Decadent Desserts in ‘Ottolenghi and the Cakes of Versailles’

Marie Antoinette didn’t actually say, “Let them eat cake,” to the starving hoi polloi, but it’s a fact that a lot of extravagant baked goods were served and consumed at the lavish feasts held at the Palace of Versailles. 

In June 2018, New York’s Metropolitan Museum of Art paid tribute to the court’s decadent cuisine by staging the Feast of Versailles, billed as “an edible exploration of power and privilege through pastry.” Guests paid $125 and up per ticket for the experience.

Under the direction of chef, restaurateur and food writer Yotam Ottolenghi and culinary historian Deborah Krohn, a small team of top pastry chefs created Versailles-inspired desserts as filmmaker Laura Gabbert (“City of Gold,” “No Impact Man”), documented the process. The result is “Ottolenghi and the Cakes of Versailles,” in theaters and On Demand Sept. 25.

The Jerusalem-born, London-based chef, who’d orchestrated two previous events at the Met, started preparing nearly nine months in advance, beginning with a trip to France to see Versailles firsthand.

“This was a groundbreaking period in many ways because developments in food, architecture and garden design were at the forefront. Versailles was the showcase for all these developments,” Otttolenghi, speaking via Zoom from his bustling test kitchen, told the Journal. At Versailles, “the architecture was often replicated in their grand feasts,” he said. “The chefs were in conversation with the landscape artists in order to replicate the structures and proportions of the gardens to create these massive displays of food.”

Working on a two-day deadline, Ottolenghi brought in chefs from Singapore, London and Ukraine to New York to produce the modern desserts inspired by Versailles pastries. He also worked with the authorities and curators at the Met to ensure the safety of existing displays. 

“This was a groundbreaking period in many ways because developments in food, architecture and garden design were at the forefront. Versailles was the showcase for all these developments. The architecture was often replicated in their grand feasts.” — Yotam Ottolenghi

“There are statues there that are very valuable,” he explained. “We had to get a special dispensation to allow liquid in the galleries. It was interesting and challenging at the same time.” The pressure didn’t bother him. “I don’t have any problem with that,” he said. “Putting all of this together in real time was a wonderful challenge.”

An Israeli of Italian and German Jewish heritage, Ottolenghi was raised by his late father, a chemistry professor at Hebrew University, and his mother, a high school principal, both excellent cooks. “I had all those international influences around me at the same time,” he said. “I was familiar with different cooking traditions.”

Although his Jewish upbringing was secular, with “low-key” holiday celebrations, Ottolenghi fondly remembers feasts featuring “a kosher version of Italian food as we know it. My grandfather used to have gnocchi, different pastas, vegetarian lasagna and fried zucchini for Passover. He made a version of meatloaf with pistachios, eggs and capers.”

After completing his compulsory military service and receiving graduate and undergraduate degrees in comparative literature, Ottolenghi decided to go to culinary school, enrolling at Le Cordon Bleu in London. His first job was as a pastry chef. 

“University was so insular and cooking is such a public thing to do. I loved the interaction and the immediate gratification you get with food. It’s second to none,” he said. He spent the late 1990s and early 2000s getting experience in different establishments in London, then started his own business with partners in 2002. “We have two delis or cafes and four restaurants,” he said. 

Unsurprisingly, the coronavirus pandemic has impacted business. “We had to close for a while and only recently reopened all of them,” Ottolenghi said. “Central London is very quiet now — there’s no tourism; businesses are shut. It’s not a good time for anyone in this industry. At the moment, it’s just getting everything back on track. That’s the most important thing at this point.”

Ottolenghi, 51, is the author of seven bestselling, award-winning cookbooks, including “Jerusalem” and the plant-based “Plenty” and “Plenty More.” Also highlighting vegetables, his new volume, “Ottolenghi: Flavor,” will be available Oct. 13. He has also hosted or guested on several TV series and specials including “Jerusalem on a Plate” and “Ottolenghi’s Mediterranean Feast,” and was a judge on “MasterChef Australia.” Nothing is in the works currently, “But I want to do more,” he said. 

At home, he shares the kitchen with his husband, Karl Allen. “He does a lot of the cooking. He’s a very good cook,” Ottolenghi said, noting that their two sons sometimes get in on it: “They start and leave a mess behind.” He usually visits Israel a few times a year, and looks forward to taking them to visit his mother, sister and her family in Jerusalem when travel becomes easier and safer.

He’s also looking forward to partnering on future endeavors with the Metropolitan Museum, where he created exhibits featuring India and Jerusalem in the past. “I really enjoy my collaborations with the Met and would like to do more of these creations, mixing art and food in a historical setting,” he said. “You always learn new things, and the intersection of food, art and history is always really fascinating. We evoked flavors and structures of the period to shed light on history, and I’d love to do that again.”

“Ottolenghi and the Cakes of Versailles” will be available Sept. 25 On Demand on Apple TV+, Amazon Digital, YouTube, Google Play, Vudu, XBOX, Xfinity, Spectrum, and DirecTV..