Confections of a Closet Master Baker: One Woman's Sweet Journey from Unhappy Hollywood Executive to Contented Country Baker (Hardcover)

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Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

In this terrifically lively account chockfull of elegant, Old World recipes, Bullock-Prado, a former Hollywood film developer and sister to actress Sandra Bullock, recounts the joys and heartbreaks of running her own patisserie in Montpelier, Vt. Having fled the soul-sucking routine in Los Angeles with her husband, Ray, for the simpler pleasures of a small town near the Green Mountains, the author opened her own bake shop, Gesine Confectionary, in 2004, mostly on the fame of the macaroons she refashioned from her German mother's favorite almond treat, mandelhoernchen (and the casual mention in an interview her sister did for In Style). Although a law school graduate, Bullock-Prado always relished playing with sugar, butter, and flour and concocts an affectionate homage to her mother, who recently died from colon cancer, and grandmother. Her memoir follows one day in a busy baker's life, from waking at three a.m. to prepare the batter (croissants, scones, sticky buns) and bake before opening shop at seven; through the hectic lunch (focaccia); and the three p.m. tea time. In subtly compelling prose, the master baker conveys her touching sense of responsibility for the emotional needs of [her] patrons, and offers mouthwatering recipes. (Sept.)
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Product Description

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 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.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 240 pages
• Publisher: Broadway (September 8, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0767932684
• ISBN-13: 978-0767932684
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.6 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (48 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #17,128 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars My Favorite Read of 2009, September 10, 2009

By	Moxie Baker "Foodie Fictionista" - See all my reviews

I work in a bookstore and read soooooooooo many books that and often I lose interest and toss the book aside to move on to the next one.

Well. I LOVED this book. I read it in two days and found myself making home made bread and vanilla cake (which was THE BEST EVER).

This is the story of Sandra Bullocks's sister, Gesine, who worked in Hollywood for her sisters production company and gave up a career most American's would drool over. Famous Stars - check! Fabulous clothes - check! Lunch/dinner dates - check!
First class travel - check!

Gesine chucked all the "phoniness" of LA to follow her passion for baking and ended up opening her own bakery - due mainly to an offhand comment her sister made about Gesine's fabulous macaroons.

If you love to bake (or eat) hurry and place your order for this book. If you're not a foodie but your doing a job that drains you and long to do something else, buy this book!

It's a heartfelt, easy, inspiring, read.

Truly the best book I've read all year. I will not be loaning my copy to ANYONE. And I rarely keep books I read (I usually pass them on). I have ONE SHELF that holds favorite books (6 in all) - and this takes first place.

Did I mention I LOVED this book! Funny. Heartwarming. Inspiring. Funny.

And there's recipes!!!!

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Wonderful Confection of Cookbook and Memoir, August 16, 2009

By	Susanne Koenig "mynewwritinglife.blogspot.com" (Memphis, TN) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Fresh out of law school and hanging out in L.A., Gesine's sister hits the big time, and she becomes an executive at her newly formed production company. Several years later, her very health-conscious mother dies from colon cancer. Hit hard by the loss, she finds herself channeling her grief into baking. Day after day she produces popular treats in a fashion that renders even the most congealed L.A-weary hearts putty in her hands, working out her angst into heavenly macaroons. After realizing that she was profoundly unhappy in the biz and always would be, she takes off for Montpelier, Vermont, and sets up shop. There she finds the kitchen a haven from the unplesantness she experienced in Hollywood, and falls passionately in love with what she does.

Including wondrous nostalgia for the ways of her mother and grandmother, Gesine takes the reader through the world of her childhood in Austria and Germany and along the way, ending each chapter with a recipe that makes you want to run to the store and start baking like mad. The Golden Eggs recipe--for a simple yellow cake that tastes just like donuts--is not to be missed, nor all the recipes for truly divine German treats. She really cares about what she does, and it shows.

Now this is not a touchy-feely heroine who throws rose-petals at your face because she's found her own happiness--she's not the touchy-feely type--she's a self-confessed misanthrope who is usually way too blunt and socially inept for most people's taste. She initially loves the kitchen for its anonymity and not having to deal with people, which is what I like best about this book--it displays a remarkable honesty about her own character and who she is and why she does what she does--baking is the best way she has of expressing goodness to the world, and although she feels like she's never fit in, she finds that through her gift she becomes an integral part of people's lives in her new home town. This is because (oh, and I love her for this) good treats matter, dammit, so put down that Twinkie and have a piece of properly made cake! Now!

So if you're into baking or just want a good quick yet insightful read about finding what's true for you in your life, then this is the book for you and your book group. Gesine's no poet--the language is very plain spoken and blunt--but she wrote a book packed with meaning and self-truth that I loved. A real treat, inside and out. I'm truly glad to have read it.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Absolutely Delicious!, October 2, 2009

By	Judy Mines - See all my reviews

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I really enjoyed this book. It was easy to read, fun, touching and full of heart, not to mention great recipes. Gesine paints an honest picture of her life. I was touched by her honesty. From her life as head of her celebrity sister's production company, where she had beautiful clothes, hobnobbed with celebrities, but was miserable, to her life as the owner of bakery in Vermont. The book is filled with colorful people and heart felt stories. Her mom, sister, dad, and grandma began to feel like family. Everything about this book is simply delightful. The cakes and pastries were described so well in this book I could almost taste them. I can't wait to try some of the recipes. This book is for anyone who wants to be inspired to live their dreams!

Another book I was inspired by is Being Here: Modern Day Tales of Enlightenment by award winning authors Ariel & Shya Kane. I highly recommend both of these books.