds like an over-exhausted, over-worked, under-paid be-careful-what-you-wish-for, but she claims even though the bakery is just beginning to break even financially, she wouldn’t have it any other way.
She punctuates each chapter of storytelling with a recipes, often one she relates to her authentic German childhood. I personally cannot wait to try out the Espresso Cheesecake recipe, perhaps over the holidays this year. Not really a cookbook, more than just a novel, really an entertaining story, however Gesine found time in her busy schedule to get this book written, I’m glad she did.
However, being sister to the famous Sandra Bullock, Gesine’s bakery, Gesine Confectionary, didn’t stay a small little sweet shop for long. In “Confections of a Closet Master Baker.” Bullock-Prado explains her decision to leave glamorous Hollywood for hippie-land, as well as give out recipes that go along with her tales.
Gesine grew up the daughter of an American father and German mother, whose parents did not always live on the same continent. Sometimes Gesine would live in the southern U.S. with her father, sometimes in Germany and Austria with her mother and that side of the family. When living with her mother, her diet was very restricted, including a ban on sugar of any sort unless her mother was in a generous mood.
Her mother loved to bake, however being a famous singer, she couldn’t afford to gain any weight by eating the things she created. She therefore didn’t want any kind of sugar temptation in the house, inadvertently creating a sugar hound out of her deprived daughter, Gesine. Gesine tells a story about going to a friend’s house and sneaking an entire bag of Oreos out of the house only to eat them all, then go on a sugar-infused rampage to rival nothing else seen.
Now the Gesine is all grown up, she and her husband took on the job of refurbishing the only shop available on main street Montpelier, making it the place where people go to get breakfast, lunch and snacktime in town.
She talks about getting up before dawn, working like crazy all day, going for a run after work, then dinner with her husband and early to bed so she can start all over again tomorrow. At times she sounds like an over-exhausted, over-worked, under-paid be-careful-what-you-wish-for, but she claims even though the bakery is just beginning to break even financially, she wouldn’t have it any other way.
She punctuates each chapter of storytelling with a recipes, often one she relates to her authentic German childhood. I personally cannot wait to try out the Espresso Cheesecake recipe, perhaps over the holidays this year. Not really a cookbook, more than just a novel, really an entertaining story, however Gesine found time in her busy schedule to get this book written, I’m glad she did.
March 5, 2013
I've been reading baking memoirs lately, since I've been madly fantasizing about taking my present wild infatuation with home baking and turning pro. Could I really start a cake bakery in my town? Buy a catering truck and go mobile? Become a doughnut king? The first book I tried, entitled "The (Faux) Pastry Chef," was an utter dud, written by a woman who had some industrial baking jobs and felt the need to complain about every single place she ever worked, with mesmerizing details of her workers comp claims. So it was with some trepidation that I tried this one (recently reissued as "My Life From Scratch" -- apparently the publisher didn't think the "master baker" line would, um, play with a mass audience). I found it while searching for recipes and stumbling upon gesine.com, the author's website, with some truly stunning cakes and things to make. And it turns out that I was absolutely thrilled with this book. It's about how she chucked her life in the movie business in LA for her love of baking, a move to Vermont, and the opening of a cake and pastry shop that by all accounts was a huge success. She's a funny, frank writer, a little raw, with a nice emotional backdrop to her story when she writes about her late mother and aunts who introduced her to European cakes and desserts during her childhood. And the love of baking ("I get to play with flour, sugar and butter every day") comes through on every page. As does the loathing of the frantic LA life and entertainment business, both of which also speak to me as a former Angeleno, albeit briefly. And the recipes at the end of every chapter are fabulous and have me hitting the kitchen hard again. All in all, an uplifting baking experience and well worth the read.
November 3, 2012
My friend Glenda recommended it, but I wish I had found it before getting a diagnosis of hypoglycemia. Oh, my. So much white flour, butter and sugar. I skipped the recipes and focused on Gesine's cranky wit. As someone who has perfected the art of kvetching myself, I appreciate her world view. She's a bookish gal, so she does a good job creating a word-wrought path into the mind of a baking artist. I could never live her life, but I admire the passion and dedication she brings to her bakery business. I bow with respect to all bakers. Thank you for sacrificing so much in order to satisfied the cravings of a sweet tooth.
