The Institute of Arts and Popular Traditions of Alsace will honor Chef Jacquy Pfeiffer in Strasbourg on October 2, 2010 with the Bretzel d’Or, or “Golden Pretzel” award. Each year, the institute recognizes talented Alsatians who preserve the arts and traditions of Alsace, the culturally rich, eastern region of France, bordering Lorraine and Franche-Comté, with Germany to the east and Switzerland to the south. Chef Pfeiffer and other Golden Pretzel recipients not only safeguard Alsatian heritage, but promote it within the region, around France, and throughout the world.
Chef Pfeiffer, originally from a small town near Strasbourg in Alsace, began his pastry training there, going on to work as Executive Pastry Chef for renowned establishments and international dignitaries like the Royal Family in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia; the Sultan of Brunei; the Hyatt Regency in Hong Kong; and both the Fairmont and Sheraton hotels in Chicago, Illinois. Chef Pfeiffer, along with Chef Sébastien Canonne, M.O.F., later founded The French Pastry School in Chicago.
“Receiving this award is a true honor,” said Jacquy Pfeiffer, Co-Founder and Academic Dean for Student Affairs. “I am very proud of my heritage, and grateful to be able to pass on Alsatian traditions to my students.”
Past recipients of the Golden Pretzel include poets, politicians, teachers, writers, philosophers, musicians, and chefs. In 2004, Pfeiffer’s colleague Pierre Zimmermann, World Baking Champion, received the award. Chicago will have the good fortune of another prominent Alsatian artisan when Chef Zimmermann joins the teaching faculty of The French Pastry School in August, 2010. Chef Pfeiffer continues his pedagogical role, sharing the pastry traditions of Alsace at his school in the full-time programs and Continuing Education courses. He also teaches master classes and demonstrates around the country and internationally.
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