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Film, Video Roland Mesnier, Mark Ramsdell & Chuck Fischer: 2016 National Book Festival

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About this Item

Title

  • Roland Mesnier, Mark Ramsdell & Chuck Fischer: 2016 National Book Festival

Summary

  • Roland Mesnier discusses, with co-author Mark Ramsdell, "The White House in Gingerbread: Memories and Recipes" and, with co-author Chuck Fischer, "The Gingerbread White House: A Pop-Up Book." They are interviewed by Bonnie Benwick from the Washington Post at the 2016 Library of Congress Book Festival in Washington, D.C.

Event Date

  • September 24, 2016

Notes

  • -  Chuck Fischer is an accomplished designer and best-selling author. His fabric and wallpaper designs are in the permanent collection of the Cooper-Hewitt National Design Museum and he was chosen as a visiting artist at the American Academy in Rome. Fischer's distinctive style can be found in his books and various home furnishings, including his three signature collections of china and crystal for Lenox. His books include "Wallcoverings: Applying the Language of Color and Pattern," "The White House: A Pop-Up Book," "Christmas in New York: A Pop-Up Book" and "A Christmas Carol: A Pop-Up Book." Fischer's latest book, "The Gingerbread White House: A Pop-Up Book" , explores the holiday memories of the White House pastry kitchen with stories from pastry chefs Roland Mesnier and Mark Ramsdell.
  • -  Mark Ramsdell has been a pastry chef and instructor for more than thirty years. In 1982, he began an eight-year professional pastry apprenticeship with Roland Mesnier at L'Academie de Cuisine and later served as its director and head instructor. Ramsdell worked at the White House as pastry assistant to Roland Mesnier during the Clinton and George W. Bush administrations, when he assisted with the construction of the annual gingerbread showpiece and the preparation of holiday desserts. Ramsdell has designed and produced gingerbread showpiece models of Mount Vernon and the White House, as well as pastillage centerpieces for events at the French Embassy. He currently researches nautical cooking and continues to develop instructional texts on large gingerbread showpieces, architectural pastillage and petits gâteaux. Co-written with Roland Mesnier, Ramsdell's new book, "The White House in Gingerbread: Memories and Recipes" , showcases the story behind the gingerbread houses created for display in the White House and provides step-by-step instructions for constructing and decorating your own gingerbread houses.
  • -  Roland Mesnier was the pastry chef at the Princess Hotel and Governor's Palace in Bermuda before being hired by first lady Rosalyn Carter in 1980 as head pastry chef at the White House. While there, he served more than 40 queens, kings, princes, princesses and heads of state, launched the first professional pastry course at the Academy of Cuisine in Washington, D.C., and opened the doors of the White House to the best pastry cooks in the United States. He retired from the White House in July 2004 after 25 years of service. He is the recipient of several awards and honors, including a Doctorate of Culinary Arts from Johnson and Wales University and multiple gold, silver and bronze medals from culinary exhibitions around the world. His latest books include "The White House in Gingerbread: Memories and Recipes," co-written with Mark Ramsdell, and "The Gingerbread White House: A Pop-Up Book" , created with designer Chuck Fischer. He lives in Virginia.

Running Time

  • 47 minutes 55 seconds

Online Format

  • video
  • image
  • online text

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Credit Line: Library of Congress

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Citations are generated automatically from bibliographic data as a convenience, and may not be complete or accurate.

Chicago citation style:

Roland Mesnier, Mark Ramsdell & Chuck Fischer:National Book Festival. 2016. Video. https://www.loc.gov/item/webcast-7591/.

APA citation style:

(2016) Roland Mesnier, Mark Ramsdell & Chuck Fischer:National Book Festival. [Video] Retrieved from the Library of Congress, https://www.loc.gov/item/webcast-7591/.

MLA citation style:

Roland Mesnier, Mark Ramsdell & Chuck Fischer:National Book Festival. 2016. Video. Retrieved from the Library of Congress, <www.loc.gov/item/webcast-7591/>.