Gesine also does a good job memorializing a number of people: her larger-than-life late mother, the townies with their particular quirks, a number of nameless (for privacy) faceless (thanks to botox) characters from her loathsome days in Hollywood, and her bakery staff. Less fleshed out is her sister, Sandra Bullock, who makes occaisional appearances. But "Sandy" is always a bit removed, a bit iconic, a bit one-dimensional. I believe that Gesine has deep respect for her sister, so she doesn't sell her out by providing very scant detail. But Gesine puts front and center her struggles to achieve her own identity in her sister's shadow. I do think that she has found a place and a profession that is all her own, but one that Sandra supports but doesn't appropriate.
A great book about remaking yourself by following your bliss. I admire you, Gesine! If I'm ever in Montpelier, I'll stop by and pay my respects while paying my upulsively large tab.
Gesine also does a good job memorializing a number of people: her larger-than-life late mother, the townies with their particular quirks, a number of nameless (for privacy) faceless (thanks to botox) characters from her loathsome days in Hollywood, and her bakery staff. Less fleshed out is her sister, Sandra Bullock, who makes occaisional appearances. But "Sandy" is always a bit removed, a bit iconic, a bit one-dimensional. I believe that Gesine has deep respect for her sister, so she doesn't sell her out by providing very scant detail. But Gesine puts front and center her struggles to achieve her own identity in her sister's shadow. I do think that she has found a place and a profession that is all her own, but one that Sandra supports but doesn't appropriate.
A great book about remaking yourself by following your bliss. I admire you, Gesine! If I'm ever in Montpelier, I'll stop by and pay my respects while paying my upulsively large tab.
August 16, 2012
I was wandering through the bookstore one night last December. Picking up gifts here and there, looking for nothing in particular. At the end of my trip, just as the store was about to close, I went to make my final purchases. I was tired, I was in a hurry ... and this book called to me from the little stand by the cash register. It said to me, quite plainly, "You need me."
I bought it in an instant. Without thinking, without even fully reading the back cover. Simply by the title and the feel of the paperback in my hand, I knew that this book was exactly what I needed. I was starting over. I was building my life from scratch.
Gesine Bullock-Prado's unique memoir was everything I thought it would be, and much, much more. This odd little collection of stories visits the life she once had, and the life she is living and loving now. Each chapter ends with a recipe that perfectly compliments that section of the book. They are the butter-cream frosting on the top of the perfect red-velvet cupcake of a chapter.
If you have ever had to start over, this book is for you. If you have ever been scared to jump into something new, to leave the comfort of your life behind to pursue your real passion, then take a journey with this tasty little morsel. And satisfy your sweet-tooth with Gesine's brilliant recipes. You won't be disappointed.
I bought it in an instant. Without thinking, without even fully reading the back cover. Simply by the title and the feel of the paperback in my hand, I knew that this book was exactly what I needed. I was starting over. I was building my life from scratch.
Gesine Bullock-Prado's unique memoir was everything I thought it would be, and much, much more. This odd little collection of stories visits the life she once had, and the life she is living and loving now. Each chapter ends with a recipe that perfectly compliments that section of the book. They are the butter-cream frosting on the top of the perfect red-velvet cupcake of a chapter.
If you have ever had to start over, this book is for you. If you have ever been scared to jump into something new, to leave the comfort of your life behind to pursue your real passion, then take a journey with this tasty little morsel. And satisfy your sweet-tooth with Gesine's brilliant recipes. You won't be disappointed.
June 4, 2013
I didn't realize initially that this is written by Sandra Bullock's sister, or that the 'Sandy' in the book referred to her. I mention this up front because it really doesn't matter. While Sandra Bullock is mentioned, it is only through the natural course of Gesine telling the tale of how she started her bakery. Name-dropping can be annoying at best and gratuitous and nauseating at worst, but this never felt like name-dropping, I'm happy to say.
Gesine has a lovely writing style, and a sharp wit that I liked. It's easy to read, it connects you to what she's feeling and brings you into the story. I applaud her for breaking out of the difficult and stressful life that is working in the movie business, and going forward with an entirely different type of life. While the small food business is also fraught with difficulties and stress, it's of a different sort, and the reader can really tell how much Gesine loves what she does now.
Gesine describes herself and everyone in her book so well, I feel like I know them too. I liked reading about her childhood, and the stories behind the included recipes. I haven't yet made any, but I hope to do so one day.
Long live Gesine and her macaroons!
Gesine has a lovely writing style, and a sharp wit that I liked. It's easy to read, it connects you to what she's feeling and brings you into the story. I applaud her for breaking out of the difficult and stressful life that is working in the movie business, and going forward with an entirely different type of life. While the small food business is also fraught with difficulties and stress, it's of a different sort, and the reader can really tell how much Gesine loves what she does now.
Gesine describes herself and everyone in her book so well, I feel like I know them too. I liked reading about her childhood, and the stories behind the included recipes. I haven't yet made any, but I hope to do so one day.
Long live Gesine and her macaroons!
July 17, 2014
A charming little baking memoir by Sandra Bullock's own sister, Gesine, who quit her job as a high-power Hollywood exec and pursued her dream of owning a bakery in Vermont. I enjoyed the narrative of Bullock-Prado's book and how she structured it, and some of her observations, though spoken with a somewhat opinionated bite, I felt were dead-on (I loved her response to vegans, personally). There were many of her memories I found myself nodding my head with in complete understanding - I loved the story of the 3:00 pm ritual of cake and coffee with her grandmother, because I enjoyed much of the same tradition myself, growing up. It's a fun read for anyone looking for a little more flour, butter, sugar, and eggs in their life - like yours truly - perhaps as a full-time job, but Bullock-Prado doesn't exactly sugar-coat it either: she rather emphatically states that it is hard work. That said, she undeniably feels lucky to be in her dream job - and her love of baking is evident in her words and infectious to anyone with even the slightest baking inclinations. An enjoyable, quick read with some yummy-sounding recipes sprinkled throughout. I want to attempt that plum tart...
July 13, 2009
This book wasn't what I expected.
I was expecting a self-absorbed, boutique-ey book about someone who fancied themselves a baker.
Instead I was plunged into Gesine Bullock-Prado's memoir of her exodus from the shallow Hollywood world she had found herself in, to a self-created temple of baking delight in Montpelier, Vermont.
This is DEEP baking. Her grasp of why baking matters, what in means to the baker and the consumer, is breathtaking. There is sadness, joy, excitement, boredom,and life here. There are crazy coffee shop regulars and beloved dogs. There is family, roommates, hospital stays and holiday meals. There are trips to bakeries in Vienna and the morning ritual at home. And there are recipes.
It's a measure of how I feel about this book that I seriously want to make all the recipes in it. (Usually recipes in books aren't very tempting to me.) While there are a few people I'd like to pass this on to, they're not going to see it - I've got some baking to do...
I was expecting a self-absorbed, boutique-ey book about someone who fancied themselves a baker.
Instead I was plunged into Gesine Bullock-Prado's memoir of her exodus from the shallow Hollywood world she had found herself in, to a self-created temple of baking delight in Montpelier, Vermont.
This is DEEP baking. Her grasp of why baking matters, what in means to the baker and the consumer, is breathtaking. There is sadness, joy, excitement, boredom,and life here. There are crazy coffee shop regulars and beloved dogs. There is family, roommates, hospital stays and holiday meals. There are trips to bakeries in Vienna and the morning ritual at home. And there are recipes.
It's a measure of how I feel about this book that I seriously want to make all the recipes in it. (Usually recipes in books aren't very tempting to me.) While there are a few people I'd like to pass this on to, they're not going to see it - I've got some baking to do...
October 29, 2009
This is Gesine Bullock-Prado's memoir of leaving the rat race in Hollywood to open a bakery in Vermont. It comes complete with the usual funny mishaps and quirky characters. I think what I liked best about this book is Gesine herself. Far from the fat, jolly baker, she is impatient, caustic and sometimes not too sure she actually likes people all that much. What she does like is baking. She lives and breathes it, obsessing over the perfect cherry pie or macaroon. Opening a bakery she learns she can love people from afar with her beautiful pastries.
I really love that Gesine is not the typical baker. Somehow her tart personality perfectly balances out all the sweetness of the book. The recipes recipes, like Espresso Cheesecake and Raspberry Meringues are creative yet accessible to the home cook.
I really love that Gesine is not the typical baker. Somehow her tart personality perfectly balances out all the sweetness of the book. The recipes recipes, like Espresso Cheesecake and Raspberry Meringues are creative yet accessible to the home cook.
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